SMRT x MCCY MOU Signing Ceremony

Mr Seah Moon Ming, Chairman, SMRT Corporation

Mr Peter Ho, Chairman of National Gallery Singapore,

Ms Teoh Zsin Woon, Permanent Secretary, MCCY

Mr Ngien Hoon Ping, Group CEO, SMRT Corporation

Dr Eugene Tan, CEO and Director of National Gallery Singapore,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

1. Good morning and it’s great to see everybody, for being here today, and I want to thank all of you for taking your time to be here.

2. Every day, over three million journeys are made on SMRT’s network. That’s three million moments — moments of commuting, of moving, of quiet reflection — happening all across the arteries of our city.

3. Most of us think of these journeys as functional, getting from Point A to Point B. But what if these could be something more?

4. What if the spaces that we pass through every day could inspire, provoke thought, and deepen our sense of who we are as Singaporeans?

5. Today, I am pleased to announce a three-year partnership between MCCY and SMRT to support Singapore’s charity sector through a new corporate social responsibility initiative.

6. Through this partnership, SMRT will offer free advertising spaces at MRT platforms, bus stops, to our Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs). Charities can raise awareness for their causes, and more Singaporeans can take a step forward to contribute, whether through funds, donations or just volunteering acts. Many of our IPCs do extraordinary work with very limited resources. SMRT's support will go a very long way in helping our charities continue more of their very meaningful works.

7. On another note, Singapore has also long believed that arts as well as charities, play a key role in shaping our identity, strengthening our social fabric, and enriching the texture of our everyday life.

8. Through programmes, institutions, and initiatives across our arts ecosystem, we have also built world-class museums, galleries, and cultural spaces for Singaporeans to come to the arts.

9. Through our Arts Everywhere initiative, we also go one step further, where we bring arts to Singaporeans.

10. SMRT will also ink a partnership with National Gallery Singapore to bring arts closer to more Singaporeans. SMRT will open up transit spaces — stations, platforms, passageways — as venues for community engagement, educational outreach, and public participation in the arts. This is a partnership that reflects our shared commitment — to bring the visual arts closer to Singaporeans in our daily moments.

11. Imagine a TJC student that’s on her way to school pausing to study an artwork at Tampines East station. Or a family at Jurong East just going about their daily commute, learning about the causes that are worthy of their volunteering time. Or a commuter at Raffles Place discovering a new Singaporean artist for the very first time.

12. These are the kinds of encounters that can shift perspectives — quietly, organically, and at scale.

13. What is exceptionally meaningful about this partnership is that it meets Singaporeans where they are. In addition to encountering arts or charities – whether at NGS and SIFA, or where the charities are – we can now encounter arts and our charities in our daily commute. By embedding arts and charity sectors into the transit experience, we are making this a part of our natural daily lives.

14. This reflects a broader aspiration that we hold for arts and culture, as well as for giving in Singapore. We want appreciation for our shared heritage and creative expression, as well as our charity spirit to be something Singaporeans can encounter every day — woven into the rhythms of our daily life.

15. To our partners at SMRT — thank you. It takes vision to see a train station as more than just a place of transit. It takes commitment to invest in the cultural life of the nation alongside your core mission. And it takes a heart to be able to also support our charities and their worthy causes. And this is a genuine partnership that we have, to bring all of these together in the spirit of serving the community.

16. Thank you also for being a strong supporter and contributor to the community, whether through the “Tap for Hope” initiative since 2021, which makes it much easier for commuters to donate, or through making our train stations places for the community to build bonds, such as through the community pianos initiative.

17. I am confident that this MOU will give rise to programmes and activations that will surprise and delight Singaporeans — and perhaps a few of us will arrive at our destination just a little bit more inspired than when we first set off.

18. To our charities and artists who will benefit from this partnership — this is for you, and this is because of you. Your work matters and you help all of us come closer together as one united people.

19. With this MOU, let us continue to inspire more Singaporeans to give back, build a stronger culture of giving, and find new ways to keep our arts, culture and heritage alive.

20. Thank you.