Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin has raised at least S$670,000 through the sale of his book, a collection of travel photos. The money will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government, bringing the total to more than S$1.3 million.
Mr Tan said the money will be used to support four charities: the National Kidney Foundation, the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore, Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society and Cheng Hong Welfare Society.
The photographs in the book were taken by him during his travels to various places in Asia, Europe and the United States. The book was officially launched on Friday (Aug 29), and Mr Tan also held silent auctions for a few framed prints.
“Photography for me is really about how we view the world and very much about how we view life. It really depends on the lenses with which we want to look at things. Just as with life, if you want to look at things positively or negatively, half glass full, half glass empty, with photos it’s the same,” he said.
“There’s a lot of beauty around us, it’s just whether we see it or not, even in very ordinary things. I have a picture taken in the Geylang Serai market showing an encik waiting for his taxi – little scenes like that which we take for granted, but that’s really our home. And actually there’s a lot of wonderful things to see in and around Singapore.”
Source: CNA