REACH MEDIA RELEASE

REACH OFFERS A MODALITY OF PLATFORMS TO ALLOW YOU TO SHARE YOUR VIEWS ON PRIME MINISTER’S NATIONAL DAY RALLY SPEECH

1 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is delivering his National Day Rally (NDR) this coming Sunday, 17 August at the University Cultural Centre. Following the positive response to what was done last year, REACH would be embarking on an extensive exercise to gather feedback on the PM’s NDR speech. We will be offering more feedback platforms this year to allow more Singaporeans to share their views.

2 For the first time ever, netters will be able to give their feedback on the NDR while networking in cyberspace, via REACH Singapore Facebook Group which was launched in June 2008. REACH also welcomes the public to SMS their feedback in English, Malay or Chinese while the NDR is being telecast ‘live’. Similar to last year, REACH would also be organising real time webchats, in addition to gathering feedback through conventional channels such as emails and via the REACH website. REACH Singapore Facebook

3 REACH set up a REACH Singapore Facebook Group in June 2008 to engage youth, net-savvy and overseas Singaporeans in giving their feedback to the Government through an interactive and informal platform.

4 This NDR, REACH welcomes Facebook users to start your own discussion threads or participate in the NDR-related threads initiated by us on our Discussion Board. Join REACH Singapore Group as a member now to give us your views.

5 Chairman, REACH, Dr Amy Khor said of the new channel, “Many Singaporeans have a Facebook account and use it frequently to interact and share with their friends on their experiences. With the addition of Facebook as a feedback channel for NDR, we hope to make it convenient for its users to give their feedback to us directly while chatting with their friends online, without having to open up an additional window on their browsers. It is our hope that through Facebook, they will be encouraged to give us their feedback via our other channels as well. Similarly, we also hope to engage our overseas Singaporeans through this channel as we understand that it is a popular social net-working channel for them also.” SMS Channel – 9-Speak-Up (9-77325-87)

6 Last year, REACH expanded the capability of our SMS Feedback facility to receive Chinese messages in addition to English and Malay ones, a move which was well-received by the public. This NDR, REACH welcomes the public to continue sending us their views in English, Chinese or Malay. They can start SMS-ing us during the live telecast of the National Day Rally Speech from 8.00 pm on 17 August until 31 August 2008.

7 Users can simply SMS their comments with their mobile phones to 9-Speak-Up (9-77325-87). Users are encouraged to keep to a 1000-character limit for English and Malay text and 70-character limit for Chinese text, including the spaces in the text of the SMS. Normal SMS charges for the respective service providers apply. Multilingual e-Townhall Webchats for the first time

8 To reach out further to net-savvy and overseas Singaporeans, REACH is organising e-Townhall sessions in Chinese and Malay this year, in addition to the English session. The multilingual e-Townhall webchats mark another innovative endeavour by REACH to reach out to wider segments of the population.

9 Dr Khor looks forward to the multilingual e-Townhall webchats. She said, “I am pleased that we will also be offering Chinese and Malay e-Townhall webchats. It is important to not only make it convenient for the public to give their feedback to us but also to provide them with a platform that they can express themselves most effectively in. Through the multilingual e-Townhall webchats, we hope to encourage the technologically savvy community who prefer or are more comfortable to give their views in Chinese or Malay to do so. Those who wish to give their feedback in Tamil can still do so via email or our REACH website.”

10 The English e-Townhall meeting will be held on 20 August, from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm, hosted by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport, Dr Amy Khor, Chairman, REACH, and Dr Maliki Osman, Vice-Chairman, REACH Supervisory Panel. The Chinese session hosted by Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and Mrs Josephine Teo, Vice-Chairman, REACH Supervisory Panel, will take place on 18 August 2008 from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. The Malay session will be hosted by Dr Maliki Osman, Vice-Chairman, REACH Supervisory Panel, and Mr Ahmad Nizam, Member, REACH Supervisory Panel on 19 August from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm. Radio Talkshow

11 Radio listeners and drivers can also tune in to 938LIVE’s Radio talk show ‘Talkback’ from 8.15 am to 8.45 am on the morning of 19 August 2008, Tuesday to listen to and share your views on the PM’s NDR with Dr Amy Khor, Chairman, REACH and Dr Maliki Osman, Vice-Chairman, REACH Supervisory Panel. Online Polls

12 The public may also log in to our website to participate in a quick poll and a more detailed e-poll after the NDR on 17 August. The poll will run for the whole period of the feedback exercise. More information available online

13 Members of the public can find out more details on the above channels through media reports, as well as REACH’s website at www.reach.gov.sg. They can also find out more about the SMS feedback channel through online banners at Asiaone, STOMP, OMY and Straits Times.com websites.

14 Apart from SMS and Facebook, REACH also welcomes views on the PM’s National Day Rally through our other existing feedback channels, i.e., via our website, email, post and fax. Feedback in Tamil can be sent to REACH via these channels. By e-Mail: reach@reach.gov.sg By Internet: www.reach.gov.sg By Post: REACH, 510 Thomson Road, #16-01, SLF Building, Singapore 298135 By Fax: 6354 8128 By Phone: 1800 353 5555 (Mondays to Fridays 8.30am to 5.30pm, Saturdays 9.00 am to 1.00 pm)

15 Commenting on the multiple platforms for the public to give their feedback on the PM’s NDR, Dr Amy Khor, Chairman, REACH said, “The NDR is traditionally the Prime Minister’s key annual policy speech and concerns every Singaporean. It is therefore important to obtain the feedback and response of the different segments of the population to the various policy announcements made at the NDR. I am glad that REACH is continually exploring new media channels and adding to its array of feedback platforms to gather the views of different constituents.

16 While riding the technology wave, we recognize that a significant segment of the community may still prefer conventional feedback channels. Hence we also welcome the public to give us their feedback the “old fashioned” way -- by phone, fax, and even over the radio. We are also organising dialogues in various districts to gather the views of heartlanders on the NDR. We hope that with our multiple channels of engagement, everybody will be able to find a suitable channel to express himself or herself at REACH.”

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ISSUED BY: REACH