Remember our past and renew the true spirit of our pioneers

BG Winston Toh, President of SAF Veterans' League

Veterans

Survivors and family members of the victims

Ladies and gentlemen

1. I accepted the invitation from the SAF Veterans' League to lend support to this memorial service – to remember those who lost their lives and suffered, as well as to honour those who fought during Konfrontasi.  

2. Nearly 50 years ago today, bombs set off by Indonesian saboteurs killed 3 of our fellow citizens and injured 33 others. The blast was so powerful that all the windows in buildings within a 100m radius of MacDonald House, where we are now, as well as the windscreens of all the vehicles in the carpark across the street were shattered.  

3. The bombing was not an isolated incident.  From 1963 to 1966, Singaporeans lived through dark days of insecurity, where 42 acts of sabotage and violence killed 7 and injured more than 50 others.   

4. Our soldiers from the 1st and 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiments were deployed in various parts of Malaya to fight the saboteurs. Some of these veterans are with us today. I am sure that they still remember their struggles vividly even though it occurred almost half a century ago, as well as their friends who lost their lives in battle.

5. With the regular army battalions largely deployed elsewhere, defence in the home front was entrusted to volunteers from the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC) and the Vigilante Corps (VC). In fact, the VC was established in 1964, one year after the start of Konfrontasi, to mobilise Singaporeans. Within two months, more than 10,000 people responded. They assisted the SVC to protect our vital installations and defend our nation. I'm also glad that some of them are here with us.

6. Today, Konfrontasi may seem like a distant memory. Many young Singaporeans do not even know there was such a period in our history called Konfrontasi.  

7. Perhaps this is in part because we are still a young nation, with little sense of history. As Dr Goh Keng Swee once put it, as early as in 1969. He said, and I quote, “One of the most notable character traits of the Singaporean is his unconcern for the history of his country.”  

8. Until the mid-80s, Singapore history was not even taught in our schools. The thinking then was that the events were too recent, and more time and distance were needed to have an objective, historical perspective of what happened. Since then, we have begun teaching our students the Singapore story. But we need to do more to bring that story alive, not only to the young, but also the general public.

9. It is a story full of colour, passion and courage. Especially the crucible years of our founding: the tumultuous period leading up to merger with Malaysia in September 1963;  Konfrontasi with Indonesia between 1963 and 1966; the upheavals within Singapore itself when we were part of Malaysia; the tremendous challenges we faced in the years that followed independence in August 1965.

10. The story of our past is the story of our pioneer generation.  They were a resilient generation, with a never-say-die and can-do spirit. They stepped forward voluntarily when duty called. They fought bravely and unstintingly. They overcame countless difficulties and hardships, and as the survivors of the MacDonald House bombing did, they carried on with their lives uncomplainingly after each terrible blow.  

11. They were a stoic generation; a generation who built the Singapore we love and cherish. They have taught us there is no challenge we cannot overcome as a people. Their stories of endurance, resilience and courage should continue to be heard across the years to strengthen our hearts and steel our spirits.   

12. The soul of our nation is the richer for stories and experiences like these. But the stories cannot be told by the government alone. We need many voices to keep alive the story of Singapore and its heroes in our collective memory.  

13. Our parents and grandparents - who are pioneers themselves - they can play an important role in transmitting that memory; for they provide the links to our past, and can pass down the passion of their former days.   

14. Community and civic groups too play a crucial role. And here I am grateful to the SAF Veterans' League for taking this initiative to organise this Memorial Service.  

15. I support their petition to find suitable ways to mark the events that happened during Konfrontasi, to remember its victims, and educate the young about our past. In fact, MacDonald House was gazetted as a National Monument in 2003, and we have 2 site markers that remind us all of its significance in our history.   

16. As we approach 50 years of independence in 2015, my Ministry is committed to building on our existing efforts. We will work with all stakeholders, including our schools and community groups, to do more to remember our past, and to celebrate our heroes. 

17. I mentioned Dr Goh earlier. He is no longer with us, but if he were, I would like to be able to tell him that Singaporeans are no longer unconcerned about the history of our country. 

18. I would like to show him the many young Singaporeans I've met who are keen to learn more about our history and heritage. I hope that these pockets of interest I've seen among our youth will continue to grow, and a new generation growing up will understand better how we got here, why our history could easily have turned out very differently, and why Singapore must be defended, can be defended, and is worth defending.

19. Today, on this anniversary of the tragic event in 1965, let us pledge to remember the sacrifices of so many Singaporeans in this difficult period of our history - those who died in the MacDonald House bombing and all those who lost their lives during the period of Konfrontasi, including our men in uniform. 

20. Let us extend our comfort to the survivors and the family members of the victims who are here with us, that their suffering was not in vain.

21. Let us renew the true spirit of our pioneers who lost their lives. For their sacrifices cannot be commemorated in one memorial service alone. Our remembrance has to go deeper. It is about upholding in our own lives their values: courage, resilience, loyalty, and faith in Singapore. That is their legacy and that's the best homage we can pay to them.

22. Thank you.