About 60 overseas Singaporeans attended the forum organised by the Singapore International Foundation, to discuss the issues of the day.

Keynote Address
Acting Minister for the Environment and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Mr Lim Swee Say, was the Guest-of-Honour. He spoke on the economic, social and political developments in Singapore, focussing on the challenges brought about by globalisation, and the need for Singaporeans to become more aware about politics.

Question and Answer Session
Mr Lim also fielded a question-and-answer session, where topics ranged from overseas voting, to Singapore's relations with its neighbours, to Singapore's progress towards becoming a gracious society.

Also presenting at the forum were Mr Gerard Ee, Nominated Member of Parliament, and Ms Chia Meng Tze, Deputy Executive Director of SIF.

Presentation on S21
Mr Ee spoke about S21 (read speech), reiterating the fact that S21 was "about nation building by its people", and that all Singaporeans, be they at home or overseas, have a part to play in "building a home that can weather all storms, which will provide us with comfort, protection and warmth."

Presentation on SIF
Ms Chia focussed on the progress that SIF had made over the years, in both bringing Singapore to the world and engaging overseas Singaporeans. She also highlighted several new initiatives to build on past efforts, such as a "Welcome Home Kit" for returning Singaporeans, and an online chat and forum to be launched in April 2001.