MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND THE ARTS

MR LEE YOCK SUAN Minister for Information and The Arts

1. MITA will develop and build Singapore as a vibrant global city for information and the arts, whilst enhancing our Singaporean identity and multi-cultural heritage.

Arts

2. The National Arts Council (NAC) will focus on promoting artistic excellence and developing our arts groups. It will encourage and commission more local works.

3. NAC will also reach out to more schools and students under the Arts Education Programme. It will work with schools and arts groups to enhance arts education in schools.

4. The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay will be completed in 2002. It will attract and present world-class performing arts events as well as local and other arts performances to cater to all Singaporeans.

5. MITA will promote the Singapore Arts Festival as a premier international arts event, with an Asian flavour. We will also support our arts groups and artists performing overseas as our cultural ambassadors.

6. The Singapore Film Commission will promote the local film industry. It will nurture local talent in film-making, promote co-production between local and international film-makers, and encourage regional film-makers to do some of their productions in Singapore.

Library

7. The number of visitors to our public libraries has tripled, and the number of loans has doubled over the last four years. We will promote reading and lifelong learning and provide Singaporeans with better access to library facilities and resources.

8. In the next five years, the National Library Board (NLB) will build four more community libraries, and an additional regional library at Woodlands. In addition, the new National Library Building is expected to be ready in 2004. Five times larger than the current library at Stamford Road, it will house an extensive collection of books and offer a range of services to facilitate continual self-improvement and lifelong learning.

9. The NLB is also forging partnerships with major libraries around the world to give Singaporeans easy access to library resources world-wide.

Heritage

10. The Singapore History Museum (SHM) will be renovated and expanded to present a more comprehensive history of Singapore. When ready in 2002, the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) at Empress Place will complement the facilities and exhibits of the ACM at the former Tao Nan School.

Information

11. Rapid developments in technology have enabled Singaporeans to have greater and easier access to information, particularly through the Internet. This will impinge on every aspect of life, including economic, social and political matters. We will study the implications of these trends for Singapore.

12. Broadcasting in Singapore is poised to enter the digital age, following the adoption of digital standards for audio and terrestrial broadcasts. We will develop digital broadcasting services (Digital Audio Broadcast and Digital TV) and enhance our position as a broadcasting hub.

13. Three new radio stations and a new TV station were launched in the last two years - NewsRadio 93.8, InterFM 96.3, Passion 99.5, and Channel NewsAsia. Next year, the Media Corporation of Singapore will provide a new sports channel, a Malay channel and more air time for Indian programmes.

14. Singapore Cable Vision (SCV) today offers Singaporeans up to 38 different TV channels on its pay-TV services and high speed Internet on its cable modem services. We will progressively open up the market to other services after the exclusivity clause in SCV's licence expires in June 2002. We will introduce rules to require foreign transmissions through SCV and other services with significant local impact to observe the same standards as those imposed on local broadcasters.

15. Singapore is fast growing in stature as a media hub. More and more international media organisations have set up regional offices, uplinking and production facilities here. We will work with media organisations to facilitate their operations here. Speak Good English Campaign

16. MITA will work with MOE and other relevant agencies to launch an annual Speak Good English Campaign from 2000 to promote the use of standard English.

The Singapore Heartbeat

17. We will strengthen the Singapore Heartbeat - a symbol of our emotional attachment to Singapore - and help to build a Singapore that is home to all Singaporeans. Through the Singapore International Foundation, we will build up our network with overseas Singaporean clubs and promote a sense of Singaporean consciousness among their members.