“I have done my duty, and I am very happy I chose this path of public service all those many years ago,” said Lee, who was also marking his 40th year in politics. ST
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he has prepared a leadership team to succeed him that deserves Singaporeans’ confidence and support, and asked that all Singaporeans rally behind them to make the nation succeed.
Despite dark clouds on the horizon, the Republic has built a strong foundation for its future generations to continue to write new chapters of the Singapore story, Lee said at the May Day Rally on May 1.
In a valedictory speech at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, he said he felt “a sense of satisfaction and completeness” as he prepared to hand over Singapore in good order to his successor, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on May 15.
“I have done my duty, and I am very happy I chose this path of public service all those many years ago,” said Lee, who was also marking his 40th year in politics.
But leading a country is never a one-man job but that of a national team, he said as he thanked MPs, union leaders, as well as Singaporeans for their trust and support.
“I have strived to lead you and to govern Singapore in the way you deserve, to mobilise Singaporeans to show what we can do together,” he said. “I have also prepared a leadership team to succeed me that deserves your confidence and support.”
‘We have improved everyone’s lives’
Lee, who had spoken at almost every May Day Rally since he became prime minister in 2004, said he had sought in his tenure to build on Singapore’s strengths under past leaders such as founding PM Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong.
Lee Kuan Yew and his team overcame tremendous odds to forge an improbable nation with multiculturalism as its creed, and which made home ownership, education, and healthcare available to all.
Goh showed it was possible to take Singapore forward with a different style for a different era, and under his leadership Singapore matured and became more vibrant, resilient and cohesive, he added.
Of his 20 years since he took over in 2004, Lee said Singapore has become better off.
Investments in promising sectors such as biotech, IT, and financial services have paid off, while the economic base has diversified as the country climbed the value chain, from factories to research and development in pharmaceuticals and nano-technology.
Singaporeans’ quality of life has also improved across the board, including for those with lower incomes, he added.
New HDB towns with green spaces and amenities have been built, such as Punggol, which has turned from an ulu (desolate) place to an attractive town full of young families.
Meanwhile, older towns have been kept up-to-date with the many upgrading programmes that made them fit for a more elderly population.
“This is why, unlike public housing projects elsewhere in the world, our HDB estates never turn into ghettos,” he said.
Public transport has likewise improved, going from just the red (North-South) and green (East-West) lines to a much more colourful map today with the addition of the yellow (Circle), blue (Downtown), and brown (Thomson-East Coast) lines.
In time to come, there will also be a light green Cross Island Line and light blue Jurong Region Line, he added.
Singapore has also invested heavily in a first-class healthcare system to make it accessible and affordable to all, and poured more resources into pre-schools and infant care while transforming the broader education system to have more diverse pathways.
“In Singapore, unlike in some other countries, your postal code does not determine your destiny,” he said.
The Government has also made every effort to leave no one behind as the country progressed, PM Lee added, alluding to the promise he made in his 2004 swearing-in speech to forge an inclusive society.
One of his earliest moves as PM was to create Comcare, which brought together existing social programmes and enhanced them to channel more resources towards the needy.
Workfare was then launched to supplement the incomes of lower-wage workers, and the Progressive Wage Model to raise wages and skills in a sustainable way.
Today, children from disadvantaged backgrounds also get an extra boost through KidStart, while ComLink+ works with vulnerable families to put them on the path of home ownership.
Other components of Singapore’s social safety net were also strengthened, he added.
MediShield Life and CareShield Life help deal with large medical bills and long-term care costs; CPF Life and Silver Support are for retirement adequacy; and the Pioneer, Merdeka and Majulah packages take care of older Singaporeans
Lee said he was also proud of the Singaporean pride and work ethic that has evolved, which the trade unions had helped to foster.
Whether they are teachers who spent their own time to help weaker students, uniformed personnel who became first responders even when off duty, or healthcare professionals who go the extra mile for their patients, Singaporeans take their responsibilities seriously even though not everyone can be at the top of the totem pole, he said.
“Ours is a society that takes pride in whatever we do, and makes a point of doing it well,” he added.
“A society that is egalitarian and meritocratic in its ethos, where those who have done well feel a sense of duty to give back to the society that nurtured them.”
The next chapter of S’pore’s story
The next chapter of the Singapore Story is off to a strong start, though there are many uncertainties in the world, Lee said.
These include rising tensions and rivalry between big powers, deglobalisation and protectionism, technological advances and climate change, and questions of war and peace.
“The world has changed, and we must come up with updated and creative responses, but some hard truths have not changed,” he said. “These imperatives will stay relevant in the years ahead.”
Firstly, social cohesion is important and race, language, and religion are traditional fault lines that will never go away for Singapore.
While huge efforts have been made to build a shared Singaporean identity, the nation will always be subject to external forces that pull different segments of its population in different directions.
“We cannot disavow our diverse ethnic roots and religious affinities - Chinese Singaporeans with China, Indian Singaporeans with their various ancestral homes in India, Malay Singaporeans with the rest of our region, and with the global Muslim Ummah.”
While these can be vulnerabilities, Singapore does not want to lose these rich cultural and historical heritages
“Therefore for us, racial and religious harmony will always be a continuing work in progress,” he said. “Never think that we have ‘solved the problem’ and that we have left it behind.”
There are also other potential divisions, he noted: between the “haves” and the “have-nots”; “Singaporean-born” and “naturalised” citizens; “conservatives” and “liberals”; and the “current” and “future” generations.
“All these differences can be exploited politically, to pit Singaporeans one against another, and divide and weaken us,” he said. “Hence, we must continue working hard to overcome social stresses and tensions, to enlarge our common space, and to strengthen our shared Singaporean identity.”
This is why the Government moved to allow Muslim nurses in Singapore’s public healthcare sector to wear the tudung, and repealed Section 377A of the Penal Code, he said.
These were controversial and difficult issues, but they were tackled instead of being left to fester, he said.
“We prepared the ground carefully, and worked out practical compromises. We moved to a more sustainable, long-term position, while fostering mutual understanding and acceptance of our differences.”
Secondly, the PAP government has always planned and acted for the long-term. While having a vision and sense of stewardship beyond immediate problems and crises is important for every country to do, most find it very hard, he said.
Pointing to the Rally venue, he recounted the long journey to turn Marina Bay into today’s reality.
The government started thinking about reclaiming land there in the 1960s, and the reclamation project began in 1971. When he took over as PM, the government started talking about Integrated Resorts (IR).
“This was one of my first major decisions as Prime Minister – whether or not to allow IRs here, which would introduce casino gambling to Singapore,” he said.
“After a full public debate, we decided to proceed, but with suitable safeguards in place.”
The IRs opened in 2010, just in time to catch the recovery from the Global Financial Crisis, and they took off, he said. Today, besides the IRs, Singapore also has Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Barrage, Marina Reservoir, and an iconic skyline around the Bay.
There are more plans for Singapore, 50 years from now he said: a new megaport at Tuas, a new Terminal 5 at Changi, a redeveloped Paya Lebar after the airbase there is relocated, and a Greater Southern Waterfront for future generations to live, work and.
Singapore will also reclaim a Long Island along the east coast, to protect itself from rising sea levels, and create more land and another freshwater reservoir, he added.
“I have no doubt the next team and their successors will conceive more creative and ambitious projects, which will challenge us, inspire us, and take our country to the next level,” he said.
Stability key to S’pore’s exceptionalism
The third fundamental principle is political stability and trust, Lee said.
“The whole Singapore system is anchored on a strong base of trust between the people and their government. The people elect a PAP government. The PAP government works hard to maintain the people’s trust and support,” he said.
“It shows, through words and deeds, that it has the nation’s best interests at heart, and is improving your lives.”
Hence at each election - 15 times in a row - the PAP has won a renewed mandate, fair and square, and continued to deliver results for Singaporeans, he said.
“My team and I have done our best to steward Singapore, and safeguard its future. Our successors must do the same,” he said.
“Getting our politics right is absolutely crucial. Please understand: we have succeeded, and Singapore has made exceptional economic and social gains, because our system is exceptional.”
Tripartism played a vital role in this journey, said Lee as he thanked the labour movement.
“The tripartite partnership between the labour movement, employers, and the government, underpinned by the symbiotic partnership between the NTUC and the PAP, has been absolutely crucial to Singapore’s success.”
In conclusion, Lee said that he had every confidence in DPM Wong and his team.
“The 4G will have their hands full dealing with issues which will arise, and realising their Forward SG agenda,” he said.
“I ask all Singaporeans to rally behind them, and work together to make Singapore succeed, for your sake.” - The Straits Times/ANN
