Time flies and we are already into the third quarter of this year. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to some 300 youthful participants of the National Day Parade (NDP) 2022, the committee and all who have contributed to the great success of the performance! Despite your personal struggles, you have contributed selflessly to bringing great joy and hope to fellow Singaporeans. Thank you very much for the great effort!
Recently in June, SGS hosted a visit by Minister Edwin Tong and his team from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (see ST651 July 2022 issue). After the visit, Minister Tong wrote the following in Facebook,
“This year, Soka Gakkai Singapore (SGS) celebrates its 55th anniversary in Singapore. It was founded as the Singapore Soka Association to support the practice of Nichiren Buddhism.
Over the past 55 years, SGS has contributed much to our nation building. Many of us can remember SGS members putting up mass displays for our National Day Parades.
SGS has also worked with community partners to promote interfaith learning and religious harmony. It has been a member of our Inter-racial and Religious Confidence Circle (IRCC) for many years.
I joined SGS at their headquarters for their anniversary celebration and toured their Heritage Room, where we were introduced to the origins of Nichiren Buddhism, SGS and its movement in areas of peace, culture and education in Singapore.
Thank you, SGS, for your good work in the various social and community projects in Singapore. Congratulations on your 55th anniversary!”
Since our establishment and with constant guidance from our mentor Ikeda Sensei, our members have endeavoured to be good citizens in society. Through cultural performances and numerous community projects over the years, SGS has gained recognition as an organisation working for the happiness and well-being of the community.
In an article “The Skyscraper of Singapore” published in July 2015, Ikeda Sensei wrote,
“Today, the SSA (SGS) is fully recognised as one of Singapore’s representative groups, and its members are annually invited by the government to perform at their National Day event celebrating Singapore’s independence. As model citizens of Singapore and the world, the members of SSA (SGS) are burning with a lionhearted spirit as they expand their network for peace, culture, and education.
When I met with then Singapore President S. R. Nathan in 2000, he praised the performances of the SSA (SGS) members, as well as those of Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) members, which he also saw. He said he had always been impressed, not only by their wonderful presentation, but by the fact that young people were taking a leading role in these performances…”
Truly, with faith in Gohonzon, our members have experienced great joy and benefits, transforming lives through human revolution, and winning over life’s challenges. As we advance, SGS youth will have the important role to carry on the task of building trust and spreading the movement of peace in Singapore.
We are indeed inspired that our youth division has reached out to more than 2,400 youths in dialogues of hope and encouragement through the “Youth Emerge Strong, Let’s Bounce Back Better!” campaign.
Let’s continue to reach out to friends with courage and wisdom, to help them form precious connections with Buddhism to construct the treasure land of happiness in Singapore.
