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SINGAPORE: Groups keen to have a say in the charter to be signed by ASEAN leaders on Tuesday can and should be involved where possible.
Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said this in response to an article published in Today on last Friday about the intent of 100 civil society organisations (CSOs) to issue a point-by-point rebuttal of the landmark document.
Among several issues, the CSOs were unhappy with how the charter did not delve into technical details of issues they have long been championing - such as migrant workers' rights - and would like to be consulted as such.
Speaking to the media after gracing a fund-raising event at Hougang on Sunday, Mr Yeo said the charter was one collectively drafted by the governments of all 10 ASEAN countries. "All the countries were represented and each had their own consultation process. It's not possible to consult everybody, but many were," he said.
On the possibility of giving CSOs around the region a bigger say when the charter undergoes future reviews, Mr Yeo called on them to link up with one another and work with their respective governments.
"This is a governmental agreement, but there should be parallel activities among parliamentarians, CSOs, students, graduates, think-tanks and so on. The idea of ASEAN is to build a community within the community," he said.
Mr Yeo also looked ahead to a visit by United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who is scheduled to update ASEAN leaders at the East Asia Summit (EAS) to be held here on Wednesday.
"It's a nice gesture for him to come and meet the leaders and give his view of the progress in Myanmar. There has been significant progress and we hope that will continue in the future. By coming here, we are actually creating a symbolic expression of support for his good work," said Mr Yeo.
The EAS includes the 10 ASEAN countries in addition to China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Religious groups band together for fund-raising
Fifteen groups sharing different religious faiths came together as one on Sunday to raise funds in a big way for community projects in Aljunied GRC.
At the community bonding carnival in Hougang, each of the groups, including the Singapore Buddhist Lodge and Jamiyah Singapore, set up a stall either selling food or organising games for residents.
A maximum of S$350,000 in tickets was sold and the proceeds will go towards new facilities for the GRC's Bedok Reservoir-Punggol division. The carnival is the first in a series of fund-raisers involving the religious groups in the constituency.
Beneficiaries include the 19-year-old Punggol Community Club - expected to cost millions to refurbish - a Dragon Boat House at Bedok Reservoir Park and a kidney dialysis centre. - TODAY/ym
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