On October 5th 2003, Think Centre held an installation art display at Speakers' Corner to commemorate Children's Day. On a 5m x 5m collage made up by fabrics sporting cartoons, there were dolls to represent our children and numerous handwritten dedications by children, parents and teachers.
The display was completed by a wheelchair-bound doll and a blind doll carrying a mini-placard that read "We are also threads that made up this society".
The weather had been bright and sunny but the response dull and disappointing. Except for some curious foreign tourists who stopped over to look and study the display in mirth, there were few concerned Singaporean passer-bys.
We are sure that if the authorities had given the required license to display the artwork within the business district on Oct 1, more Singaporeans would have had the opportunity to learn about children rights.
We are proud that Singapore has high living standards to bring up our children. But our children are crying out silently about their stress imposed by the relentless economic race.
Let us also not forget about the needs of our disabled children and the unequal opportunities for them in our highly impersonal education and job systems.
Think Centre will continue to advocate the importance of children rights and educate educators, parents and our children on their Rights.
