Miss World Singapore 2015 has genuine passion for charity: Organiser

The judges did not know that Miss Charity Maru was born in Myanmar and even if they had, it would not have made a difference.

She's the second winner in recent years to be born overseas.

Indonesia-born Karisa Sukamto, who won Miss World Singapore 2012, became a Singapore citizen just before she joined the local pageant.

Miss World Singapore organiser Raymund Ooi told TNP that as only Singapore citizens are allowed to join the competition, that was what the judges were told: that all the finalists are Singaporean.

He said: "My brief to the judges is that I'm looking for the best person to represent Singapore.

"The score for the girls was made up of three parts, 40 per cent for compassion, 30 per cent for beauty and 30 per cent for intelligence.

"The judges picked the finalist they felt scored the best in these three areas."

GREAT WITH KIDS

On why he thought Miss Maru won, he said that Miss Maru had displayed a genuine passion for charity work.

Mr Ooi had gone on some of the visits that the finalists had paid to charity organisations in Singapore.

He felt Miss Maru was great with children and showed true effort in reaching out to them.

Some of the other finalists in comparison, he said, were simply "going through the motions".

Said Mr Ooi: "When you speak to Charity, you can feel that she has a great sense of responsibility, is very polite, passionate about her love for charity work and puts in the best in whatever she does.

"As long as she is Singaporean, I can't be biased and I have treated her as such.

"If Singaporeans want to complain about the fact that she is born in Myanmar and they feel like they know Singaporean women born and bred here who are exemplary, then I urge them to encourage these women to join next year's Miss World Singapore."

This article was first published on October 23, 2015.
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