SPEECH BY MINISTER FOR HEALTH MR ONG YE KUNG AT THE LAUNCH OF SPRING BLOSSOMS AT GARDENS BY THE BAY

Mr Felix Loh, Chief Executive Officer, Gardens by the Bay

Ambassadors and High Commissioners

Horticulturalists from China

Friends, ladies and gentlemen

1.             A very good afternoon. I want to first thank the Gardens. I did not realise that last year, you had a record number of visitors. Throughout COVID, when I was very busy in the Ministry of Health, I would still visit the Gardens, and Felix always told me it was very tough. They had to tighten their belts and cut down on maintenance so that they could more or less still break even. Basically, visitorship dried up.

2.             But post-COVID, in just a couple years after we declared DORSCON Green, you have now reached record numbers again. Congratulations, well done! I must also say that I have always been an enthusiastic visitor of all your floral displays, which have celebrated different festivals and have been building bridges with different cultures around the world. Over time, Gardens by the Bay is not just an iconic Singapore park. It also builds bridges with different parts of the world and celebrates our own diversity.

3.             We are ushering in the Year of the Snake this Chinese New Year, so let me talk a little bit about Chinese New Year and the snake. The snake is a widely misunderstood animal. For example, since young, we played snakes and ladders. In the game, you climb up the ladder, but the snake makes you go down. So snakes from young are bad news. If you are Christian, in the Old Testament, Adam and Eve had a very bad encounter with a snake. So again, very bad connotation. If you are a young millennial, you have probably read Harry Potter, where the villain Voldemort is associated with a snake.

4.             So the snake gives us a bad impression. For this Chinese New Year, how should I wish people when I see them? I started thinking of idioms referencing the snake, and none of them sounds good. As a result of all these symbols, most of us, when we think of snakes, think they are poisonous, sly and aggressive. If they are angry, they will bite you. But the reality is not like that at all. If you are a zoologist or know animals, you will know that snakes are not like that at all.

5.             The reality is that snakes are very shy and quiet. They are more afraid of humans than we are afraid of them. When they see us, they retreat. When they are provoked or when we try to attack them, they have no choice and they will attack back. The great majority of snakes are not poisonous. A very small number are poisonous, and even so, the venom can be used to make medicine. Snakes have very good characteristics. They are flexible and extremely adaptable.

6.             But beyond that, ancient cultures like India and Hinduism, the snake is the Naga and Nagaraja is a deity that is worshipped. The snake stands for a lot of virtues, such as renewal and transformation, because they shed their skin and renew themselves. They stand for fertility, guardianship and protectionism. Lord Shiva is always depicted with a snake around him. Snakes are highly revered in the Indian culture.

7.             In the food chain, the snake plays an important role. It is neither at the top nor at the bottom. It is a predator that eats rodents and pests, but it is also prey to eagles and certain fishes. In the food chain, it occupies an important part in the middle and plays an important part in the ecosystem. It is a widely misunderstood animal. I think the duality of snakes – where we think it is evil and poisonous, and yet it is quiet, kind and steady – is very well reflected in the Lady White Snake story.

8.             Lady White Snake loved her Xu Xian but at the same time, there was great prejudice against her because she was a snake. In the end, she had to sacrifice herself for her husband and child. With her was Xiao Qing, a loyal servant who was also a snake. It is a story not just about family and love, but also about sacrifice and duality, and about the fact that in this world there is misperception, prejudice and discrimination.

9.             My hope in the Year of the Snake is to not be repelled by its image. The Year of the Snake is a very good year. It reflects the true nature of our society, where there is duality, prejudice and discrimination, which we cannot run away from. I hope it is a year we communicate, are honest with each other, talk to each other, and make friends across borders, countries, face to face, over meals, over drinks, through social media platforms, and really take a step forward to understand each other more.

10.          I end my speech with a quote that is not attributed to anyone. What can you learn from snakes? Whatever you do in life, do it quietly, be steady and always have a backbone. Thank you very much and have a happy new year.