PM Lee: Your vibrant global city, your home

PM maps out vision to remake Singapore and calls on everyone to play a part

MAKE Singapore a vibrant, global city that can be proudly called home - that was the call to one and all by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night. In his second National Day Rally speech, Mr Lee unwrapped his special 40th birthday present for Singapore: a vision for the next 40 years in which everyone plays a part to achieve this ambition.

Putting some oomph of his own into the speech, with the use of slides and snazzy video clips, Mr Lee announced several goodies and initiatives.

To fuel future economic growth, research and development (R&D) and innovation are to receive a greater emphasis.

Bold plans to create a sparkling new Downtown at Marina Bay and renew public housing estates were unveiled, complete with slides of how this all could look. The young will receive more paths to success through boosts to polytechnics and the Normal (Technical) stream in secondary schools. As well, the 'baby bonus' account age for contributions from parents and the Government has been raised from six to 18.

Older Singaporeans will benefit from extended medical insurance coverage. The age limit for Medisave will go up from 80 to 85.

New housing grants will help low-income families buy Housing Board flats and build up their assets.

The measures provide a roadmap for remaking Singapore and building the inclusive society Mr Lee outlined in his maiden rally speech last year as prime minister.

True to that, he went to some lengths last night to celebrate 'ordinary' Singaporeans.

They ranged from a young entrepreneur who dared to set up shop in strife-torn East Timor, to a retrenched secretary, who, at age 63, started cleaning toilets rather than remain jobless.

'Each contribution, big or small, is one of many threads that we will weave together to make the fabric of our nation,' he told his audience of 1,700 at the University Cultural Centre in Kent Ridge.

He spoke in Mandarin, Malay and English for about 2 1/2 hours in all.

Looking relaxed, he layered his speech with wit and humour along with vision and policy.

Singapore, he said, has achieved much in the last 40 years but it cannot afford to stand still.

It must remake itself in four areas: the economy, education, mindsets and its city.

Although competition has heated up, he remained confident that having gone from making bowls of bee hoon to creating a Biopolis scientific hub, Singapore will continue to stay ahead.

To steer future research and development strategies, a Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council will be set up.

Mr Lee will chair it, with Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan as deputy.

But economic growth is not an end in itself - it is to generate resources to achieve social goals, such as helping the poor and ensuring affordable health care.

Education remains the most important way to help the lower-income group, he stressed.

The aim must be to offer a first-class education to all, not just an elite few.

The Government will continue with efforts to improve the polytechnics, Institutes of Technical Education and the Normal (Technical) stream in secondary schools.

'We are aiming for a mountain range, not a pinnacle. We want many routes up, many ways to succeed.'

Singapore's remaking must also extend to mindsets about service jobs.

A long-term national effort to promote good service will be launched, with Minister Raymond Lim at the helm.

Finally, the whole city itself must be remade, from the heartland to downtown.

Mr Lee said its design would be well-conceived, restrained but of high quality.

'It will be a city in our image, a sparkling jewel,' he promised.

Close to tears as he brought his speech to a close, Mr Lee said Singaporeans must realise that what they have created over the last 40 years is unique and precious.

'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 contributing to remaking our nation,' he said to a standing ovation.

by Lydia Lim, Senior Political Correspondent,
The Straits Times Interactive, 22 Aug 2005
lydia@sph.com.sg