After 'no time to watch movies' remark, David Neo watches Dear You with Tampines seniors

Acting Culture, Community and Youth Minister David Neo recently watched the Chinese hit film Dear You with seniors in Tampines, a week after his quip in Parliament that "ministers have no time to watch movies".

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (July 14), Neo shared pictures of the event that was held at the Festive Arts Theatre in Our Tampines Hub.

The event was also attended by Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng, who is also an MP for Tampines GRC along with Neo.

Reflecting on the film, Neo said: "There was laughter, there were touching moments, and perhaps most importantly, the film brought everyone together and sparked conversations about family and memories."

Neo also said that the film served as a simple reminder "to cherish the people and relationships that shape our lives".

Watching it with the seniors of Tampines also reminded him of the hard work put in by the earlier generation, and their contributions to Singapore's culture and heritage.

"This is exactly why Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and our heritage organisations have been encouraging our young to get to know our dialect heritage while promoting Mandarin," he said, emphasising that there is no need to choose one over the other.

"They each have a place in telling the Singapore story."

'Ministers have no time to watch movies'

Neo recently sparked heated debate after the Parliament sitting on July 7 when he quipped that "ministers have no time to watch movies".

He was responding to Workers' Party MP Kenneth Tiong, who asked whether ministers had watched either the Teochew or Mandarin-dubbed version of the hit movie Dear You. The movie, which became a box-office hit in mainland China, is a drama that follows a man who travels to Thailand to search for his lost-long grandfather.

While Neo's quip drew laughs in the House, the exchange came amid a wider, more serious discussion involving Singapore's decades-old restrictions on dialect content, with multiple MPs voicing their opinions on Singapore's bilingual policy.

Neo also said that the Government often works with clan associations, and that they are keen in promoting their dialects and respective cultures.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com