fjrj]jg G U L I M www.pap.org.sg Sep tember /Oc tober 2012

Big ideas from small talk

• Lawrence Wong's softer side • Punggol West - new community • Meaning of a bigger heart

ACE TO FACE

Softer side of Lawrence Wong Aside from what he wants to focus on in the new Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, new Minister Lawrence Wong talks about some of his childhood pursuits

By Wong Sher Maine

If you are lucky, you might catch newly-minted Minis ter Lawrence Wong, 40, strumming the guitar at a

grassroots event. The acting Minister of the new M i n ­

istry of Culture, Community and Youth ( M C C Y ) , who will officially take office on Nov 1 after just 18 months in politics, never stopped playing the guitar ever since his father thrust one into his hands as a 10-year-old.

Through lessons with a family friend where he learnt to read notes, he went on to inspire young people with his music as a church youth leader, entertained staff during dinner-and-dance events when he was the C E O of the Energy Market Authority, and now plays mostly for himself at home.

From acoustic to electric, he can run through what he calls "every guitar player's list of 100 riffs" from the likes of Eric Clapton to Led Zeppelin.

Down-to-earth and straightforward, the hour-long interview at his current office at the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts is a friendly chat over cups of sweet tea.

There is a certain boyish delight when he finds out that you sent your child to a neighbourhood school in Marine Parade.

"Really? I used to live in the H D B estate next to that school," exclaims the

Tanjong Katong Secondary and Victoria Junior College alumnus.

Some of his fondest childhood memo­ries were of hanging out at the old Marine Parade Library where the N T U C now stands, voraciously devouring all manner of books from the Hardy Boys to C S Lewis and then moving on to the non-fiction he now prefers.

"My job is to help others realise their aspirations. It's about listening, understanding what various groups like to do and see how I can support them in the best possible way."

These days, though, he has little time for leisure. Since he entered politics in May 2011, the past year, he said, "has been busier than ever but also tremen­dously fulfilling".

The former C E O of the Energy Mar­ket Authority has been getting used to the rigours of weekly Meet-the-People sessions, weekly house visits, grassroots events and working intensely in education

from pre-school to university. Now, top of his to-do list is setting

out the broad directions for the M C C Y , which wil l work through the arts, sports, community and youth groups to create a sense of national identity.

Developing a sense of national iden­tity, he said, is a constant work in progress. "We have matured and developed as a society and in this phase of development, people are looking beyond bread and but­ter to see what more they want in life."

The M C C Y , he said, will "have con­versations with the arts, sports, commu­nity and youth groups we deal with, find out what their dreams and aspirations are, and find ways to support and help them realise their goals".

What is clear is that existing pro­grammes w i l l continue. Pressed on whether there wil l be new programmes under the M C C Y , M r Wong emphasised: "We are not starting from scratch. There are existing plans under the arts, sports, community and youth groups. What we need to do is to think through how we can synergise better."

He sees links between these four areas, which "all relate to touching people's lives in a deeper and higher level", and by syn­ergy he means linking groups up.

Under the M C C Y , more arts groups might explore w o r k i n g w i t h youth

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Mr Wong wants to engage our youths to contribute to the society.

groups, for instance, or community groups. In fact, arts groups are already performing in the heartlands, with finan­cial support from the Community Arts and Culture Fund.

He said: "We want to pull the arts, sports, community and youth groups together to achieve a more cohesive, cul­tured and gracious society."

M r Wong, who said in an interview just before he entered politics that reach­ing out to youths is the PAP's greatest challenge, is heartened that that there are many young people in Singapore who are raring to pour their energies into meaningful work like the "Stand up for Singapore" movement, a group of youths who got together on their own to promote graciousness on public transport.

"But a lot more can be done to get our youths to contribute to society and be a part of the different groups out there,"

he said. H o w w o u l d the M C C Y do that?

"Young people want authenticity, they want purpose. Young people today are more idealistic than the generation I came from."

What does he mean by authentic? M r Wong said it boils down to com­

munication, and the sort of replies which the Government might have trotted out before would not work. "They would like to understand the realities. For us, it means going beyond just coming up with the standard lines. It's not that the standard reply is untrue, but they want a deeper understanding."

It also comes down to the activities which are organised to engage young people. "Young people, especially, don't like things that appear contrived or are forced. I can understand. We can't just present them with activities, and say

please participate in all of the wonderful activities I have planned for you - but we want to ask them, what would you like to do and how would you like to get involved?"

M r Wong talks about his work and plans with ease. W h e n asked whether he can, with his economics training and background in 'hard' areas like finance, energy and trade and industry, empathise with and champion 'soft' causes like the arts, sports, community and youths, he said that there was no need to typecast people into a certain mould just because of what they studied or their work expe­riences.

Elaborating on his new work portfo­lio, he added: " M y job is to help Others realise their aspirations. It's about listen­ing, understanding what various groups like to do and see how I can support them in the best possible way." S |

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