Contributed by RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO –
Want To Cast A Wax Figure Of Yourself?
Last Thursday wax figures of several celebrities and politicians were unveiled at the newly opened Madame Tussauds Singapore museum. Among those who were immortalised in wax were TV personalities Huang Wenyong, Jack Neo, Gurmit Singh and Stefanie Sun, a singer-songwriter.
Politicians like Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (and his late wife Madam Kwa Geok Choo) are also honoured in wax at the museum.
Ms Lily Lim, general manager of Madame Tussauds Singapore, in an interview with The New Paper has called on the public to give suggestions on who they who they would like to see immortalised in wax.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the late TV actor Huang Wenyong who have made significant contributions to Singapore in their own unique ways share one thing in common: They have both been dedicated and loving husbands to their wives and caring fathers to their children. Such virtues are not always common these days when divorce cases are on the rise.
Recognition for Commitment
It is a pity that ordinary couples who have stayed committed and honoured their marriage vows to the letter for decades have not been given any form of recognition by the government or any organisation. To this end, I propose that to motivate and encourage couples to value and cherish the marriage vows; it would be good if they can also be featured in wax in Madame Tussauds Singapore museum.
At the launch of two books at the 10th anniversary conference of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the middle of October, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Lawrence Wong called on citizens to value integrity and deeds and help find solutions to improve the country.
Active Citizenship
I support the call for Singaporeans to be active in helping to make our nation a better place because active citizens are people who participate in the life of their communities by identifying problems and coming up with suggestions and ideas with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of those who live around them.
This is where active citizenry plays an important role. Very often it is social activists who can identify problems and come up with solutions because they are always in touch with the ground. Therefore, it would be a good idea to also immortalise in wax prominent activists and advocates who have made significant contributions to the nation.
By Raymond Anthony Fernando
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