Have fun but don't denigrate others: DPM Teo

By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia, 7 Apr 2012

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean said organisations which want to be creative must be mindful of the values of the races and religions in Singapore.

Mr Teo said this on the sidelines of a community event at Sengkang Community Club.

He was responding to a question from the media on the recent unhappiness in the Catholic community caused by advertisements on the Escape Chapel Party, which used posters featuring women in nun outfits.

"It is good for people to have fun and it is nice to have creative ideas," Mr Teo said.

"But I think it is totally possible to do that without denigrating what others hold most dearly and who feel most strongly about.

"This is a multi-racial society, multi-religious society. Go out and have fun but don't do it at other people's expense."

Police are investigating if the organiser had put up insensitive advertisements that could have offended the Catholic faith.

The organiser had cancelled the event, which was to take place on Saturday at Chijmes.

Escape Chapel Party organiser apologises to Archbishop
Today, 5 Apr 2012

The organiser of the cancelled Escape Chapel Party met Archbishop Nicholas Chia yesterday afternoon to apologise in person for upsetting the Catholic community, even as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cautioned organisers to respect the law, as well as racial groups and religions, when organising their events.

The party, which was supposed to be held at Chijmes Hall on Saturday over the Easter weekend, came under fire for using publicity material deemed offensive to Catholics.

This included posters of a model dressed in a nun's habit and party dress. It was cancelled on Tuesday night, following intervention by the venue's landlord.

Mr Aaghir Yadav, director of Creative Insurgence, which organised the event, said they used yesterday's meeting to "express how deeply remorseful we are for all the upset we've caused to the Catholic community in the days leading up to their most holy of weekends".

In a statement to the media, he said that the company "never intended to offend or mock the Catholic faith and chapel" and is "very sorry for the poor judgement we've displayed in our marketing decisions".

Following the meeting, the organiser also delivered a letter of apology to the Archbishop, where he expressed remorse and assured Archbishop Chia that "such an incident will never happen again".

Responding to Today, Archbishop Chia said the in-person apology was "appreciated". "We have accepted his apology and assurance that such an incident will not happen again," he said.

The Archbishop added that the incident serves as a reminder "of the need for mutual respect for all religions in our multireligious country."

Meanwhile, MHA issued a statement yesterday, cautioning organisers that while they "can be creative in organising events, there is no excuse for breaking the law, or for insulting or denigrating any racial group or religion in Singapore".

"If the event had been carried out as originally publicised, the organiser could also have breached one of the conditions of his licence and be liable for sanction, in addition to the licence being revoked," said the MHA.

Stressing that it "does not condone any behaviour that denigrates any religion in Singapore", the ministry said that "mutual respect, tolerance and restraint are critical to maintaining communal peace and harmony".

A police report has been made against the organiser for the controversial advertisements. The police are currently investigating the matter.