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April 15, 2008
Up close and personal with minister Tharman
IT IS not often that we get to meet a minister, let alone have a chance to interact with him informally. But recently, a few of us were able to get close to Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, our Minister for Finance, who was our guest of honour at the Alumni Club where we showed our deep appreciation to him as our Honorary Member.

In short, we wanted him to know how much he has assisted the club to become what it is today. Nevertheless, the minister, in his opening remarks, said that it should be him who should be showing appreciation to all club members who made it what it is now. Mr Tharman went on to give three important points: He said he was privileged to have been 'a passenger' in his journey as the past Minister of Education, to have made some observations of talents in Singapore. Firstly, he said that talents are abundant everywhere in Singapore, not just in elite schools. Secondly, he talked about how to scout for these hidden talents. Such a search should go beyond academic excellence. Finally, it was equally important to look out for attributes in those who may have shown weaknesses in their performance, and seek ways to assist them to develop into their full potential.

I thank the minister for coming by and speaking to us. He has shown the true profile of a great minister.

Teo Kim-See

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