PRESS STATEMENT ON TOURISM (Purpose of quoting foreign government tourist office expenditures)

Purpose of quoting foreign government

tourist office expenditures

Mr Lee Kuan Yew asked the Chief Secretary what was the purpose of a Singapore Government Press Statement issued at 1200 hours on 17th September, 1957, reference INFS. SE. 57/ 46, which quotes from "Travel News" the figures in U.S. dollars of foreign Government tourist office expenditures.

The Acting Chief Secretary (Mr S. T. Stewart): Sir, the purpose of the release to the Press to which the hon. Member refers was to provide information about the financial assistance given by some other governments to promote tourism in their countries.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Sir, will the Hon. the Chief Secretary tell us whether it is part of the duty of the Information Service of Singapore to disseminate information completely irrelevant to Singapore?

Mr Stewart: Sir, it is a function of the Department of Information Services to stimulate public interest in the Government's activities including the promotion of tourism, and one means of doing so is the issue of news items about what is being done concerning tourism in other countries.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Sir, has the Hon. the Chief Secretary seen this press release?

Mr Stewart: Yes, Sir.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Does he not agree that it might be of some advantage both to the people of Singapore and to the Director of Information to tell us why this curious release was made, in which there was nothing else but a quotation from some United States magazine - Travel News - reproduced at great expense to the Singapore Government?

Mr Stewart: Sir, it was not reproduced at great expense.