Minister for the Environment Mr Lim Swee Say officiated at the opening of the Chinese Cultural Festival 2002 on March 1. Here is an excerpt of his speech.

　　Culture will never remain static. As society and times change, so will cultural development. Changes in domestic and regional environments and a faster pace of living will continue to shape our mindset and thinking.

　　Cultural development must therefore keep abreast with the new environment that we face. However, economic development and social cohesion will remain our two pillars for prosperity and stability. Cultural development is an important element for building a cohesive society and a vibrant cultural environment will contribute to our economic development.

　　Here, I would like to highlight three challenges in the process of development of cultural traditions.

　　First, in a globalised and knowledge-based economy, Singaporeans are inevitably affected by new trends and materialism. Under such circumstances, if we seek success blindly, we may end up drifting with the tide in a borderless global village.

　　We must therefore constantly strengthen our traditional values and virtues of various ethnic communities and avoid becoming “rootless duckweeds”.

　　The second challenge is that, in this New Economy, economic competitiveness hinges on people’s innovation and imagination. Some people may say that traditional Chinese culture will clash with an innovative society that we are pursuing. I beg to disagree with such a view.

　　For I believe that Chinese culture and traditions do not advocate pedantry or preserving the sacred cows. On the contrary, they attach importance to education and encourage constant learning and thinking.

　 The third challenge concerns strengthening our sense of national identity. We are now encouraging all Singaporeans to participate in the reshaping of Singapore.

　　All citizens have a duty to the country. Every Singaporean should care about national affairs, come forward to take part, voice their views and opinions in a responsible manner and, at the same time, accept and accommodate others' views with an open mind. This way, we will be able to enhance people’s sense of participation in nation building, as well as their sense of national identity and sense of pride.

　　Of course, in a multi-racial society, we must not only promote cultural development, but also stress the need for social harmony. It has been the Confucian philosophy to accommodate divergent views. All ethnic cultures have different unique practices, but they also share a common goal of doing good.

In promoting its own culture, all communities should try to enlarge our common space. In other words, all communities should bear in mind that, as Singaporeans, we should all work for the common goal while preserving our small differences.

　　In short, the promotion of traditional culture in our multi-racial country, which is being reshaped, is not only a tradition but is also a mission.

　　I believe that as long as we have a solid cultural foundation and as long as we cherish the spirit of unity amidst diversity, the various communities in Singapore will be able to create a vibrant economy, a cohesive society and a resilient new Singapore in a turbulent, fast-changing world.

　　环境发展部长林瑞生在3月1日为华族文化节2002主持开幕，以下是他致词的摘要。

　　文化并不是定型的，也绝不是一成不变的。随着社会和时势的改变，文化也相应的在演变。国内和区域大环境的转变，以及快速的生活步伐，将继续影响着我们的心态和思路。

华族文化注重个人修身养性。

　　文化的发展，必须迎合我们所面对的新环境。不过，经济发展与社会凝聚力，始终是维持国家繁荣与稳定的两大支柱，而文化事业的推动，正是凝聚社会的重要元素之一。同时，文化蓬勃发展也可以为经济的繁荣进步作出贡献。

　　在这里，我要提出文化传统在发展的过程中所面对的三个挑战。

　　首先，在环球化和知识经济体系里，国人难免受到新潮流和物质主义的影响。在这种情况下，如果我们一味盲目的追求成就，我们可能在这一个没有国界的环球村里随波逐流。

　　因此，我们必须不断地加强和巩固各族群的传统价值观和美德，以避免成为“无根的浮萍”。

　　其次，在新经济体系里，经济的竞争力取决于人民的创意和想像力。可能，有些人认为，华族传统文化和我们要追求的、富有创意的社会，是有冲突的。对这种论调，我不以为然。

　　因为，传统华族文化并不提倡“食古不化”、“墨守成规”。相反，华族文化传统不但注重教育，而且在个人修身养性方面，鼓励我们不断学习，不断思考。

　　第三个挑战是有关于加强我们的国家意识。现在，我国正在鼓励国人积极参与国家建设，改造新加坡。

　　所谓“国家兴亡，匹夫有责”，如果每一个新加坡人都抱着这个信念，关心和参与国事，以负责任的态度来提出意见和看法，同时也虚心接纳和包容别人所提出的意见，我们就能加强国人在建国大业的参与感、认同感和为国服务的自豪感。

　　当然，在一个多元种族的社会里，我们必须推动文化发展、更必须强调和谐共存。正如儒家所说的“君子和而不同，小人同而不和”。每个族群的文化，虽有不同和独特的习俗，却有共通的做人宗旨。

　　因此，各族群在发扬其文化传统的同时，也必须尽量争取扩大彼此的共同空间。也就是说，我们各族群都必须牢记，身为新加坡人，我们应该抱着“求大同，存小异”的精神，寻求共同的目标和理想，一齐来实现未来的新加坡。　　

　　总而言之，使传统文化能够继续发扬光大，对我们这个在转型中的多元种族国家，不只是一种传统，更是一种使命。

　　我深信，只要有深厚的文化传统为基础，我国的各族同胞是可以在这动荡不安，急速变迁的新世界里，本着“不同而合”的建国精神，一起打造出一个，不单是有活力的经济、有凝聚力的社会，而且是个更有弹力的“新新加坡”。

《联合早报》

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