ESM Goh Chok Tong:We’ve become a more gracious society
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We’ve become a more gracious society: ESM Goh
By Faris Mokhtar | Yahoo! Newsroom – 13 hours agoOver the years, the level of graciousness among Singaporeans has improved, said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Sunday.
Speaking as the guest of honour at the first Singapore Kindness Movement conference, Goh noted that the habit of spitting in public is not as widely visible and common as compared to the past years.
He also observed that Singaporeans have grown more polite when speaking on their mobile phones at the public places, albeit there are still cases of people being inconsiderate.
“In my view, I think we have become more gracious,” said the former prime minister.
The Member of Parliament also mooted the idea of creating a “4G Home” which stands for “Great, Gracious, Generous and Green home” for the whole of the Marine Parade group representation constituency, which he represents.
This movement could later on be extended to the other parts of the country, he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also MP for the GRC, said that Singaporeans can choose to be kind and gracious or not to those around them.
“We all make those choices every day. How we treat our family members, how we treat our neighbours. When we walk out and we see them, do we smile? Do we greet them? When we know they’re rushing, do we hold the lift for them,” he asked.
“All these little actions doesn’t cost you anything,” he pointed out, adding that doing such acts of kindness would eventually become second nature in people if done regularly.
Tan also reminded parents that they also had a role to play in instilling positive values in their children. For instance, he said that the way parents interact in public could have an influence on the behaviour of their children.
“Do we as parents pay attention to the way we talk in front of our children, the comments we pass about the neighbours, about people out there. We are sometimes very loose in the way we way talk,” he said.
William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement Council, also stressed that the kindness movement is not a top-down but more of a bottom-up approach.
“This is a movement; this is not a government thing. This should be a people thing,” he said.
And this year’s campaign theme “Say Thanks, Make Someone’s Day” aims to ensure that Singaporeans are able to participate even through the simplest act of kindness, he said.
The conference was held in conjunction with the World Kindness Day which will kick off at Orchard Road on Sunday. Around 30,000 yellow gerbera daisies will be given out to the public and they are encouraged to spread the idea and pass it whenever they witness any act of kindness. -
one can become gracious, and pretentious concurrently...
there are some people who are a little crude...yet genuinely sincere....
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in this context, i shed my sympathies for security guards....they have often asked "to be polite yet be firm...." but kena feedback say they r rude....
some humans are living in between the toe line....haiz...
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SM goh smoking pot la.....or he havent take our pubic transport yet. Or he havent like the bangala go sentosa and gawk at bikni girls openly. Gracious my ass.
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maybe foreigns are exempted from graciousness?
Or perhaps our local SLUTWALK movement is considered as gracious?
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Originally posted by Fcukpap:
maybe foreigns are exempted from graciousness?
Or perhaps our local SLUTWALK movement is considered as gracious?
Haha, yeah include the Chinese people and then talk about graciousness. Isn't slutwalk an international movement.
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Originally posted by Fcukpap:
one can become gracious, and pretentious concurrently...
there are some people who are a little crude...yet genuinely sincere....
AGree -
I observe around me, I don't agree with ah Goh. Goh is the one started the kindness movement of course he is not going to say any negative feedback about it. Face very important you know.
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Goh should be honest with us if the MIW govt are kind and gracious to the people of Singapore. With name calling and unkind words from their mouths are they exercising kindness and graciousness towards the people of their own country. Moreover, with the kindness movement , the govt should set good examples.
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Mr Peanut have already show a lot of kindness by adopting Miss Kate Spade.
Kindness are showered to people who appreciate them and dun expect all policies to satisfy every one.
Please read and understand what is being said in the press.
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Mr Goh is correct, we have become a more gracious society.
On the scale of 1 to 10.
We have moved from 2 to 3.
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Gracious?
U meant not moving into the centre of the train, not moving to the back of the bus = gracious?
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Originally posted by Rock^Star:
SM goh smoking pot la.....or he havent take our pubic transport yet. Or he havent like the bangala go sentosa and gawk at bikni girls openly. Gracious my ass.
we judge things based on our experiences right?
surely all the people around him are very gracious.
so he is actually right!!!
haha...
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actually, what old gohly means is that his pocket has no swiss chocolate, only local candy called gracious.
he bluffed u all about about the swiss chocolate one.......
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Originally posted by 4sg:
actually, what old gohly means is that his pocket has no swiss chocolate, only local candy called gracious.
he bluffed u all about about the swiss chocolate one.......
Good one. But i don't want gracious leh. still prefer swiss society.
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Originally posted by deathmaster:
Good one. But i don't want gracious leh. still prefer swiss society.
Graciousness can eat ?
Can use it to pay for expensive public housing?
Times are bad.
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Originally posted by dragg:
we judge things based on our experiences right?
surely all the people around him are very gracious.
so he is actually right!!!
haha...
Ya la....I believe people in bukit timah don't scold words like knnbccb or ta ma de.
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Originally posted by mancha:
Mr Goh is correct, we have become a more gracious society.
On the scale of 1 to 10.
We have moved from 2 to 3.
Improvement leh.
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Originally posted by 4sg:
actually, what old gohly means is that his pocket has no swiss chocolate, only local candy called gracious.
he bluffed u all about about the swiss chocolate one.......
Swiss chocolate for the MIW.