Remembering the sacrifices of our pioneers

Permanent Secretary for Defence

Permanent Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth

Chief of Defence Force

Veterans and Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. In 1963, President Sukarno of Indonesia launched the armed campaign of Konfrontasi to destroy the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore was plunged into dark days of uncertainty and existential threat. More than 40 acts of sabotage and violence occurred on home soil. Abroad, our soldiers of 1 and 2 SIR suffered casualties in battle. This was the most significant external threat that Singapore had faced since the years of World War II.

2. The most grievous attack occurred 50 years ago to this day, on the opposite side of the road where we stand. The MacDonald House bombing on 10 March 1965 cost us the lives of three civilians, and injured 33 others. Some of them are represented here this evening. Among us are the families of Mrs Elizabeth Suzie Choo and Mr Mohammed Yasin Kesit, who lost their lives to the attack. Thank you for being here today.

3. Konfrontasi took place during our early years, when we were still finding our footing as a self-governing territory. Those who experienced those days can still remember it vividly.

4. Those born after independence – including myself – can only rely on surviving accounts of what happened. What we know about Konfrontasi comes from our parents, our relatives and our seniors. When I speak to people like them, I get a better appreciation of how difficult a time it was: how families were afraid for their children; how precautions had to be taken for the simple act of going out on the streets, for fear of what might happen.

5. So it is good to see many young faces here today, from the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and from Swiss Cottage Secondary School's NCC Band. It is important for our young people to understand and learn from those days. In time to come, it will fall on their shoulders to pass down these stories to their children and their children's children.

6. In the dark days of Konfrontasi, Singapore was gripped by fear and uncertainty. Yet our people rallied together. They patrolled our seas; they defended our streets; they fought the insurgency on the frontlines. Even as those days were filled with suffering, they also brought out the best of the human spirit: courage, sacrifice, and resilience in the face of the odds.

7. Among us today, for example, is the family of the late Mr Harold Lawrence Miranda, who was then a police inspector. Mr Miranda was one of four security personnel who suffered shrapnel injuries while defusing a bomb at the junction of Fort Road and Meyer Road on 14 April 1965. We honour Mr Miranda and others from the Police for their acts of selfless service.

8. We also remember the soldiers from 1 and 2 SIR who fought on the frontlines. A number of them lost their lives in battle.

9. The willingness of some to give their lives for others never fails to evoke in us a sense of wonder and mystery. It goes against that most basic of human instincts – that sense of individual self-preservation.

10. No one volunteers to die.  Yet our pioneers and veterans were prepared to defend our nation and our way of life, even if it meant the possibility of death. They were prepared to make the final sacrifice so that their children and subsequent generations can live and prosper on Singapore soil.   

11. There are many who served willingly during Konfrontasi, including in 1 and 2 SIR, the Police, the Singapore Volunteer Corps, the Singapore Naval Volunteer Force and the Vigilante Corps.

12. With us today are the veterans from these groups. May I invite all of you who played a part in defending our homeland to stand?

13. To each of you, we salute your bravery and thank you for your service.

14. Words cannot repay the debt we owe to these individuals, and to their fellow comrades who had laid down their lives. But with our actions, we will keep faith with them and with all that they stand for.  We will pledge to do our utmost to remember their lives, their sacrifices and their valour. 

15. So I thank the SAF Veterans' League for organising this memorial service, and for putting up the idea for a permanent memorial, which you now see behind me. We have located the memorial here on Orchard Road, close to the MacDonald House.

16. This will be a lasting reminder of the victims of Konfrontasi, and those who risked their lives defending our country. This will be a sacred space for contemplation and reflection in the heart of our city: where we can remember our fallen, honour our defenders, and gather confidence to face our future.

17. We are now 50 years into our history as a sovereign and independent nation. Today, unlike the 1960s, Singapore is part of a stable regional setting. We enjoy good relationships with all our neighbours, including Indonesia. The situation is vastly different.

18. But it is important to never take our place in the world for granted. Our destiny will be determined by how we respond as a people through good times and bad times, through crisis and prosperity. The best way we can honour the sacrifices of our pioneers is to uphold the same spirit that they demonstrated: a spirit of steel, of resilience and faith in brighter days to come. And the conviction that our country is worth fighting for.

19. So as we remember the sacrifices of those who went before us, it is timely and important to ask ourselves, “What would I do, if Singapore were to be threatened once again? Would I put myself on the line? Would I fight for my family and friends, and our collective way of life?”

20. These are the questions we must all ask of ourselves. And if the answer is yes, then we would have done proper justice to the sacrifices that we honour here this evening. Thank you.