Committee formed to engage Singaporeans in developing concept for Founders' Memorial

A 15-member Steering Committee has been formed to gather views from the public and to conceptualise a memorial to honour and remember the values and ideals of Singapore’s founding generation of leaders. The Committee comprises representatives from the people, private and public sectors who will reach out to engage Singaporeans across all communities.

The idea of a Founders’ Memorial was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his Parliamentary Statement on 13 April 2015. In his statement, PM Lee affirmed the value of having a memorial to honour the legacy of our founding generation of leaders, unify Singaporeans and inspire future generations to reflect on the ideals and values upon which our nation is built.

PM Lee emphasised that the Founders’ Memorial must belong to all Singaporeans and hold a special significance for us.  PM Lee announced that Mr Lee Tzu Yang, who is the Chairman of The Esplanade Company Limited, would head the Committee to gather views from the public.

The members of the Steering Committee bring with them expertise in areas such as heritage, architecture, education, academic research and community engagement. Their extensive networks will allow the Committee to obtain a more comprehensive set of perspectives so as to conceptualise a Memorial that will resonate with Singaporeans. The members are:

1) Mr Lee Tzu Yang (Chairman)

2) Ms Lina Chong

3) Professor Lily Kong

4) Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin

5) Ms Lee Huay Leng

6) Mr Ong Keau

7) Mdm Par Bee Gek, Dolly

8) Mr Gopinath Pillai

9) Ms Druga Rajendran

10) Mr Sidek bin Saniff

11) Mr Timothy James de Souza

12) Mr Tai Lee Siang

13) Mr Tan Aik Hock

14) Mr Zahidi Bin Abdul Rahman

15) Mdm Haslinda Bte Zamani

The Committee’s work will span at least 18 months, between now and end-2016. During this time, the Committee will actively engage stakeholders and members of the public for their views. This will include holding focus group discussions, seeking online feedback and conducting surveys. A website will be set up within the next few months to facilitate Singaporeans in providing their views directly to the committee. More details of the engagement schedule/sessions will be shared later. Briefly, the Committee will:

a) Engage widely and consult all stakeholders on the objectives, concept and form of the memorial;

b) Review all proposals for the memorial;Study and glean insights from relevant memorials overseas; and

c) Recommend the best concept for the development of the memorial.

Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of the Founders’ Memorial Steering Committee, said: “We want to engage with Singaporeans over the coming months on the Founders Memorial.  We seek to tap their ideas to conceptualise a Memorial that will best reflect the founding ideals and values that will continue to inspire us all, including generations of Singaporeans to come.”