PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION

9 King George’s Avenue 208581 Tel: (65) 63405430;63405432;62382032 Fax: (65) 63485977 Website: www.pa.gov.sg

[EMBARGOED UNTIL 7.00 PM SUNDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2017]

2 February 2017

PRIME MINISTER’S GARDEN PARTY

The Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers will host the Chinese New Year Garden Party at The Meadow at Gardens by the Bay on Sunday, 12 February 2017 from 4.00pm to 7.15pm. The Garden Party is held to thank grassroots and community leaders for their dedication and contributions to the community. About 4,000 guests will attend the function.

2 At the Garden Party, guests can tour two specially curated orchid gardens. Highlights of the orchid gardens include the display of Aranda Lee Kuan Yew, Vanda Kwa Geok Choo and Dendrobium SR Nathan. A massive piece of façade art comprising over 2,300 joyous faces will also be displayed at the Garden Party. Specially selected from existing façade art pieces at HDB blocks, the art display banners have been re-assembled into a 2,500 sqm piece of artwork.

3 For the first time, guests will be treated to local hawker delights by seven young hawkers aged 35 and below. Hawker fare has become a uniquely Singaporean way of bringing people of all races together, and these enterprising “hawkerpreneurs” are motivated to preserve the hawker food and culture and see themselves as charting a viable path for other young people. More information on these hawkers can be found in Annex B. Guests can also sample prepared by volunteers from the Community Club (CC) and Residents Committee Culinary Interest Groups.

4 Musical groups from the CCs and People’s Association Corporate Members will be at the Garden Party to provide background music. Guests will also be entertained by roving musicians and Chingay characters. Guests are free to visit various art and handicraft booths to pick up handmade souvenirs and art painting pieces from volunteers.

5 The Garden Party is open to the media for photo opportunities only. Your camera crew/ photographers are cordially invited to the Chinese New Year Garden Party on Sunday, 12 February 2017, 5.00pm to 7.00pm, at The Meadow at Gardens by the Bay.

6 Please forward confirmation of your attendance by Monday, 6 February 2017, 2.00pm to the media contact person/s below. For security reasons, please let us have the particulars (including Media/ Name/ Identification Card Number/ MCI Press Pass Number/ Contact Number/ Vehicle Number) of your camera crew/ photographers covering the function using the attached form in Annex A. Details on parking and transport arrangements will be provided upon confirmation of your attendance.

Media Contact Person/s : Farihah Zainal (Ms) Manager (Corporate Communications) Tel: 6238 2159 HP: 9182 1894 Email: [email protected]

Jarain Ng (Ms) Assistant Director (Corporate Communications) Tel: 6340 5400 HP: 9107 6451 Email: [email protected]

Issued by : Corporate Communications Division People’s Association Tel: 6340 5430, 6340 5231, 6340 5432

About People’s Association

The People’s Association (PA) is a statutory board established on 1 July 1960 to promote racial harmony and social cohesion, and to act as a bridge between the Government and the people. We offer a wide range of community programmes and volunteering opportunities for Singaporeans from all walks of life. Our network includes more than 1,800 grassroots organisations (GROs), over 100 Community Clubs, five Community Development Councils, National Community Leadership Institute and Water-Venture. More information at www.pa.gov.sg.

Annex A

PRIME MINISTER’S CHINESE NEW YEAR GARDEN PARTY 2017 SUNDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2017 THE MEADOW AT GARDENS BY THE BAY

MEDIA ATTENDANCE LIST

S/ Company Job NRIC No. MCI Press Applicant’s Full Name as in NRIC Nationality Country Date of Birth Sex Religion Mobile No. Vehicle N Designation Pass No. of Birth (Year/Month/ No. Day) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Annex B

Backstory of Young Hawker Stall & Food Centre “This local food relationship between hawker and patrons is very dear to me as I'm a strong advocate of keeping our local food You Cai Claypot culture alive.” Winson Lim (29) Hawker Centre @ An avid foodie of hawker fare, Winson ventured into the hawker Our Tampines scene as an active agent to preserve the local hawker culture. With Hub his father’s bak kut teh recipe, he opened his stall in November 2016, and since then has embarked on a steep learning curve – from handling daily operations to running marketing campaigns. Despite the challenges, he pressed on and has been cheered on by his customers, garnering good reviews.

“I find a sense of fulfilment to know that I'm part of something Lad & Dad uniquely Singapore (hawker culture) and that I'm making a difference by paving the way for future young hawkers.” Serangoon Keith Koh (26) Garden Market

Keith plunged into the hawker scene after completing his university studies in London. For more than a year, he has been serving British inspired dishes, comprising and hand-mashed potatoes. Through his dishes, foodies can enjoy international fare in a local hawker centre setting. Keith finds a sense of satisfaction when customers show their appreciation for the quality food that he serves.

“I’m happy to serve my family’s recipes, knowing that our legacy is Yunus & Family being preserved and can go on successfully.” Afiq Rezza (26) Ang Mo Kio Food Centre From a young boy helping out his parents, to managing the stall full- time now, Afiq is delighted that he can preserve his family legacy by serving dishes from recipes passed down from his grandfather. Keeping this legacy has been a tough journey which involves long hours, amidst other challenges. Still he finds joy in meeting people, who are often surprised to see a young man fronting the stall.

“Although the hawker trade is not a popular industry, I decided to Ming’s Prawn take up the challenge and forge ahead, to follow my passion.” Cai Jiaming (26) Alexandra Village First-time hawker Jiaming started serving prawn noodle in May 2016 Food Centre after graduating from At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy. He is committed to serving the freshest ingredients to his customers which he achieves by visiting Jurong Fishery Port in the wee hours. His efforts have drawn him a sizeable loyal fan base.

Backstory of Young Hawker Stall & Food Centre “Traditional hand-pulled mee hoon kueh is rarely seen in hawker Hand-Pull Style centres now, which sparked my interest to take it up so I can Mee Hoon Kueh continue to serve to the masses.” Yi Jie (30) Ci Yuan Hawker Centre Yi Jie embarked on his hawker journey in August 2015 through an entrepreneurship programme designed to encourage the younger generation to enter this trade. As a young hawker, he often meets customers who initially doubt his cooking abilities but only to return as repeat customers. This is what greatly delights him and keeps him going.

“I get a sense of fulfilment when I see returning customers; that is Sin Ming Roti when I know that our hard work, sacrifices and long hours have paid Prata off.” Mohamed Dufail (31) Jin Fa Kopitiam @ 24 Sin Ming Road Dufail started out in the engineering industry, but later joined his brother in managing the roti prata stall founded by their father. The drastic career switch was fueled by his determination to sustain the 40-year family business. Since he and his brother took over, new fusion recipes such as the Pizza have won over international fans who even blogged about the food.

“I love that this job helps me understand what my mum went Jia Le Yong Tau through in bringing up my sisters and me.” Foo Pamela Loh (31) Hawker Centre @ Pamela moved from the banking sector into the hawker trade in Our Tampines October 2015. Inspired by her mother’s multiple tries in Hub entrepreneurship during her growing years; she made a bold decision to join the rank of “hawkerpreneurs”. Pamela strongly believes in serving only freshly handmade Yong Tau Foo, using her mother’s recipe.