New showcase on Founders' Memorial at Gardens by the Bay; feedback wanted

The showcase presents highlights from previous engagement sessions and seeks to engage more Singaporeans on their views on the Founders’ Memorial. PHOTO: ZAOBAO

SINGAPORE - Colourful structures cocooned within glass cases and touch-sensitive screens depicting Singapore's historical narrative - all against a panoramic view of the Singapore skyline.

These are what visitors to the public showcase, Remembering Our Founders: The Making of a Memorial, can expect to see.

The showcase aims to get public feedback on the Founders' Memorial, such as what form it could take. It was launched by the Founders' Memorial Committee on Monday (March 13) and will be held at Gardens by the Bay's Waterview Room from Tuesday until April 30.

In mid-April, the showcase will be brought to the heartland. Admission is free.

The Founders' Memorial is designed to commemorate the values exemplified by the late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and his team during the nation's five decades of nation-building.

A series of public engagement sessions , including the public showcase launched on Monday, has been organised by the Founders' Memorial Committee to seek views from Singaporeans on the memorial.

About 80 per cent of the participants in the first round of the engagement sessions were in favour of establishing the Founders' Memorial.

Gardens by the Bay's Bay East Garden was selected as the site for the memorial by 72 per cent of participants in the second phase of the engagement sessions. Common reasons cited by the participants for choosing Bay East Garden include the site being visitor-friendly and accessible to all. The public showcase is the third round of the committee's public engagement exercise, and tens of thousands of visitors are expected.

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At the showcase's launch, Mr Lee Tzu Yang, chairman of the 15-member Founders' Memorial Committee, said the committee will consolidate its findings from the three rounds of engagement into a report to be submitted to the Government in July.

Mr Lee said the showcase encapsulates Singaporeans' "voices and collective aspirations", and presents the founding values that resonate most with the public, such as integrity, humility and incorruptibility.

Interactive activities at the showcase allow visitors to indicate their preferences regarding the memorial's physical features and programmes.

Mr Aditya Batura, co-founder of Codomo, the company working with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth in facilitating parts of the engagement series, said: "We are at a good juncture in Singapore's history to look back and treasure our founding values, while simultaneously looking ahead to our future."

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