Working together to build our Singapore of tomorrow

Cabinet colleague Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim
GPC Members
Friends, fellow colleagues from MCI and MCCY

1. Happy National Day in advance! It is two days more to our Golden Jubilee and I'd like to wish all of you a very Happy National Day!

2. Every year, we have a national day observance ceremony.

3. But this year's ceremony is really special, because it is a once-in-a lifetime national day observance ceremony. You can only do this only once in your lifetime, it cannot happen again. So I think it is a historic national day observance ceremony that we come together to celebrate our nation's Golden Jubilee and reflect on our journey together over the last 50 years.

4. In the history of nations, 50 years is really a very short time. It goes off in a blink of eye because nations have come and gone in centuries, thousands of years. Yet, for Singapore in these five decades, we've formed a Singaporean identity at an accelerated rate. We have our own lingo, we have our own quirks, we have a strong camaraderie, all without discarding our multi-cultural roots.

5. Just across the street from where we're located, you can see a Hokkien temple, a Hindu temple, a Chulia mosque, a Jewish synagogue, an Anglican cathedral, a Protestant church and more – all in close proximity and built in the 19th century.

6. We pass by these places of worship every day. We take it for granted that it is a common sight to see them side by side. But really I can't think of another place in the world where you can see such a sight.

7. We only need to look around us in the region to recognise that the arc of history could have moved in another direction, and all of our lives could have been very different. So today at this Golden Jubilee, we come together and should really give thanks.

8. So much of what we have today is due to our founding leaders and pioneers. They made tremendous sacrifices and worked hard for a Singaporean Singapore – a country that does not belong to any single community, but to all of us. They forged a unique path for Singapore – where our different identities are allowed to flourish, and to overlap in a common space which we all share together. So today in Singapore, in 50years, we are culturally rooted, with a distinct national identity.

9. As we look back, we can take pride in how far we have come as a nation and people. There are so many things to celebrate, so many things to rejoice, so many things to give thanks for.

10. For example, when we became independent, Mr Lee Kuan Yew announced plans to build a National Stadium. Today, we have a gleaming Sports Hub, with world-class facilities, and that was where we hosted a very successful SEA Games, and we took home our largest-ever haul of medals.

11. In 1965, we had no history or icons as an independent nation. Now, we have a lively Arts and Heritage scene. We have the Esplanade. We have just re-opened the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall. We've national monuments that are also vibrant cultural spaces.

12. In this SG50 year alone, we have so much more reason to celebrate our culture and heritage. We have a bumper crop of excellent Singapore movies this year. Every year in the past, typically we produce 10 – 12 Singaporean movies. This year alone, double the number: 20. If you have not seen, check out 7 Letters. It is a tribute by seven of the best film directors in Singapore. It is a wonderful tribute for our Golden Jubilee. There are many more shows that you can see, coming up for SG50 this year.

13. We are seeing an increase in home-grown music by our talented singer-songwriters and musicians. So Xinyao is experiencing a resurgence. In fact, if you are one of those who download music from iTunes, just in case you don't know, your children will probably know as they are listening to music from iTunes now, they don't buy CDs anymore. The number one song on iTunes in Singapore is a song by The Sam Willows, a Singaporean band. They are topping the charts in iTunes, beating international pop stars like Taylor Swift. That is quite an achievement.

14. And of course, we recently celebrated the inscription of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as our first-ever UNESCO Heritage site. So in this year alone, there are so many things we can celebrate. In the coming Jubilee Weekend, you can experience so much of this. On Friday, we have the Sing50 concert at the National Stadium and we are going to have a concert at the Botanic Gardens as well in the evening. We are going to do it like a people's variety concert, just like how we did it in the National Stadium in 1965. So it's a way to go back to the past, bring everybody together, all the different communities and that is where Prime Minister is also going to unveil the UNESCO World Heritage plaque in the Botanic Gardens. So that's happening on Friday and many more things happening on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It is an extra-long weekend.

15. We also see a growing sense of community and giving. These are values that lie at the heart of who we are as a people.

16. Just in the recent months, there have been many stories of Singaporeans stepping forward to assist others, regardless of race, gender, or age. There was the group of 30 people who rushed to help a man trapped underneath a lorry. There were the good Samaritans who helped a woman deliver a baby in their car, and rushed her to hospital. This sense of community, mutual support and togetherness, I think that's also very precious to us and something worth celebrating during our Golden Jubilee.

17. The celebration does not stop over the weekend. We have an extra-long weekend, but the celebration continues because there's much to look forward to in the coming months. We're not over yet. Extra-long weekend is over, but it does not mean that SG50 is over. There are many more things to look forward to.

18. Later this year, Singaporeans can visit the revamped galleries at the National Museum and the Asian Civilisations Museum. We'll also be opening the new National Gallery in November. You can see that the building is nice and ready, at City Hall and the Supreme Court.

19. We will also be launching a new commemorative trail called the Jubilee Walk. The walk covers 25 historic and iconic sites – it traces the milestones of our history and represents our aspirations for the future.

20. We'll be launching this with an SG50 Jubilee Big Walk. Typically you have the TNP Big Walk. This year, it will be the SG50 Jubilee Big Walk on 29 Nov. So mark your diary, as we're going to have the Big Walk through the Jubilee Walk. It will begin at the National Museum, through the Civic District and Marina Bay, to Gardens by the Bay. The Walk will end off in the venue where we are having an exhibition on Singapore's future. That exhibition will start on 1 December. It is a future exhibition to show what life can be like in the coming decades, and highlight the hopes and aspirations of Singaporeans for our next 50 years. So we are going to end SG50 looking ahead. I think this would be a fitting round-up to our SG50 celebrations.

21. Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of our colleagues in MCCY and MCI for working hard to put together our SG50 programmes this year. There is a lot of work and I know a lot of you are very busy. But I think we should take heart that we are continuing the legacy of our pioneers through the work we do in our ministries. So, thank you for putting citizens at the heart of what you do. Thank you especially to those who are on duty during the Golden Jubilee Weekend. I know some of you are, so no extra-long weekend for you as you'd be working. Some of you are manning our sports centres, some of you are manning our museums. Some of you are on duty for various reasons. But thank you very much for working and ensuring that Singaporeans can have a meaningful time.

22. Even as we give thanks for our past 50 years, we should also look ahead to the next 50. We can expect new challenges ahead. We know that nation-building is never easy. The late Mr Rajaratnam said that governing a country well was like pushing a boulder uphill. And the higher up the hill you go, the greater tendency for it to roll downhill. So the work will get harder, but while the future is uncertain, it is also full of promise. And we're facing it with 50 years of national history, 50 years of camaraderie behind us. So we're facing it together with shared purpose and hope. Let's continue to work together to build our Singapore of tomorrow. Happy National Day! Enjoy your extra-long Jubilee Weekend.