ND2005 PM's speech - main points

Progressing together
NO ONE LEFT BEHIND
'I can make you this promise. We are one people together. Growth and prosperity in Singapore is for all Singaporeans to share. And provided you work hard and you help yourself, we will help you to succeed and we will progress together and we will not leave anybody behind.' -- MR LEE'S assurance to Singaporeans who are prepared to strive and help themselves


Education
MANY WAYS TO SUCCEED
'We are aiming for a mountain range, not a pinnacle. We want many routes up, many ways to succeed... If you are a teh tarik man, you must be a good teh tarik man, pour the tea and turn around... In Chinese, they say hang hang chu zhuang yuan: In every profession, there are people who are excellent, who are outstanding, who are world-class and I think we must be like that in Singapore.' -- MR LEE, on having an education system that creates and offers opportunities for all, not just an elite few


Service culture
BEING OURSELVES
'This is an effort which we have to continue for a long time. The government agencies will get together and will promote it...

It's not just for the tourists. It's also for ourselves because it's the kind of society we are: Being gracious, courteous, respectful of one another, knowing that everybody has a dignified place in Singapore, that everybody belongs, doing his part and excelling in his profession and serving with pride.' -- MR LEE was applauded when he spoke of having a campaign to develop a more gracious, service-oriented outlook among Singaporeans


Nation building
SINGAPORE SPIRIT
'With this situation, with this climate and this mood, we have every reason to rejoice. We can do this again for another 40 years because here in Singapore we've created something which is special, which is unique and precious.

How have we done it? It's our people, our ideas and our actions. Most important of all, we've created a Singapore spirit. We're courageous but compassionate, we're confident, never complacent.

It's a spirit which will hold us together as one united people, each one doing his part, each one contributing to remaking our nation and building our home. And together we will make this a vibrant global city called home.' -- MR LEE, on the special 'something' that Singapore has created for itself


Vibrant global city
CITY IN OUR IMAGE
'The city must reflect the spirit of our people, be well-conceived, vigorously executed, restrained but high quality, every aspect thought through, constantly being improved and remade in search of excellence.

It will be a city in our image, a sparkling jewel, a home for all of us to be proud of, a home that will belong to all of us.' -- MR LEE, on remaking and developing Singapore to become a dynamic city