An annual celebration of Laozi's birthday and religious harmony

道教总会会长陈添来先生
各宗教团体的领导和代表
各位来宾
大家晚上好!

1. 我很高兴今晚能够与大家共同欢庆老子诞辰的庆祝晚宴。
   

2. 道教在新加坡拥有悠久的历史。

3. 我国的道教社群在促进种族与宗教和谐时，扮演着积极的角色。我很高兴看到今晚在座的各宗教领袖能在这里共聚一堂，使今晚的活动更有意义。

4. 大家都知道宗教之间的分歧与纠纷能造成社会分裂, 使国家动荡不安。

5. 我国这么多年来一直享有和谐稳定的社会.当然种族与宗教之间偶尔难免会有点小摩擦，但是这些小摩擦也提醒我们不能掉以轻心，过于自满。

6. 我们在每一个领域，都必须坚持不分肤色，公平竞争，平等待遇，任人唯贤的基本原则。我们也应该维持各种族与宗教之间的互信关系，使我们能够坦诚的讨论敏感的问题，然后一起寻找解决问题的办法。

7. 宗教和谐是要靠大家的合作，互相体谅，互相包容, 才能取得良好的平衡。我们需要了解彼此之间的不同，也同时要切记我们是新加坡人的共同生分。

8. 我国各宗教组织，如道教总会，在建立一个凝固的社会扮演着重要的角色。我希望道我国的道教徒能够继续发挥影响力，一起共同维持我国种族与宗教之间的和谐。

1. The Taoist Federation is a valued partner of the community.
   

2. Under the leadership of its chairman Mr Tan Thiam Lye, the Federation has progressively adopted new ways of sharing Taoist practices and beliefs, including forming youth groups and reaching out through the social media. It has also introduced a one-year course in 2010 to promote the teachings of Taoism, which is attended by people of various racial and religious backgrounds.

3. The Taoist Federation and its temples are steadfast supporters of the efforts to promote racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Tonight's gathering itself is a good example – it's an occasion to mark the birthday of Laozi, but it's also an opportunity to renew friendships and get to know members of other faiths better. At the local level, there are many Taoist leaders participating in our Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs). They work hard in the community to build closer ties between Singaporeans of different race and religious backgrounds.

4. We welcome more ground-up initiatives to promote racial and religious harmony. Organisations can now apply to the Harmony Fund to initiate more projects cultivating friendships and understanding among our racial and religious groups.
   

5. Preserving the trust and understanding among our different religious communities requires a spirit of give and take. Over the years, Singaporeans of different faiths have learnt to trust one another, and to accommodate each other's different customs, traditions and ways of life. We must continue with this pragmatic and responsible approach, and work together as partners for a common cause.
   

6. I encourage the Taoist community to continue doing its part in fostering good relations between the different religious groups in Singapore. Through your efforts, and through our collective endeavours, we can keep our society cohesive, and keep Singapore united and harmonious for many more years to come.