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SINGAPORE : Amidst the economic uncertainties, one Singaporean has quit his job to start a non-profit organisation aimed at getting Singaporeans to become more gracious.
Cyrus Ang is set to roll out what is believed to be the first citizen-initiated "Gracious Movement" here.
Saying "sorry" and "thank you" are what Cyrus hopes to see more of in his fellow Singaporeans.
So much so that he quit his job as a bank officer three months ago to set up a company aimed at mobilising a "Gracious Movement" here.
Cyrus, who is director of Gracious Singapore, said: "The idea came from the National Day Rally, from PM Lee Hsien Loong; he touched on these things, how can we make Singapore a more gracious society.
"I find that Singaporeans are rather isolated, they do not really care about the people around them, they are not so conscious about how people look at them and all that."
With these observations, Cyrus is setting out to effect a change, relying first on his own funds.
And even with the economic crisis, Cyrus is optimistic that his company and its movement will receive great support.
He said: "I think everyone wants to live in a gracious society, but the problem is that the awareness is low, so when it comes to sponsorships, if we tell the company properly that we have creative ideas, the mechanics of our events like our Miss Gracious Singapore, our beauty pageant...when these kinds of event are creative and they attract attention, sponsorships will come in naturally."
But the bigger question is, would the public join in the movement?
One person said: "I think it is good that someone is doing it, I suppose."
Another commented: "If is for a better cause, why not?"
Cyrus said the movement will consist mainly of giving out freebies and carrying out seminars at the public level to create awareness.
When contacted, the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) said "Gracious Singapore" appears to have some interesting ideas.
As there is no monopoly on kindness and graciousness, SKM said it works well when many people get involved, and it will explore ways to work with them soon. - CNA/ms
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