WELCOME ADDRESS BY MR NOEL HON, CHAIRMAN, SINGAPORE KINDNESS MOVEMENT AT THE THIRD CONFERENCE OF THE WORLD KINDNESS MOVEMENT ON SATURDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2000 AT THE WESTIN STAMFORD BALLROOM, WESTIN HOTEL
Mr President and Mrs S R Nathan,
Mr Lee Yock Suan, Minister for Information and the Arts,
Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Minister for Community Development and Sports,
Mr Othman Haron Eusofe, Minister of State, Ministry of Manpower
Mr Yatiman Yusof, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, MITA,
Ladies and Gentleman,
1. A very good morning to all of you. It is indeed my pleasure to welcome you to the Third Conference of the World Kindness Movement Conference.
2. Mr President, thank you for kindly consenting to be our Guest- of- Honour.
3. In Canada, a contractor prepares to repair a fireplace, the only source of heat for a poor single parent with a 2-year-old girl. He knows that she cannot afford to pay the $300 costs. On the completion of the job, he refuses payment and offers his services as a Christmas present. The lady is touched by his kindness and burst into tears.
4. In Singapore, an old cobbler's family remembers how a female executive, who was his customer, used to buy food daily for the old man. Her consideration and kindness was such that even when she went on leave, she would instruct her staff to continue to provide the cobbler with his lunch.
5. In Australia recently, I was at the airport luggage carousel collecting my bags when I noticed that my heavy suitcase had landed on top of another tall upright case. I was wondering how I could get it down without injury when a well dressed but large Australian walked up and lifted the bag down for me. He waved away my thanks. I noticed that he took the trouble to help others in the same situation. A small act of kindness for a fellow traveller but to me a great joy and relieve from a few days of backache.
6. Stories of kindness across the globe. There are billions more of such stories everyday. Most will never be told but each would have had a special effect on the giver and receiver.
7. The idea of a World Kindness Movement was mooted in Tokyo in 1997 when the Small Kindness Movement of Japan invited a number of similar organisations and like- minded individuals to attend their internal Conference. The Tokyo meeting cumulated in an agreement to establish an informal kindness network called the 'World Kindness Movement'.
8. The World Kindness Movement declaration signed in Tokyo states:
"Members of the World Kindness Movement acknowledge the fundamental importance of simple human kindness as a basic condition of a satisfying and meaningful life and pledge to join together through the individual networks of each member country, to build a kinder and more compassionate world."
9. The Singapore Kindness Movement was formed as a result of the call from Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong for a kinder and more gracious society in Singapore. The objective of our movement is to focus on small acts of kindness- little things that we can do everyday with some thoughtfulness and consideration that will make life more pleasant and comfortable for all around us be they strangers or friends.
10. The Singapore Kindness Movement is a signatory of the WKM declaration and we are honoured to have been chosen to host this third Conference, the first in the new millennium, in Singapore. From the original 8 members in 1997, the attendees of this conference hail from 16 countries representing the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the participation of our ASEAN neighbours and to thank them for their strong support of the conference.
Objectives
11. The 3rd World Kindness Conference has three objectives.
These are:
a. To raise awareness of the World Kindness Movement and provide it with more publicity;
b. To share ideas and experiences of kindness programmes of member countries so as to inspire other countries to start their own kindness movements back home and to join the WKM; and
c. To provide opportunities for all of us present here to network among ourselves, fire our enthusiasm and to motivate us to promote small acts of kindness by example.
WKM Programmes
12. The World Kindness Movement is a young organisation but we are progressing well. Let me briefly mention some of our key milestones to- date.
World Kindness Day - 13 November
13. At the first conference in Japan in 1998, members agreed to establish World Kindness Day on 13 November, in an effort to join communities and nations in a simultaneous celebration and reaffirmation of kindness as a worthy guiding principle for the world in the 21st century.
WKM Homepage
14. Kindness is an attribute that is indeed borderless. It is universal and not restricted to nations, cultures or religions. For this reason, it is most suited to the internet. The Singapore Kindness Movement was tasked to develop and set up the WKM Homepage, which had a soft- launch in April 1999, in conjunction with the Singapore Event 1999. The WKM Homepage is hyper- linked to other kindness movement websites from around the world. The WKM homepage offers a platform for the world community to interact and share ideas and experiences to help make this world a kinder and more pleasant place.
WKM Logo
15. The WKM Logo was designed by the Random Acts of Kindness Movement of California. The logo was adopted by members in 1999. I am happy to report that the guidelines for the use of the logo by members were discussed and adopted yesterday at our plenary session.
WKM Flower
16. Yesterday, at our plenary session, was also adopted Cosmos bipinnatus as the official flower of the WKM. This flower was chosen as it grows freely in most parts of the world and its simplicity and beauty reflect the spirit of kindness- which is that it should be given freely and simply all the time. Later in the afternoon, members will witness the planting of a yellow rain tree in honour of the WKM at Marina South Park.
WKM Constitution
17. At the plenary session, we also discussed and adopted the draft Constitution. Out first Constitution is, of necessity, simple and straightforward. As the WKM grows and consolidates, the constitution will evolve to meet the needs of the times.
18. These activities have laid the foundation of the World Kindness Movement. We have planted the seeds today and we hope our efforts will result in a truly international and borderless fraternity.
19. Finally, I would like to thank Mr President again for gracing this occasion. Your presence, Sir, has given this conference added prominence. My thanks also to our sponsors for making this event possible as well as members of the media for their continuous support. Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all out guests for their presence here, especially our foreign friends who have travelled long distances to be with us today.
20. May I conclude by leaving you with a thought from Mother Teresa- "We do not great things, we do only little things with great love". This is the philosophy of the World Kindness Movement and we hope that our movement will "inspire individuals towards greater kindness and connect nations to create a kinder world.
Thank you.
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