PM Lee launches platforms to discuss nation's future
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 30 Nov 2015
By helping one another and working as a team, Singaporeans can shape the nation's identity and build a country that is inclusive and united in diversity, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
As he launched the Future Of Us exhibition at Gardens by the Bay, he said: "It is up to each one of us to voice our hopes and future dreams, to make the choices to realise these dreams."
Mr Lee also announced the launch of the SGfuture series of dialogues, which he said will kick off the journey into the next 50 years.
The new dialogues will be led by Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing, and aim to build on the ideas of the nationwide Our Singapore Conversation that ended in 2013.
The first session started yesterday, with young Singaporeans discussing issues such as security, the environment, and how to build an empathetic society.
In his speech, Mr Lee noted that the Singapore of today is the "work of more than one generation, each standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before".
He credited the pioneer generation for their determination to see the country prevail, even when the future was bleak and racial tensions were high in the early years.
Through the effort of generations of Singaporeans, the country was transformed, and people's lives improved, he said.
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 30 Nov 2015
As he launched the Future Of Us exhibition at Gardens by the Bay, he said: "It is up to each one of us to voice our hopes and future dreams, to make the choices to realise these dreams."
Mr Lee also announced the launch of the SGfuture series of dialogues, which he said will kick off the journey into the next 50 years.
The new dialogues will be led by Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing, and aim to build on the ideas of the nationwide Our Singapore Conversation that ended in 2013.
The first session started yesterday, with young Singaporeans discussing issues such as security, the environment, and how to build an empathetic society.
In his speech, Mr Lee noted that the Singapore of today is the "work of more than one generation, each standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before".
He credited the pioneer generation for their determination to see the country prevail, even when the future was bleak and racial tensions were high in the early years.
Through the effort of generations of Singaporeans, the country was transformed, and people's lives improved, he said.
Likewise, the country's future will depend on "what we make of it together", he added.
He made the remarks before a tour of the exhibition, which will open to the public tomorrow (Dec 1). The capstone event of the year-long SG50 Golden Jubilee celebrations aims to get Singaporeans thinking about the nation's next chapter.
The exhibition depicts scenarios of how daily living will be like in the year 2030. In a segment where visitors can pen their dreams for the future, Mr Lee wrote: "May we abound with greenery and fresh air!"
Earlier yesterday, he launched the 8km Jubilee Walk commemorative trail, a permanent trail that passes by key historic and iconic sites marking Singapore's development, including the Padang.
Earlier yesterday, he launched the 8km Jubilee Walk commemorative trail, a permanent trail that passes by key historic and iconic sites marking Singapore's development, including the Padang.
He also visited the SG Heart Map Festival, which celebrates the favourite places of Singaporeans, at the Marina Bay floating platform.
Mr Lee said with the SG50 celebrations, it has been "an extra special year for all of us and I am sure each of us has his or her own special memories".
Mr Lee said with the SG50 celebrations, it has been "an extra special year for all of us and I am sure each of us has his or her own special memories".
With the Jubilee year coming to an end, said Mr Lee yesterday, it was fitting to launch an exhibition about Singapore's future.
He called on Singaporeans to come together "as one people, one nation, one Singapore", and to rededicate themselves to building a better Singapore.
Mr Lee said he hopes that 50 years from now, today's young generation of Singaporeans will tell their grandchildren or even great-grandchildren: "It was here they caught a glimpse of what they could create for the future, were moved to turn these dreams into reality and to write the next chapter of the Singapore story.
"And that is why after SG50, Singapore continued to be an endearing and shining little red dot for many many years to come."
"And that is why after SG50, Singapore continued to be an endearing and shining little red dot for many many years to come."
Young Singaporeans throw up ideas for country’s future at dialogue
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 30 Nov 2015
A young man suggested organising communal feasts to celebrate Singapore's diversity, while another proposed teaching first aid to all Singaporeans so that they can help in the event of emergencies.
The ideas flew thick and fast yesterday when 100 young Singaporeans came together at the first session of the SGfuture dialogue series, to talk about their hopes for the country, and how they can bring them to fruition.
Led by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing, it is a new public engagement exercise, following the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) completed two years ago.
Ms Fu told reporters yesterday: "This is a crucial point for us to look beyond SG50 towards SG100, and among the challenges that Singapore will face is how to keep the society united as we find new fault lines in a very new nation."
Mr Chan said in a statement that he hoped it will get Singaporeans to "build consensus about the future they wish to have, and to commit these aspirations to action".
The SGfuture series, which will run until the middle of next year, will draw inspiration from the possible scenarios presented at The Future Of Us exhibition, which opens to the public tomorrow.
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 30 Nov 2015
A young man suggested organising communal feasts to celebrate Singapore's diversity, while another proposed teaching first aid to all Singaporeans so that they can help in the event of emergencies.
The ideas flew thick and fast yesterday when 100 young Singaporeans came together at the first session of the SGfuture dialogue series, to talk about their hopes for the country, and how they can bring them to fruition.
Led by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing, it is a new public engagement exercise, following the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) completed two years ago.
Ms Fu told reporters yesterday: "This is a crucial point for us to look beyond SG50 towards SG100, and among the challenges that Singapore will face is how to keep the society united as we find new fault lines in a very new nation."
Mr Chan said in a statement that he hoped it will get Singaporeans to "build consensus about the future they wish to have, and to commit these aspirations to action".
The SGfuture series, which will run until the middle of next year, will draw inspiration from the possible scenarios presented at The Future Of Us exhibition, which opens to the public tomorrow.
Ms Fu said SGfuture will also build on the hopes and values Singaporeans shared in the OSC: "We want Singaporeans to step forward to put the values that they have envisioned in the OSC into action."
During yesterday's session, organised by the National Youth Council, participants aged between 16 and 35 discussed issues such as security, the environment and building an empathetic society.
UniSIM finance undergraduate Kenneth Yap, 23, was actively involved in a discussion on how to encourage less consumerism. He said of the exercise: "It kick-starts the imagination on what is possible and can actually be done."
Public servant Mohamed Khairul Anwar Mohamed Abdul Alim, 31, said it was a good reminder to be attuned to the potential shortcomings of one's own positions. "A lot of issues today are open-ended and multi-dimensional," he said.
Members of the public can visit www.singapore50.sg/SGfuture to sign up for upcoming sessions.
Members of the public can visit www.singapore50.sg/SGfuture to sign up for upcoming sessions.
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