Understandable for City Harvest Church to support leaders: Sam Tan
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports Sam Tan, said the City Harvest Church members' support for their leaders is understandable.
SINGAPORE: Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports Sam Tan, said the City Harvest Church members' support for their leaders is understandable.
He said the public's response to the court case has been forthcoming and rational.
"It is understandable, that there will always be supporters to the leaders, and it is also completely understandable for them to express their support to their leaders. And it is also completely understandable for people who hold different views, to also express such views.
"So I hope that whether supporters, or people who are having a different opinion, can express such opinions in a very rational manner so as to encourage further discourse.
"I think in the process of court hearing, we will let the law take its course to decide whether all those points are substantiated or not.
"I think so far, it's been forthcoming, by and large, still quite rational."
In a statement released on Thursday, City Harvest Church (CHC) said it stands by the five members of the church who have been charged with misuse of church funds.
Mr Aries Zulkarnain, the executive pastor and a founding member of the church, said that Commissioner of Charities (COC) has confirmed that Mr Kong Hee, the senior pastor, and Mr Tan Ye Peng, the deputy senior pastor will continue to preach at the church.
