On July 17, I landed at Changi Airport Terminal 2 after a short getaway. Like others, I was expecting the renowned efficiency of our immigration process, especially after a red-eye flight.
However, what greeted us was a single, long queue stretching across the arrival hall, with immigration officers informing incoming passengers that the automated systems were down.
While system failures are inevitable, the ensuing chaos made me question whether Singaporeans truly embody the class and character we often pride ourselves on, especially when our well-oiled machineries fail.
First, when additional counters opened, people bypassed the already-formed single line, running to be at the front of the new queues.
Those who had been queueing patiently in the single line were shocked as people behind them sprinted forward.
The lack of queue organisation by the officers on duty only exacerbated the situation.
Second, when the automated lanes were being tested to see if they could resume operating, many passengers took it as a sign they were back online and again ran to the counters.
Third, people were noticeably envious of the elderly, disabled, pregnant and the young who were invited to the front of the queue along with their travel companions.
Instead of understanding and empathy, there were mutterings and glares.
There were incessant mutterings about how the Government had “failed”. While it is natural to feel frustrated in such situations, the immediate blame game seemed unproductive and ungracious.
I could identify these complaining individuals as fellow Singaporeans by their signature red passports.
This experience made me wonder if we have taken our efficient systems for granted. When these systems falter, do we still uphold the values of patience, kindness, and respect for others?
In contrast, visitors from countries like Japan and Thailand, where the arriving flights were from and which are countries known for their people’s kindness, patience and graciousness, must have been taken aback by the behaviour they witnessed.
As Singaporeans, we pride ourselves on our first-class infrastructure and efficiency. However, true first-class citizenship is reflected in our behaviour, which should match our country’s world-class standards, regardless of the circumstances.
How S. Rajaratnam handled Singapore’s 1964 race riots in the face of ‘arsonists playing firemen’
As he listened to the frantic voice on the phone, S. Rajaratnam realised that his greatest fear had come to pass. As one of the chief architects of Singapore’s independence, he had experienced some tough situations – but this was the worst tragedy to befall his country in his five years in politics.
It was July 21, 1964, barely a year after Singapore merged with Malaya and two Borneo states, Sabah and Sarawak, to form Malaysia in September 1963.
The voice on the phone that late afternoon was that of his close colleague Othman Wok, the social affairs minister. Othman had looked up to Raja, as the culture minister was usually known, since their journalism days in the 1950s. Raja had led the Singapore Union of Journalists as its president with Othman as his deputy.
After Raja, together with Lee Kuan Yew and others, formed the People’s Action Party (PAP) in 1954, Othman had joined the new left-wing party. What bound them was a common vision: to build a non-communal society based on justice and equality.
Now, on this hot, horrible day in July 1964, Othman bore news of a racial clash that threatened to tear apart the very fabric of society. “Some Malays are causing problems,” he reported. “Beating up Chinese bystanders. Things are getting out of control.”
Othman, the only Malay minister in the Singapore Cabinet, was leading a PAP contingent as part of a 20,000-strong procession to mark Prophet Muhammad’s birthday that day.
Over the phone, he told Raja the scenes he had just witnessed: Malay youths punching a Chinese policeman struggling to control the rowdy procession as it headed towards the Malay settlement of Geylang, then breaking off from the march to attack Chinese passers-by at random. Sensing danger, he and several others had slipped into the People’s Association headquarters in Kallang. This was where he had rung Raja.
The day being a public holiday, Raja was catching up on his reading in his book-lined home, a bungalow in Chancery Lane. At 49, he was the oldest among the nine-man Cabinet, and often appeared unflappable in any crisis. “He was very cool,” Othman recalled, “one who never got excited about anything.”
Raja might project an air of equanimity, but internally his thoughts were racing. He knew only too well how quickly racial and religious passions could boil over and lead to mass riots.
In a series of phone calls, he quickly conferred with prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and others on the dangerous situation. This was the first serious racial clash they had to deal with since taking charge of self-governing Singapore in 1959.
Gripped by urgency, he jumped into his sun-baked second-hand black Hillman and drove to his office at City Hall. As soon as he arrived and sat behind his desk, he began working the phone.
As story after story came in of Malay groups attacking Chinese people, overturning their cars, scooters and hawker carts, and setting their homes and businesses on fire, his alarm ratcheted up another notch.
The topmost priority of the PAP leaders was to contain the violence. To their frustration, however, they found their hands tied. Under the merger agreement between Singapore and Malaya, internal security did not come under Singapore’s control but under the federal government in Kuala Lumpur.
As reports of casualties poured in, the Singapore leaders urged KL to impose a curfew. Malaysian prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was away in America, leaving his deputy, Tun Abdul Razak, in charge. The curfew was finally called at 9.30pm. But still the streets seethed with savagery.
Disturbingly, reports began filtering in that the KL-controlled security forces, who were mainly Malay, were siding with Malays against Chinese. In turn, Chinese secret society gangs, having lost confidence in the police, led revenge attacks against Malays. The spiral of violence seemed unstoppable.
As the government’s communications czar, Raja knew that the public needed assurance. The government must be seen to be in control, even if it might not be. The former newspaperman had long understood the power of words. In such a tinderbox atmosphere, just one wrong word, one insensitive phrase, could set off another cycle of violence.
More opportunities will be provided for Singaporeans to chart their own paths and pursue their own definitions of success, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
More ways for people to shape the character and tone of society will also be created, PM Wong told about 900 students from the universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) during a dialogue on July 2, where he urged Singaporeans to contribute to the common good.
PM Wong outlined these plans as part of three strategies by which Singapore and its young can adapt and adjust to a more fragmented world on the cusp of another technological revolution.
Besides providing more opportunities and having Singaporeans play their part in shaping a better society, the Government is taking active steps to refresh Singapore’s social compact, he said.
Attitudes and mindsets are shifting, and more types of jobs are now respected. More people are opting to start their own business or take on less conventional careers, he said.
“The bottom line is that there are many more opportunities and possibilities for you to explore... We all have our own abilities and strengths. There is no need to compare with others, to squeeze into boxes we are not meant to fit,” PM Wong said at the event at Singapore Management University (SMU).
Even then, one may face rejections and setbacks, and must be prepared for dry spells. By staying focused on working hard and striving for excellence, one’s skills improve and, eventually, other doors will open, he told students at the event organised by SMU, the Institute of Policy Studies and student organisation Varsity Voices.
“I encourage all of you to embrace this attitude of learning and excelling at whatever you do. Not just when you are in school now, not just after you graduate, but throughout your lives,” he said.
“That is why we are investing significantly in SkillsFuture... As you get older, and even when you are in your 40s or when you are around my age in your 50s, you will be able to get a fresh injection of skills.”
In February, PM Wong – who is also Finance Minister – announced at Budget 2024 that all Singaporeans aged 40 and above would get a $4,000 top-up of SkillsFuture credits to encourage mid-career workers to refresh their skills and progress in their careers.
PM Wong cited some ways in which Singapore has changed since he was a student 30 years ago.
Then, about 55 per cent of each cohort went on to post-secondary education. Today, almost everyone progresses to university, polytechnic or ITE, while starting salaries have grown from $3,000 to about $5,000, he noted.
He acknowledged that powerful forces which Singapore does not have much control over, such as competition between major powers, are shaping the country’s operating environment. The dawn of artificial intelligence is also likely to have a bigger impact than the advent of the internet.
But Singapore has adapted and found a way to thrive across its 60 years of nation building, and must continue to do so, said PM Wong.
He reiterated the Government’s commitment as part of Singapore’s refreshed social compact to give greater assurance to Singaporeans at every stage of life, such as through stronger safety nets that will help them bounce back from setbacks.
Singaporeans must also do their part, such as to embrace skills upgrading and be prepared to pay more for services delivered by fellow citizens, said PM Wong.
He noted that many Singaporeans had said during the Forward Singapore exercise that they do not want a society where everyone is out for themselves, but one where benefits are shared by all.
That is why the authorities started the Singapore Government Partnerships Office, to make it easier for those who want to step forward to work with other citizens, community groups and businesses to tackle issues of the day.
Four youth panels have also been set up so far to deliberate over issues of concern to young people, such as financial security and sustainability. PM Wong said the young people involved in them are putting in their time and effort, and will present their recommendations at an inaugural Youth Policy Forum in August.
“You may not have had the chance to participate in this round of youth panels, but there will be subsequent editions, and we welcome more of you to join in,” he said.
Providing only what is needed will keep healthcare costs sustainable: Senior Minister Lee
Don't over-treat, over-prescribe and be careful in adopting new treatments, he says
By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 14 Jul 2024
Healthcare needs in Singapore will have to be managed not just by building new hospitals, but also through discipline in providing only what is necessary.
“At the same time, we must maintain the right mix of government subsidies, medical insurance and individual co-payment, to minimise wrong incentives, perverse incentives, which would lead to unsatisfactory outcomes.”
SM Lee said Singapore will continue to train more competent doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and improve its healthcare facilities and infrastructure.
But he added that tough decisions and trade-offs are needed for the country to continue delivering high-quality, affordable healthcare to Singaporeans.
“There are too many examples elsewhere of healthcare services practically at breaking point. Populations suffer from poor healthcare delivery and long wait times, or exorbitant medical bills and high insurance premiums.
“And it shows in the outcomes – population health deteriorates, and so does the quality of life, even life expectancy,” said SM Lee.
In comments made on July 12, he said the Ministry of Health (MOH) needs to rein in the unhealthy “buffet syndrome”, which sees patients picking expensive treatments and diagnostic tests because they have insurance to pay for them.
On the cards are another two public general hospitals – in Bedok and Tengah – and possibly also a non-profit private hospital.
In less than five years, the ageing population here has pushed up the average length of hospital stay from six to seven days, which raises demand for hospital beds by 15 per cent.
SM Lee said the healthcare system remains in good shape, with people having access to high-quality and affordable treatments, with reasonable wait times.
But he added: “Do not underestimate the difficulty of keeping the healthcare system working well.”
He had instructed the team in charge of building the hospital to take their time and to study what other countries with older populations are doing.
Dr Jason Cheah, the hospital’s chief executive officer, said it took 10 years to build WH. Public hospitals here generally take seven years to complete.
A major reason for the delay was disruption to work and a shortage of labour as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
SM Lee said that aside from the full range of hospital services, the hospital will also provide long-term care services including daycare, home care, and nursing home and palliative care.
“This makes it much easier to right-site patients, and also a lot more convenient for patients to transition seamlessly from treatment to convalescence, and receive the appropriate care in one place,” he added.
The hospital also uses technology to raise operational efficiency. It has an automated pharmacy and an automated laboratory for blood specimens, both of which reduce manpower needs and human error.
Patients are also provided with bedside terminals (PBTs) that allow them to engage more fully with their care plan.
Quipped SM Lee: “The PBT also functions like an inflight entertainment system where patients can order their preferred meals or even watch YouTube videos! Presumably, not too exciting ones.”
Thanking Ms Jennie Chua, chairman of the WH campus, Mr Lee noted that some of the touches that make it “a very woke hospital” must have come from her. Meals at the hospital include mutton vindaloo, plant-based mapo tofu and even Irish stew.
Ms Chua previously oversaw the establishment of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun.
More than nine in 10 Singapore residents polled in a new study said a smartphone with a data plan is essential, while 64 per cent think air-conditioning is a must.
A trip each year to a South-east Asian destination is also essential, said 56 per cent of those polled. And social connections are important too, with 90 per cent saying family bonding is essential.
It polled a nationally representative sample of around 4,000 Singapore residents and comes amid growing public interest in the resources needed to achieve basic living standards.
Respondents were asked how essential they considered a total of 51 items and activities across categories such as household appliances, digital connectivity and social participation.
Essential items were those perceived to be so by at least half the respondents.
The study – which also included respondents taking part in focus group discussions between May 2022 and February 2023 – focused on affordability of essential items and attitudes on poverty.
For example, two-thirds of respondents said they were able to afford all the items deemed essential.
For the remaining one-third, the top essential items they cited being unable to access or afford included emergency savings of at least three months of expenses and an annual overseas vacation in a South-east Asian country.
A separate study done by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) that garnered 2,000 responses collected in June 2024 looked at public perceptions of who should provide for essential needs, be it the Government, the community, the individuals themselves or other parties.
Key findings from both studies were presented on July 12 at the SMU-DBS Foundation Symposium on Essential Household Needs in Singapore.
Director of SMU Centre for Research on Successful Ageing Paulin Straughan, who led the first study, said the hope is to reveal the gaps that may aid efforts to help disadvantaged Singaporeans break out of deprivation, which is defined in the study as being unable to afford items considered essential.
Sharing other insights, she noted that perceptions towards higher expenditure activities and items like holidays and the need for adequate savings differed across income groups.
Households in the lowest income group earned up to $2,499 a month while the top band earned over $17,000 a month.
One in two among the lowest income band see dining at restaurants once a month as essential, compared with over 60 per cent in higher income bands.
And only 49 per cent in the lowest income band see air-con as essential, compared with 70 per cent in the highest income band.
Items deemed unnecessary by respondents included private tuition – considered essential by 49 per cent of respondents – private enrichment classes (30 per cent) and annual staycations (27 per cent).
Respondents thought students can get help from free tuition classes offered by self-help groups rather than more costly private options – such tuition classes were seen by nearly 60 per cent of respondents as essential.
On poverty, the study showed that most believed it is attributable to personal actions and circumstances. Some 80 per cent think people are poor because they face major problems in their lives, while less than a quarter agreed that poverty is due to external factors like bad luck or divine will.
Prof Straughan said: “There’s a lot more consensus on what we can do to help ourselves... it tells us that from an approach perspective, Singaporeans can be helped and they are willing to be helped.”
She said the next run of the study may be done in five years’ time, to see if new interventions introduced can plug the gaps found, such as the lack of emergency savings.
Speaking at the symposium on July 12, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said the studies by SMU and IPS will inform MSF’s ongoing review of its ComCare scheme for low-income families. He cited how ComCare assistance now covers mobile data plans as digital connectivity has become an essential need.
Mr Masagos said the research shows there are differing views on what needs are deemed essential, particularly for items that go beyond subsistence needs.
Implicit in these views is the public’s understanding that social assistance provided by taxpayers must be reasonable and sustainable, he added.
“The studies also show that there is much room for others besides the Government to provide support for low-income and vulnerable families.”
Political stability key to large long-term infrastructure projects: PM Wong
By Esther Loi and Whitney William, The Straits Times, 22 Jun 2024
It is easy to take for granted how things get built in Singapore, where the authorities ensure that projects get done and are delivered, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the opening of the fourth stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) on June 21.
“We say we want to do something, and eventually it gets done,” said PM Wong at Marine Parade station, one of seven new stops along TEL Stage 4 (TEL4). The others are Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Terrace, Siglap and Bayshore.
He noted that in many other countries around the world, including advanced ones, there may be difficulties in completing projects due to funding issues, resistance from residents or people who are inconvenienced.
“Sometimes, political parties change and the new party comes into power, and they shelve the plans from the previous party,” he added.
“So, in many of these places, people talk about wanting to do things, but after a long time, things still cannot get done. Here in Singapore, when we say we will do something, we make sure we deliver it.”
While he no longer lives in the estate, he said residents along TEL4 can enjoy fast, convenient and affordable public transport.
A direct train ride on the TEL from Marine Parade to Shenton Way, in the heart of the Central Business District, will take 20 minutes, halving commutes for residents who had to take a combination of bus and train before, he noted.
Students stand to benefit, too, with more than 10 schools within walking distance of a TEL4 station, said PM Wong.
The new stretch will also bring the East Coast area, including Joo Chiat and Katong, closer to Singaporeans from other parts of the island, and make it easier to reach East Coast Park.
“If you grew up in the east, there’s always a special place here. You know that there are excellent food options in Joo Chiat, in Katong, and I think some people have even called this TEL4 line the ‘makan’ line,” PM Wong quipped.
“Makan” means to eat in Malay.
The Prime Minister noted that people with special needs were among the passenger groups the authorities had in mind when designing the line.
For instance, station signs have larger fonts and there are more braille texts to aid the visually impaired.
Hearing enhancement systems that minimise background noise for those with hearing aids and allow them to communicate more easily with station staff have also been fitted at passenger service centres in TEL stations.
The stations come with more lifts and entrances, too, making it more convenient for those with mobility challenges, said PM Wong.
The next stage of TEL, comprising Bedok South and Sungei Bedok stations, will be completed by 2026.
Beneath a green field at Bidadari Park, at a depth of about two basement carpark levels, lies an underground reservoir that will supply water to the new neighbourhood from the third quarter of 2024.
Holding three Olympic-size swimming pools’ worth of treated drinking water, the $27 million Bidadari underground service reservoir (USR) – the first of its kind in a housing estate – will boost the main water supply to about 8,800 homes in the estate during peak periods to ensure users enjoy good water pressure.
Like the 10-plus other service reservoirs in Singapore, it also serves as a back-up during emergencies or disruptions to PUB’s main water supply. These service reservoirs are not to be confused with catchment reservoirs such as MacRitchie and Bedok, which are among the 17 scattered across the island to collect rainwater that is subsequently treated.
The Bidadari USR, built by national water agency PUB at the site of the former Mount Vernon Columbarium, has two large underground tanks – each about 6.5m high – to save on surface space and keep the surroundings unmarred.
Just a pumping station above ground, occupying a 700 sq m plot of land, hints at its existence. The USR was designed to be largely unmanned, with an automated control room and five centrally operated pumps.
During off-peak hours when household water demand is not high, the two tanks will be filled with potable water from existing service reservoirs such as Bukit Kalang Service Reservoir.
While other service reservoirs like Fort Canning – built in 1929, it is the only other underground service reservoir – and Mount Faber are sited on high ground to leverage gravity to channel water to homes and offices, Bidadari’s is on low terrain.
The Bidadari USR is currently undergoing testing and commissioning, and is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2024.
The completion of the Bidadari USR was announced by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on June 19 at the joint opening of the biennial Singapore International Water Week and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore conferences.
“It will help fortify water supply to meet the water demand of present and future Bidadari residents,” she said, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
The Bidadari estate will have about 10,000 homes comprising both public and private housing. As at February, more than 70 per cent of the 8,872 Housing Board flats there have been handed over to their owners, while the remaining flats are on track to be completed by 2025.
The concept of piloting a reservoir that optimises land use and is integrated with a park in the estate was announced in 2013.
“This approach has enabled PUB to save about 1,500 sq m of space by integrating the land above the water tanks with the adjacent Bidadari Park,” the agency said.
When asked whether the US government works, most Americans say no. According to recent polling by Ipsos, more than two-thirds of adults in the United States think the country is going in the wrong direction. Gallup reports that only 26 per cent have confidence in major US institutions, such as the presidency, the Supreme Court and Congress. Nearly half of Americans aged 18 to 25 say that they believe either that democracy or dictatorship “makes no difference” or that “dictatorship could be good in certain circumstances”. As a recent Economist cover story put it: “After victory in the Cold War, the American model seemed unassailable. A generation on, Americans themselves are losing confidence in it.”
Most Singaporeans have a very different outlook on their government, a managed political system that has elections but nonetheless facilitates the dominance of one party, the People’s Action Party. According to a Pew Research Centre report, three-quarters of Singaporeans are satisfied with how democracy is working in their country. Moreover, 80 per cent think their country is heading in the right direction – the highest number in any of the 29 countries surveyed in the May Ipsos poll.
In 2024, both the United States and Singapore are facing one of the most challenging tests of any system of government: the transfer of power from one leader to the next. Textbooks on government identify this as an arena in which democratic systems have the greatest advantage over authoritarian or managed alternatives. Yet, as 2024 shows, that isn’t always the case.
In May, as then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong passed the baton to his chosen successor, Mr Lawrence Wong, Singaporeans almost unanimously applauded the orderly, peaceful transition. In contrast, Americans’ sense of gloom is growing as they approach a presidential election in which voters will have to choose between two candidates who claim that the other’s victory would mean the end of US democracy. According to an April Reuters/Ipsos poll, ttwo-thirds of US voters believe that neither candidate should be running.
These comparisons invite the question: Is Singapore simply better at governing than other countries?
To answer this, consider the following three Report Cards, which use data from international organisations to assess Singapore alongside two countries holding major elections in 2024: the United States and Britain. Each report card grades the countries on how well they have fulfilled the requirements that Singapore’s founder and first prime minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew – the father of Mr Lee Hsien Loong – believed were the functions of government: to “improve the standard of living for the majority of its people, plus enabling the maximum of personal freedoms compatible with the freedoms of others in society”.
The first Report Card considers citizens’ well-being, which we’ve assessed based on categories for which there is ample data, such as income, health, safety and sense of security.
The second Report Card covers what the World Bank calls “governance”, or a government’s effectiveness in facing issues, making policy choices, executing policy and preventing corruption.
The third Report Card, which considers both individual rights and citizens’ satisfaction with their government, is more difficult to interpret. It includes the judgments made both by international organisations and by polls that gauge how citizens feel about their democracy.
It’s worth reflecting on nine takeaways related to these Report Cards. First, Mr Lee Hsien Loong left to his successor a population that is now wealthier than Americans – and almost twice as wealthy as their former British colonial overlords.
When he took office in 2004, the so-called Singapore miracle had already happened: Singapore’s economy had soared since the 1960s, taking the country from poverty to having a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita that was approximately three-quarters of that of the United States, where many analysts thought it would remain. Yet 20 years later, Singapore’s GDP per capita is more than 4 per cent higher than that in the United States: $88,500 compared with $85,000.
Second, while rapid economic growth often produces greater income disparity, over the past two decades, Singapore has reduced inequality significantly – from 0.47 to 0.37 (as measured by the Gini coefficient, a measure by which 0 equals complete equality and 1 represents complete inequality) – while the United States has remained around 0.47. (For comparison, China’s Gini coefficient is 0.46, and the country with the highest level of inequality is South Africa, with 0.63.)
Third, Singaporeans are generally healthier and live longer than their counterparts in the United States and Britain. Just 20 years ago, life expectancy in all three countries was approximately the same. Today, the life expectancy in Singapore is longer (83 years) than that in the United States (76 years) and Britain (81 years). Singapore’s infant mortality has fallen from 27 deaths per 1,000 births in 1965, to 4 in 2004, to 1.8 today – considerably lower than both other countries. Furthermore, 93 per cent of Singaporeans express satisfaction with their healthcare system, in contrast to 75 per cent of Americans and 77 per cent of Britons.
Fourth, Singapore was clearly best prepared for a major public health crisis. Because the Covid-19 pandemic struck all countries around the same time, it provided a clear test of their response systems. On a per capita basis, around 10 Americans or Britons have died from Covid-19 for every one of their counterparts in Singapore.
Construction of the Founders’ Memorial – dedicated to Singapore’s pioneers and the values they exemplified – has officially started, and it is scheduled to open in 2028.
Within its two two-storey buildings, which will be connected by a common basement, will be a viewing gallery that overlooks Singapore’s city skyline, exhibition galleries, and multi-purpose rooms for workshops and programmes.
NHB said multiple paths will extend from the memorial into the larger Bay East Garden, with the memorial itself designed to depict a path – a symbol of the nation-building journey that Singapore’s founding generation and its leaders undertook.
At a reception held at Gardens by the Bay’s Flower Field Hall after the ceremony, SM Lee said the memorial will tell of how the nation’s founding leaders “overcame the odds to build a strong, united, and independent Singapore”. Stories will capture “how they led the people of Singapore through successive battles”, he said.
“First against colonialism, then communism, and finally communalism; and how they then built a nation based on the values and ideals embodied in the pledge, launching us on the journey that has led to the Singapore that we see today.”
He was joined at the ceremony by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee and Founders’ Memorial Committee co-chairs Lee Tzu Yang and Tan Tai Yong, as well as community representatives including students, memorial volunteers and donors.
Those who participated in the ground-breaking planted saplings that were grafted from trees planted by Singapore’s leaders during the early years of the nation’s greening journey.
Species planted included the yellow flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum), a native species that was planted by founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1971 at Tanjong Pagar Community Club; a sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera), planted by Dr Goh Keng Swee in 1975 at Labrador Park; and a sea apple (Syzygium grande), which Mr S. Rajaratnam planted in 1980 at Block 12 North Bridge Road.
The saplings planted on June 5 will be featured in the Founders’ Memorial’s landscaping in the future, said NHB.
The memorial – mooted in 2015 following Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s death – was previously slated to be completed in 2027, but its construction timeline was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its design by Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates, working in collaboration with Singapore firm K2LD Architects, was announced in March 2020 following an international competition launched in January 2019.
NHB said the memorial “aims to inspire Singaporeans to commit themselves towards a better future, as it will serve as a space to capture the spirit of our nation and unify Singaporeans”.
Between June and December in 2024, a mural titled Our Memorial, Our Singapore by local illustration studio 8EyedSpud will be displayed at Bay South Garden, near the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.
By scanning a QR code that accompanies the mural, people can select activities they are most keen to engage in at the memorial and Bay East Garden – “a continuation of the memorial’s public engagement journey”, said NHB.
They may also leave well-wishes, which may be part of future hoardings for the memorial during its construction.
Mr Lee Tzu Yang said the committee will continue to engage Singaporeans “because the Founders’ Memorial is envisioned as a space owned by every generation, including future generations of Singaporeans”.
More than 900 stories and artefacts have been received for the memorial thus far following a public call, and over 140,000 people attended the exhibition, Mr Lee Tzu Yang said.
A Project Citizens campaign will be launched as part of the engagement to invite Singaporeans to contribute stories about the country’s founding history.
Commemorating the nation-building journey
SM Lee said that besides focusing on key leaders in Singapore’s first two decades of nation-building, the memorial’s project team is curating an installation specially to commemorate the founding generation.
“Through their words and deeds, the memorial will bring alive the values and ideals these pioneers exemplified, championed, and inculcated into Singaporeans,” he added.
Citing the backdrop to Singapore’s independence in August 1965 – the race riots of 1964 and Indonesia’s Konfrontasi – SM Lee said that unlike the independence of other post-colonial nations, the mood in the Republic was sombre.
The founding leaders rallied the population, and Singaporeans, whatever their previous political allegiances, united behind them, said SM Lee, adding that they witnessed various milestones, such as the withdrawal of British forces and the development of the Singapore Armed Forces, as well as housing and educating the people.
Even more importantly, they established fundamental values and ideals that set the country’s long-term direction: democracy, justice and equality, meritocracy and a drive for excellence, an unwavering commitment to honest, clean government and, above all, a multiracial society, SM Lee said.
He added that while the founding leaders did not get everything right, they made the right choices on the most important issues and Singapore succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Singapore’s origin story is unique, he said, noting that in the post-war era, many former colonies became independent countries like the Republic.
“But not many successfully shifted from the independence struggle to nation-building, from rousing revolutionary mobilisation to the patient slog of improving people’s lives. Singapore did,” he said.
He added that while Singapore has several memorials that mark significant events in its modern history – the Civilian War Memorial and Kranji War Memorial, for instance – “we do not yet have a memorial to commemorate our nation-building journey”.
“Now, almost 60 years after Separation, and 80 years after the Second World War, the time has come for us to build one,” said SM Lee.
He added: “I hope this Founders’ Memorial will become a space where Singaporeans reflect on our ongoing nation-building journey; appreciate our precious inheritance from the founding generation; and resolve to continue building a harmonious and successful Singapore, based on our foundational values and ideals, for generations to come.”
