'THANK YOU, SAF' FOR A JOB WELL DONE!

Minister of State for Finance and Transport Lim Hwee Hua slept soundly every night when Singapore hosted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) meetings in September.

She revealed this when she addressed 1,500 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel at the S2006 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Appreciation Dinner on 30 Oct.

"It really is because of the confidence that I have in all of you to deliver," she explained.

The dinner, held at the Leaders Hall in Pasir Laba Camp, was to show appreciation to the soldiers who had put in time and effort to help make S2006 a success.

Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean was the guest of honour and he presented tokens of appreciation to commanders of participating units, which included 6th Singapore Division, 1st and 3rd Transport Battalions, and Headquarters Supply and Transport, among many others.

S2006, which encompassed the IMF and WB Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors, took place in Singapore from 13 to 20 Sep. More than 16,000 delegates from over 180 countries, leaders of financial institutions from around the world, and members of the international media were in Singapore for these meetings.

The SAF was asked to co-organise S2006 in November last year. It played key roles in two of the three groups of the organising committee, namely the Hospitality Management Group and the Suntec Management Group.

The former oversaw operations at Singapore Changi Airport and hotels, together with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), while the Suntec Management Group made sure that the facilities at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre (SICEC) were in order.

The SAF also managed the transport arrangements for the delegates. With more than than 500 limousines and 250 buses utilised to ferry the delegates, an operations hub was set up to run the entire event and to deal with any contingencies.

Thanking the military for its contributions, Mrs Lim said: "The SAF has played a vital role towards the success of S2006. We want to commend you for your unflinching dedication and commitment despite the tremendous demands placed on you."
Third Sergeant (3SG) David Low from the 4th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, was in the S2006 Airport Workgroup Secretariat.

"For eight to nine months, everything was only theoretical and on paper," he said. "But when the delegates started stepping off the plane and using the VIP lounges, it was when I was so glad that everything went on smoothly."

Assistant Director, Secretariat Department at STB, Ms Kueh Sze Yian (left), found working with these SAF personnel a "real eye-opener".

"I have always thought that SAF personnel worked with the 'I order, you do' attitude," she said. "But now, I really respect what the organisation stands for after I saw how strong the sense of team spirit was among the guys."

S2006 was an important occasion for Singapore because it was the largest event that we would have organised in Singapore for people from all over the world. Secondly, I knew that we could make a significant contribution to this event because within the SAF, we have people who can deliver. Thirdly, there was a very good defence reason for it because I know by showing the commitment, capabilities and competence of the SAF, we're also sending a message that the SAF is a capable force, and a force that nobody should fool around with.
-- Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean addressing the 1,500 SAF personnel at the S2006 SAF Appreciation Dinner