The Albatross File is unveiled, telling the story behind Singapore's break-up with Malaysia

Singapore’s independence was not inevitable

Key leaders on both sides pushed for Separation: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the launch of the Albatross File book and exhibition on 7 Dec 2025

By Ng Wei Kai, The Straits Times, 8 Dec 2025

• Lee Kuan Yew was quite torn about Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, preferring greater autonomy within the federation.

• Racial tensions and political pressure led to the separation, and the Albatross File kept by Dr Goh Keng Swee revealed his push for a clean break.

• SM Lee launched a new book and exhibition to share this history, emphasising that trust in leadership has to be won and the importance of racial harmony for Singapore.

Till the final days before Separation, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was ambivalent about Singapore leaving Malaysia.

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong recounted how the Lee family were on holiday in Cameron Highlands on Aug 3, 1965, when his father received a call from Dr Goh Keng Swee, the principal negotiator on the Singapore side.

“I was in the room at Cluny Lodge when my father took a call that afternoon and I heard him tell Dr Goh in Mandarin: ‘This is a huge decision; let me think about it.’,” SM Lee said on Dec 7 at the launch of the Albatross File book and exhibition at the National Library in Victoria Street.

“I didn’t know then what it was about, but it became plain soon enough,” said SM Lee, who became emotional and held back tears as he related this memory.

While Mr Lee had brought enormous political pressure to bear on the federal government in the preceding months, which forced the hand of then Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman on what to do with Singapore, Separation was not the outcome he preferred, said SM Lee.

“His aim was to strengthen Singapore’s position politically, so as to compel the federal government to grant Singapore greater autonomy... Separation was to be an option only if Singapore could not get such a rearrangement.”

Yet, within a few years, all of Singapore’s founding leaders – including Mr Lee and those who had signed the agreement to separate reluctantly – concluded that Separation was the best thing that ever happened to Singapore, said SM Lee.

“In this SG60 year, we are very glad that Dr Goh did what he did. Singapore has thrived and progressed far beyond anything the founding fathers imagined,” he said, choking up with emotion again.

The Albatross File is a collection of previously classified documents that Dr Goh had kept from 1964, such as his handwritten notes about discussions with Malaysian leaders in the months before Separation.

A new book – The Albatross File: Inside Separation – draws on Albatross, alongside oral history interviews with Singapore’s founding leaders. It was launched by SM Lee on Dec 7, and is the basis of a new permanent exhibition at the National Library Building that opens to the public on Dec 8.

Dr Goh, who was finance minister at the time, had named the file Albatross after the large seabird as he felt Malaysia had become an albatross around Singapore’s neck.

After the PAP won all three Malay-majority seats in the general election held days after Merger in 1963, “ultras” (radicals) in UMNO succeeded in sowing deep distrust between the Malays and Chinese in Singapore. This culminated in race riots in July and September 1964.

Mr Lee decided on a political counter-offensive, which included a crucial speech he gave in fluent Malay in the Malaysian Parliament on May 27, 1965, and another speech at the Malaysian Solidarity Convention on June 6. The convention, initiated by PAP leaders, was a united front of non-communal political parties across Malaysia.

Those were tense days – Mr Lee knew his strategy put him at grave peril, and he was aware that the federal authorities were considering arresting him, said SM Lee, recounting a conversation the two had during that period.

“I was 13 years old then. One day, on the Istana golf course, he told me that if anything were to happen to him, I should look after my mother and younger siblings,” he said.

Mr Lee found out only decades later, when he was preparing his memoirs, that contrary to his instructions, Dr Goh had never tried for the looser federation he had preferred, and from the start sought a clean break from Malaysia.

He was so astonished at this discovery that he made a note of the exact time, date and place when he first learnt this in August 1994. He wrote that in the margin of the transcript of Dr Goh’s oral history, next to the passage where Dr Goh confirmed that it was he – and not Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Razak – who wanted Singapore’s “hiving off”.

“Mr Lee told some of the ministers about this, and his great surprise at what had really happened – he also spoke to me about it,” said SM Lee.

The page with Mr Lee’s handwritten note is one of the key items in the exhibition.

SM Lee said the Cabinet papers, records of conversations with Malaysian leaders and British and Australian diplomats, and Dr Goh’s handwritten notes inside Albatross gave a dramatic, blow-by-blow account of how Singapore came to separate from Malaysia.

When he was prime minister, SM Lee said he decided that the file should be declassified and published, together with relevant extracts from the oral histories of key participants in Separation, to put on record a full documented account of this seminal event in Singapore’s independence journey.

“The reader will not only understand the actions and events that led to Separation, but also feel the emotions and passions of our founding leaders,” he added. “It is a history well worth publishing.”

There are two enduring lessons for Singapore from its two years in Malaysia, said SM Lee.

The first is that trust in government – in the political leadership, in particular – is founded on the people knowing their leaders will always have their backs.

Singaporeans saw Mr Lee stand up to the ultras and knew he could not be cowed. A week before Dr Goh’s first meeting with Tun Razak, other PAP ministers such as Dr Toh Chin Chye and Dr Goh held a press conference to declare that they would not quietly acquiesce if Mr Lee was detained, noted SM Lee.

The Republic’s founding leaders therefore won the right to govern because Singaporeans were convinced that Mr Lee and his team could not be intimidated into compromising Singapore’s interest, he added.

“His successors have not forgotten this lesson – no Singapore PM has ever allowed any force or power, whether foreign or domestic, to intimidate us into compromising our national interest or sovereignty,” said SM Lee.

The other lesson is to never take Singapore’s racial and religious harmony for granted.

In his oral history, Mr Lee said one of his most vivid memories from those two years was how easy it was to arouse communal passions and undo years of work trying to bring the races together.

Even in HDB estates, where the norm is for Singaporeans of different races to live together, Mr Lee said he never allowed himself to forget how fragile interracial harmony and trust is.

“It can be snapped, broken, smashed – the dynamics of communal politics or communal politicking will override reason and logic.”

SM Lee said: “We separated from Malaysia because of racial and religious politics. We will not allow race or religion to break up Singapore.”

PM Lawrence Wong’s Japan-China comments draw online backlash

Barbs and jibes by Chinese netizens over PM Wong’s remarks on Japan-China spat at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2025

Many videos, articles erroneously interpret his comments as Singapore taking Japan’s side

The controversy touches on World War II history, which many ordinary Chinese feel strongly about

By Lim Min Zhang and Magdalene Fung, The Straits Times, 26 Nov 2025

It started in Hong Kong, and then others in mainland China began jumping on the bandwagon.

Over the past week, barbs and jibes in the Chinese online space clustered over Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s recent remarks on a China-Japan dispute over Taiwan, which laid out the Republic’s longstanding position on developments in East Asia.

Anti-Singapore sentiment sparked by the island-state’s foreign policy stance is not new. Previous episodes range from a major online influence and disinformation campaign over the Terrex incident in 2016, a major diplomatic incident between Singapore and China when Hong Kong Customs seized Singapore’s military vehicles, to a more recent kerfuffle over Singapore’s identification of a cyber espionage group that has been linked to China.

But the current maelstrom is notable for the mix of voices seeking to give their own negative spin on PM Wong’s words, ranging from a Hong Kong news portal with a track record of echoing pro-Beijing and nationalistic sentiments, to commercially driven Chinese content creators who rely on online traffic for revenue.

The hostilities tap into chauvinistic sentiments in China that are now surging high, fuelled by propaganda reports that target Japan.

The testy environment in East Asia emerged in the wake of Nov 7 comments by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which Beijing took umbrage at. She said in Parliament that Chinese military action over Taiwan could constitute a situation that threatens Japan’s survival.

Beijing denounced this as interference in its “internal affairs”, responding with a firestorm of travel advisories, trade embargoes and military posturing.

Asked subsequently about the bilateral spat during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on Nov 19, PM Wong said that it is in everyone’s interest for there to be stability in Asia, and that he hoped both countries will find ways to de-escalate.

He also noted the “overhang of the history of World War II, which still remains between the two countries”.

“We hope the two countries will find ways to resolve these very complex issues and move forward. South-east Asia has done that with Japan. It has taken some time, but with the passage of time, with the passing of generations, the feelings are not the same, and we have put the history aside. And we are moving forward.”

The controversy touches on World War II history, which many ordinary Chinese feel strongly about. China views Japan as not having sufficiently apologised for its past atrocities committed during the war.

Smaller media outlets in Hong Kong were among the first to jump in on PM Wong’s statement.

Several, such as am730 and on.cc, ran almost identical headlines highlighting that PM Wong had “hinted” for China to “drop its historical prejudices”.

Among the city’s larger news platforms, HK01 – a site set up in 2016 by Beijing loyalist Yu Pun-hoi, a former chairman of Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao – published five articles over the past six days focused on PM Wong’s comments. All but one of the pieces were commentaries or analyses.

“Singapore’s obvious bias in the China-Japan spat is discomfiting,” read a Nov 24 article on HK01 that was syndicated from Guancha.cn, an ultra-nationalistic news site based in Shanghai.

This came in tandem with a surge of videos and articles posted on Chinese social media, with mostly self-styled commentators offering their takes on PM Wong’s remarks.

Many had erroneously interpreted them as Singapore taking Japan’s side against China. Some who left comments referred to Singapore by the derogatory term “Po County”, which references a lower administrative level in China. Others fumed at what they saw as an insinuation for China to “let go of the past”.

Comments have run the gamut from “Singapore is a running dog of the United States” to “China has been too good to Singapore”.

On Nov 25, “Why Singapore dares to interfere in the Sino-Japanese dispute” briefly became the top trending topic on Weibo, China’s version of X.

Some level of orchestration and manufactured outrage appears likely, given the coordinated fashion in which some of the commentary emerged.

Another motivating factor could be self-interest, as content creators look to drive eyeballs to their platforms with ever-more virulent denunciations, after noticing that earlier attacks on PM Wong and Singapore were not taken down by the authorities in China’s highly regulated internet.

38 Oxley Road site set to be gazetted as National Monument

Singapore Government will keep all options open for 38 Oxley Road, ‘strive for solution that will unite’: David Neo in Ministerial Statement on 6 Nov 2025

By Ng Keng Gene, The Straits Times, 6 Nov 2025

• The Government plans to gazette 38 Oxley Road as a national monument to create a public heritage space.

• If acquired, the site will not be used for private purposes, with options kept open, respecting the Lee family's privacy.

• A detailed study will be conducted after access is gained, with the aim to finalise plans within this government term and with no public access in the interim.

In deciding to gazette the site at 38 Oxley Road as a national monument, the Government’s considerations were for the entire site and not for the buildings and structures within it, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo.

The thinking is to develop the site into a public space like a heritage park that Singaporeans can access if it is eventually preserved and acquired, Mr Neo told the House in a ministerial statement on Nov 6.

“We will keep all options open, and strive for a solution that will unite us as a country, rather than allow this to become a point of contention or division in our society,” he added.

Mr Neo said gazetting the site of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s family home as a national monument “does not obligate the Government to keep the buildings and structures within the site in their current condition”.

Noting that the authorities have not had the chance to enter the site to assess the condition of its buildings, he said: “That is a key reason why we are opting to preserve the site rather than just specific buildings or structures.”

The Government on Nov 3 announced its intention to gazette the roughly 1,100 sq m site as a national monument, citing its historical significance and national importance.

Mr Neo said the Government will conduct a detailed study of the site if access is obtained. “We will take into account factors like their existing condition and weigh the potential benefit of retaining them against the cost.”

All options will be considered for the site, he said, including those proposed by a ministerial committee on 38 Oxley Road in 2018, which include partial or full demolition of the buildings and structures.

Regardless of the option taken, the Government will respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo’s wishes to protect their family’s privacy, “by removing all traces of their private living spaces from the interior of the house”, Mr Neo said.

“Under no circumstance will the interior of the house, as Mr Lee and Madam Kwa knew, be displayed or recorded or remodelled or duplicated elsewhere.”

Mr Neo noted that other countries around the world have retained and converted sites associated with their nation’s independence for public education and appreciation, citing the Gandhi Ashram in India – the home of Mahatma Gandhi, who led the campaign for India’s independence from British colonial rule.

He also brought up the Independence National Historical Park in the US, which includes buildings that have witnessed key historical milestones, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence and its Constitution.

In many instances, said Mr Neo, changes have been made to such historical sites.

These, he said, include modifying or adapting the original buildings with new interpretive structures to better enable the public to experience the site as a park or heritage space.

That is why the Government will keep an open mind in the treatment of buildings and structures within 38 Oxley Road, he said.

Mr Neo told the House that the site was where Singapore’s early leaders formulated their vision, plans and values for the country, making it a “unique and foundational part of the story of Singapore’s independence”.

Should the Government acquire 38 Oxley Road, it will not be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses, he said.

38 Oxley Road is currently owned by an entity called 38 Oxley Road Pte Ltd, whose sole shareholder is Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s younger son, Mr Lee Hsien Yang. Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s son, Mr Li Huanwu, is its director.

“Preserving the site means we will be able to avoid a situation where private parties attempt to purchase 38 Oxley Road in future just to have an address that is associated with Mr Lee’s residence,” said Mr Neo.

“I am sure all of us in this House, and the vast majority of Singaporeans, would want to make sure that situation does not happen.”

There has been a long-running dispute between Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s children over the fate of the Lee family home. The issue resurfaced in October 2024 after the death of Dr Lee Wei Ling, the sister of Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang subsequently submitted an application to the Urban Redevelopment Authority to demolish the property, which has been deferred.

On Nov 6, Mr Neo said the Government has decided to preserve the site “because it is the most responsible approach”.

The time has come to make a decision on the matter, he added.

“We will take the deliberate steps to decide. And we will do so in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans, now and for the future.”

Mr Neo said that if 38 Oxley Road is gazetted as a national monument and subsequently acquired, the Government intends to conclude its plans on the exact use and configuration of the site, including the treatment of the buildings and structures, “well within this term of government”.

In the interim, there will be no public access to the site, he added.

Singapore’s next general election must be called by 2030.

The site’s owner – Mr Lee Hsien Yang – has until Nov 17 to submit objections to the Government’s plan to gazette the site.

The National Heritage Board, which will receive any such objections, will assess them and make a recommendation to Mr Neo for his consideration.

“All objections submitted and recommendations made will be considered objectively and fairly as part of due process,” said Mr Neo.

Thereafter, a preservation order will be made if the Government decides to gazette the site as a national monument.

The Government will then begin the process to acquire the site, as part of the plans to eventually make it accessible to the public, said Mr Neo. The acquisition will be done in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act.

Mr Neo noted that the site’s owner, any occupiers, and any other persons interested will be given the opportunity to submit their claims to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to determine the compensation.

A professional private valuer will also be appointed to assist SLA in determining the market value of the land, taking into consideration any claims submitted, he said.

If the owner is not satisfied with the compensation awarded, he can file an appeal with the Land Acquisition Appeals Board.

“The acquisition will allow the Government to take all necessary steps to safeguard the site and preserve it in keeping with its historical significance and national importance,” said Mr Neo.

Ministerial Statement on Race and Religion in Parliament on 14 Oct 2025

Steer clear of identity politics, uphold integrity of Singapore’s secular system: Shanmugam

Political parties should not use race and religion in election campaigns, he says

By Linette Lai, The Straits Times, 15 Oct 2025

Resist the destructive temptation to use race and religion in election campaigns for easy political wins, and steer clear of identity politics, Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam urged Parliament on Oct 14.

In an hour-long speech that referred to “troubling incidents” during the May general election, he set out the fundamental principles underpinning Singapore’s approach to race and religion, as well as how politicians here should respond to future attempts to provoke such issues.

While people are free to practise their faiths, the Government’s position is that public political debate must be conducted and decided on a secular basis. This approach is central to Singapore’s existence as an independent nation, said Mr Shanmugam, who is also Home Affairs Minister.

In particular, he highlighted the opposition Workers’ Party’s reaction to remarks made during the hustings by self-styled religious teacher Noor Deros and politicians from Malaysia’s Islamist party, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), saying that the WP could have acted more quickly and been less ambiguous about its stance.

Political parties should “immediately, clearly and unequivocally” reject any such attempts to interfere in Singapore’s political process in the future, the minister said.

Mr Shanmugam also pointed to how identity politics has split countries around the world, including the US, cautioning the House that such division is hard to contain and impossible to reverse.

Ultimately, it will lead to political parties courting the majority vote and minorities being marginalised, he said in his ministerial statement.

While Singapore looks stable now, it is no more stable than other countries where communal relations have worsened as a result of these pressures, he added.

The minister’s remarks were the latest in a series of statements on identity politics that have been made since the election, when external parties sought to sway voters through online appeals.

Mr Shanmugam said he was bringing the matter up again to remind Singaporeans of the framework and fundamentals that are crucial to the country’s success.

“It is too serious a matter – existential to Singapore – for us to simply let it slide,” he said. “And so I decided to make this statement at the earliest opportunity after the opening of Parliament.”

Mr Shanmugam later fielded questions from eight MPs on both sides of the aisle, including several from WP chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh.

In an exchange lasting more than half an hour, Mr Singh disagreed that the WP took too long to respond and said it was unfair to characterise his party as not taking the issue seriously.

He said the WP agrees that race and religion should not be mixed with politics, and accepted that the party’s statement could have been clearer.

‘Troubling incidents’ during GE2025

In his speech, Mr Shanmugam referenced remarks made during the election campaign by Mr Noor, as well as politicians from PAS.

Mr Noor had posted online about meeting WP representatives, including its Malay candidates, and said the party was the only one taking his demands seriously.

Both Mr Noor and PAS politicians called on voters to throw their weight behind the WP’s Faisal Manap, who led a five-member team contesting Tampines GRC.

The WP team was up against a PAP team led by then Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.

“That the Malay/Muslim vote in particular was being targeted was obvious,” Mr Shanmugam said.

He noted that the PAS politicians saw an opening and urged Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines.

“Does anyone, whether in here or outside, seriously believe that PAS is supporting the WP’s Malay/Muslim candidates in Singapore because PAS cares for Singaporeans?”

The WP responded to this issue on April 26, the fourth day of the hustings.

Mr Shanmugam said the party should have done so immediately rather than wait several days, and been more definitive about its stance.

Initially, the WP had not clearly rejected foreign influence or the foreign endorsement of its candidates, he noted.

Mr Shanmugam also flagged statements from Singapore Democratic Party candidate Damanhuri Abas, who contested Sembawang GRC as part of a five-member team.

He said Mr Damanhuri had called for Malay voters to vote against the PAP and framed this as an issue of “upholding Malay dignity” – a euphemism, the minister said, for Malay “rights”.

This is a slippery and dangerous path that will invite a strong reaction from other races in future elections, the minister cautioned.

Politicians play a role in setting the right tone for society, Mr Shanmugam said, and should encourage constructive discussion and find solutions to problems faced by different ethnic groups.

He added: “It is possible for politicians to say they subscribe to our multiracial and multi-religious values, but still use veiled rhetoric to work up racial and religious sentiment.”

Singapore’s active role in managing race and religion

Mr Shanmugam recounted how Singapore’s founding leaders took systematic steps to build a multiracial country in the face of “tremendous opposition”, especially from organisations representing the majority Chinese population.

At the time, many newly independent countries officially adopted the language and culture of the majority ethnic group. Had Singapore done so, Mandarin would have been its only official language, the minister said.

Barisan Sosialis, the main opposition party then, had taken an active position on the matter, stoking tensions within the Chinese community.

The PAP’s multiracial approach – which Mr Shanmugam described as “the more difficult, more idealistic course” – was therefore not politically expedient.

“We set out these principles as our ideals, and we swam strongly against the tide, the tide of ethnic identity as the organising principle of society,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam also noted that tensions can escalate quickly. For instance, the 1964 race riots took place just 10 months after Chinese-Malay relations began to spiral downwards following political tensions with Malaysia.

In the present day, culture wars in the United States are fuelled by identity-based political campaigns and the blurring of lines between religion and politics, Mr Shanmugam said.

“Every grievance, every disagreement is framed as an ideological battle. It becomes an all-out war, with no room for compromise,” he said.

If such tactics are used in Singapore, the largest and best-organised groups will get their way and conflict is inevitable, he added.

On Tampines GRC, Mr Shanmugam said if the Malay/Muslim community had responded to appeals based on identity politics, other ethnic groups would have noticed.

“Our sense is that something like that may have started to happen in Tampines,” he noted. “Many Chinese voters in Tampines seem to have observed the communal nature of the appeals to the Malay voters, and they seem to have chosen to take a different direction during this GE.”

He said that today, Singapore has a strong legal framework to protect communal harmony, and the Government actively promotes mixing among the different ethnic groups through various policies and platforms.

“I am not suggesting that racial and religious harmony is perfect in Singapore,” he added.

“But as a system, we have sought to contain and overcome the natural human impulses by overlaying them with a broader sense of national identity.”

At present, the situation in Singapore is broadly stable, in part because the ruling PAP has eschewed identity politics and borne the political cost of fighting against attempts to stir up such sentiments, Mr Shanmugam said.

“It would have been easier to leave all of this unsaid,” he added of his speech. “But this statement has to be made in the country’s interests.”

He also warned that this stability is not to be taken for granted. If future political leaders on all sides see identity politics gain traction here, they will be pressured and tempted to take part themselves, he said.

“You know what will happen then. It is a one-way street to ruin,” he added.

The Government’s position is not that politics is incompatible with race and religion, Mr Shanmugam said.

“All religions provide guidance on important aspects of life. So inevitably, there will be areas where faith and public issues overlap,” he noted.

But even as people are free to practise their faiths and express views on political issues that are motivated by their religious convictions, they must do so in a way that is respectful of other religions, he said.

“All political parties need to be absolutely clear: Religion must not be misused for political purposes. It must never be brought into election campaigns,” Mr Shanmugam said. “Without this shared restraint, destructive competition for power and influence between the different groups can only follow.”

The same logic applies to race, he added.

“We need to think of our Singaporean identity as fundamental, and we each have to give up something to strengthen the shared Singaporean identity,” the minister said.

Mr Shanmugam rounded up his speech with an appeal to MPs on both sides of the aisle.

“We may debate and disagree on many things, but I hope that we can all commit to handle issues of race and religion in a responsible and sensible manner, and to uphold the integrity of Singapore’s secular politics,” he said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong made social media posts on the topic later on Oct 14, in which they reiterated Mr Shanmugam’s points on the dangers of identity politics.

“I’m glad there was a shared understanding in Parliament today that we must handle issues of race and religion with care, responsibility, and respect,” PM Wong said.

Said SM Lee: “We must never mix race and religion with politics. That is the way to prosper as one nation for generations to come.”

SM Lee Hsien Loong at the NUS Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum 2025

National identity has different layers; Singapore has to guard against fault lines: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong

By Anjali Raguraman, The Straits Times, 10 Sep 2025

Every generation will have its own crisis to overcome, and it is through those challenges that Singapore’s national identity is strengthened, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sept 9.

The Singaporean identity is stronger than before, with the country having navigated crises such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, the Asian Financial Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, noting that it is now facing superpower rivalry and geopolitical disruptions.

At the same time, the national identity is multi-layered, he told an audience of about 800 students and academics during the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum held at the University Cultural Centre in NUS.

“We are one people, but... we are not all identical, and there are fault lines which we have to guard (against),” he added.

Being a Singaporean is not necessarily the most important part of a person’s identity, he said during the wide-ranging dialogue that lasted almost two hours.

He pointed out nuances, saying: “We are also Chinese Singaporean or Malay Singaporean or Indian Singaporean. We are also Christians or Muslims or Buddhists.

“You may also have different political views. You may be pro-government, you may be pro-opposition.

“You may have different sexual orientations and therefore different circles of friends and different perspectives on the world, so these are all different layers to our identity, which are always there.”

For many Singaporeans, particularly Muslims and Christians, he said religion is a very important component of their identity, similar to how vernacular languages are important for older people amid a younger generation that predominantly speaks in English.

During the forum, SM Lee was asked if he viewed globalisation or domestic fault lines as the greater challenge to this sense of national identity.

He said that in the immediate term, Singapore is going to be pulled in very different directions by “powerful external forces”.

Muslims, for instance, are naturally much more upset about the war between Israel and Hamas, he said. Similarly, developments in India or China will have a greater pull on those communities.

“Our job is to resist that and to remember, yes, I am Muslim or I am Chinese or I am Indian, but I am also Singaporean, and I do hold something here, and I belong here, and I should look at the world starting from here,” SM Lee said.

Among the questions posed by students was one about how Singapore can keep its political system exceptional.

“Get good people into politics. Vote for good people to be your MPs and to be your ministers and work with them to make the country better. I think it is as simple as that,” SM Lee said.

“If good people cannot get elected, they cannot get things done... then I think the country cannot function the way it has done,” he said, citing the rapidly changing political situation in the region and beyond, including changes in prime ministers.

“When leaders change over rapidly, it is very difficult for you to have the time to make big changes or important policies... leave a lasting mark... and because you haven’t had time to leave a lasting mark, then the next person comes in, and he has a hard time,” he said.

People should not take advantage of getting elected and view it as their opportunity to “be the boss”, SM Lee added. “It is your opportunity to be the chief slave, to help look after the country so that you can hand it over and it is better.”

He also noted that an exceptional political system also requires “exceptionally sensible voters and responsible voters”.

“In Singapore, we have made it work like that for quite long, and I think we should try and keep it like that for as long as possible.”

Asked about the elected presidency, SM Lee said he did not think there was any likelihood that Singapore would revert to having a ceremonial presidency.

Currently, the president serves as a safeguard, including as the “second key” to the nation’s reserves.

While the scheme will likely continue evolving, SM Lee said the shape of the elected presidency is now “more or less what it needs to be”.

“I do not think there will ever be an end state, because as the world changes, Singapore changes, and you have to keep on adjusting, adapting, evolving,” he added.

On how Singapore should balance growth and social equity, SM Lee said he does not see the two as contradictory, and that growth is the initial step to benefiting a wider swathe of Singaporeans, so their lives can improve.

“If you do not have growth...the only way to make people who are not doing well do better is to take resources from people who are doing better than them,” he said.

“In other words, it is a zero-sum game – what I give to one person I must take from another person, (and) it becomes a very unhappy exercise.”

When the economy grows, the government can take some of the resources generated to help those who need more aid, he said.

“And as lives improve, as opportunities are created, Singaporeans can help themselves seize those opportunities and move ahead,” he said.

SM Lee added: “It is hard enough to get the growth we can. Don’t ask ourselves, maybe less growth will be better. I don’t believe that. Go for what we can and make the most of what we have.”

He made the point that resources are needed to provide good housing, healthcare and education.

“Singapore’s great good fortune is that for many years, we have grown very rapidly, and today we have vastly more resources than we did 60 years ago, and we have made good use of it, and we benefited a lot of Singaporeans, very broadly,” he said.

“I think that is how we have to continue to do it.”

National Day Rally 2025: Beyond SG60 Writing Our Next Chapter

PM Lawrence Wong calls on Singaporeans to unite, write nation’s next chapter together

Government will place citizens at centre of what it does but people must also chip in, look out for one another, he says

By Goh Yan Han, The Straits Times, 18 Aug 2025

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called on Singaporeans to band together to write the next chapter of the nation’s story, as he set out plans to support them throughout various stages of life.

He gave the assurance that the Government will place Singaporeans at the centre of everything it does, be it navigating economic uncertainty or tackling technological disruption and demographic shifts.

In his first National Day Rally after the general election, PM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, outlined how his Government intends to address the challenges relating to the economy, senior citizens and the younger population.

It will provide job support – in particular, for fresh graduates and mid-career workers – and develop community infrastructure to support the growing population of elderly citizens.

Addressing the audience at ITE College Central in Ang Mo Kio on Aug 17, PM Wong opened his English speech by setting out the immediate challenges that Singapore is facing in a “more troubled and turbulent world”.

These include global tariffs imposed by the United States earlier this year, growing global contestation and rapid advancements in technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).

Singapore is reviewing its economic strategy on various fronts to secure its future in a changed world, he said, noting that harnessing innovation and technology will allow the country to sustainably raise its productivity and improve lives.

“Ultimately, our economic strategy is about jobs, jobs and jobs – that’s our No. 1 priority”, said PM Wong.

Three announcements in his speech centred on jobs: a job-matching scheme at the town level, enhancements to an existing SkillsFuture scheme for mid-career workers, and a government-funded traineeship programme for tertiary education graduates. The details of these schemes will be announced later.

PM Wong said new jobs will be created, as he acknowledged Singaporeans’ worries about jobs evolving or disappearing due to technological change.

“I assure you, even as we embrace AI and technology, we will not lose sight of our key priority,” he said.

“Singaporeans will always be at the centre of everything we do.”

He said the Government is committed to helping every worker progress and succeed, and will not rush headlong into adopting new technology.

There are plans to equip and empower every business, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to harness AI effectively, he said.

The authorities will also work closely with unions and workers to redesign jobs and help Singaporeans seize new job opportunities, he added.

“The road ahead will not be easy. But we are not going to sit back and resign ourselves to being mere bystanders in a world shaped by others,” said PM Wong.

“We will take charge of our own destiny. We will shape the future we want – through our own actions, and our own choices.”

Turning to the issue of long-term care for seniors, PM Wong announced a new Age Well Neighbourhoods scheme that will adopt features from HDB Community Care Apartments – senior-friendly public housing that provides care services for residents.

The scheme is meant to allow senior citizens to live more independently in their own neighbourhoods, as Singapore’s demographics shift towards more elderly citizens and smaller family sizes.

Identified towns – starting with Toa Payoh and one or two other areas – will have more active ageing centres for seniors to gather, said PM Wong.

Home-based services such as basic health checks and housekeeping will be provided to seniors, with healthcare services brought closer to them as well, he added.

The scheme builds on the existing Age Well SG nationwide initiative for seniors to lead more active lives in their homes and communities.

“That’s how we will grow old – not in isolation, never alone, but always together as one Singapore family,” PM Wong said.

On challenges faced by the younger generation, PM Wong brought up vaping and excessive screen time.

Flagging vaping as a serious concern, he said the Government will take much tougher action and treat it as a drug issue.

It is also studying how other countries manage access to the internet and social media for children, he added.

Setting out the Government’s stance on responding to technological developments – like the use of AI by students – PM Wong said Singapore has to strike the right balance between protecting young people from potential harms and empowering them to fully exploit the benefits of technology.

He also sketched out plans for the northern part of the island, building on the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Draft Master Plan 2025, which covers Singapore’s development plans for the next 10 to 15 years.

These plans include redeveloping the areas in Woodlands North, Kranji racecourse and Sembawang Shipyard.

As the Government reimagines new uses for existing land, it is also developing plans to protect the country’s coastline against rising sea levels, he added.

“So even as climate shifts and circumstances evolve, one thing is certain: Singapore’s progress will never be left to chance. We are – and have always been – a nation that adapts, reinvents and dares to dream,” said PM Wong.

Good plans and strategies are just the first step for Singapore’s continued progress, said PM Wong as he wrapped up his speech.

“What matters just as much – and even more – is the collective will of our people,” he said, adding it is this Singapore spirit that binds everyone together.

Going forward, Singapore must be a “we first” society with a people that considers others and not just themselves, said PM Wong.

“If each of us does our part for the ‘we’ – care, contribute and look out for one another – then the ‘me’ will thrive and flourish too,” he added.

His team will continue to involve Singaporeans in policy discussions, and will open up more avenues for people to be heard and to get involved.

“We certainly do not want to end up as a society where people rely solely on the government. It’s about all of us – government, businesses, workers and unions, community groups and civil society – doing our part,” he said.

“That’s how my team and I intend to lead. Not just doing things for Singaporeans – but doing things with Singaporeans.”

The nation cannot stand still as it looks beyond SG60, as standing still today is the same as falling behind, said PM Wong.

He urged Singaporeans to dream bigger, be bolder in pushing new frontiers, and be ready to try new things, even if they stumble or fall.

“We take pride in whatever we do, and strive to be the best possible versions of ourselves,” he said.

“We never give up and we never let each other down. That’s how we’ve achieved exceptional performance. That’s how we will continue to stay exceptional – as a people and a country.”