Chairman, Fellow Council Members and Members of IRO,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for appointing me, Mr Ashvin Desai as the President of IRO. It is indeed a great honour for me and for all Jains. My sincere thanks to all of you, for your confidence, support and encouragement. In particular, I would also like to thank the Singapore Jain Religious Society and fellow Jains in nominating me to accept this post, on behalf of the Jain religion.
Jainism became the 10th faith to join IRO only about 5 years ago, and it is a great privilege for the Jain community to be accorded this opportunity to lead this wonderful organisation. It demonstrates the greatness of IRO, where all religions are given an equal opportunity to be part of the wider IRO family.
During the last year, Mr. Tan Thiam Lye has led the IRO well and I would like all of you to join me in thanking him for his leadership and foresight. In his term, Mr. Tan implemented changes that have been beneficial to IRO and I hope to continue and further improve on his good work.
I would also like to congratulate and welcome all of you who have been appointed as Council Members for 2011/2012. Each of us will have many roles to play - to serve as council members of IRO, represent our faiths and also our organizations. At times it becomes difficult to wear so many hats. However, it’s important that as appointed council members of IRO, we should always consider the interests of IRO first, then our faiths and organisations and finally our personal perspectives.
In the coming year, I look forward to your continued support and co-operation. I invite all of you and fellow members, to actively contribute & participate in furthering the objectives of IRO. Together we can & will bring IRO to even greater heights.
Thank you and Best wishes
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