NDP 2024: Together, As One United People

A show of unity, as the Padang lights up for 59th National Day Parade

By Samuel Devaraj, The Straits Times, 10 Aug 2024

Hands on their hearts, they stood and pledged themselves as one united people, while around them the lights shone in the city they had helped to build for their nation, 59 years young.

Their voices capped a night of pomp, spectacle and tradition, of hard work and creativity, as Singaporeans celebrated how far they had come together, regardless of race, language or religion.

Joining the audience of 27,000 who had gathered at the Padang were President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, attending the National Day Parade (NDP) for the first time in their new roles.

Some 7,500 others enjoyed the ceremony nearby at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, with official festivities spilling over to the open space near the Marina Bay Financial Centre for the first time.

To the theme of Together, As One United People, this year’s parade was a show of unity, with the crowd a sea of red and white against the backdrop of the city skyline at dusk.

The festivities kicked off at 5.30pm, when the hosts – radio deejay Joakim Gomez, host and media personality Sonia Chew, actor Ebi Shankara and actress Siti Khalijah – took to the stage to pump up the audience for the night to come.

The format was familiar, but as is the case every year, the excitement and anticipation of the audience were fresh.

The Red Lions parachute team of the Singapore Armed Forces raised the ante when they descended from the sky, among them two female parachutists taking part for the first time in an NDP at the Padang.

Their arrival heralded the start of the parade and ceremony segment, United We Stand, featuring 35 marching contingents and more than 2,100 participants, who had begun practising for this evening about four months ago.

After the last contingent was lined up on the field, the motorcades bearing first, PM Wong, and then President Tharman, arrived to loud cheers and applause.

Overhead, a Chinook carrying the nation’s flag was a stirring sight as it flew past the parade ground.

Five F-16 fighters then took to the sky for the salute to the nation, with the excited crowd matching the roar of the engines in arguably the most thrilling moment of the parade.

Consisting of four 25-pounder guns and personnel loaded on a raft, the presidential gun salute sailed around the Marina Basin, covering a 5.87km route, its longest ever.

Stopping near the Esplanade to fire 21 times as President Tharman inspected the contingents, the presidential gun salute is the nation’s highest honour.

The parade had other firsts. For the first time, to commemorate 40 years of Total Defence, a dynamic defence display was brought to the parade at the Padang.

Simulated attacks thwarted by man and machine from various sections of Singapore’s defence arsenal ensured the crowd’s attention never wavered from the Padang stage.

Amid a display filled with high-octane music and pyrotechnics, the contingents made their way through the spectator stands, while the excited audience took close-up photos.

Then, as night fell on the Padang, it was bathed in the glow of a concert arena as the LED wristbands given to each audience member lit up, marking the start of the show segment.

This segment featured 12 artistes and more than 3,000 performers, including singers Amni Musfirah and Shazza, multidisciplinary artist weish and cellist Olivia Chuang, who were among those performing at an NDP for the first time.

Celebrating the things that make Singapore, Singapore, the show paid tribute to the pioneer generation, ordinary workers, and the nation’s love of food.

But there were introspective moments too, in a poignant nod to individuals who go above and beyond to lift their communities.

And what is an NDP without a song? Singer-songwriter Benjamin Kheng, of local band The Sam Willows fame, drew loud cheers and applause when he took to the stage and performed the NDP 2024 theme song, Not Alone, for which he wrote the lyrics.

As the night drew to a close, after the Pledge was recited and a rousing National Anthem sung, the audience was treated to a 360-degree fireworks experience.

Surrounded by fireworks launched from Marina Bay and the Padang, as well as from the nearby Adelphi building, spectators could be seen whipping out their phones for selfies.

With the Marina Bay skyline blazing brightly as the backdrop, those images would seal the memories of the NDP for years to come.

Watching the fireworks up close left first-time NDP spectator Ong Si Ni, 42, in awe.

While the university manager had seen the fireworks from nearby during a previous rehearsal, she told The Straits Times that it could not compare with being in the middle of the action at the Padang.

Ms Ong – who was at the parade with her friend’s mother, Ms Agnes Ho, 74, who works part-time at a food and beverage outlet – said her favourite part was the show segment where she could see performers dancing and enjoying themselves.

She added: “I am very happy that I came. I feel like I’m truly a Singaporean.”

Singapore's first badminton World Champion: Loh Kean Yew wins BWF 2021 World Championships on 19 December 2021

Singapore's Loh Kean Yew is badminton world champion

By David Lee, The Straits Times, 20 Dec 2021

History took 43 hectic minutes, two games and 78 points.

At the end of it, unseeded national shuttler Loh Kean Yew stunned the badminton world by becoming the first Singaporean to win the World Championships.

On Sunday (Dec 19), the Singaporean world No. 22 upset India's world No. 14 Srikanth Kidambi 21-15, 22-20 in the final in Huelva, Spain.

On the final point, when a push to the back court landed in, Loh sank to his knees but ascended into sporting legend.

In a single, inspired week, he has crafted one of the greatest moments in this nation's sporting folklore.

And few would know he did it on one good ankle.

The 24-year-old rolled his right ankle while trying to save a shuttle in Friday’s quarter-final win over India’s Prannoy H. S. and had to use a wheelchair after beating Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the semi-final on Saturday.

He told The Straits Times: “I thought I was finished because it hurt like hell, and I couldn’t walk. But I told myself to push through the pain and go all out in the final, and coped with ice and some treatment, and it paid off.

“I’m super, super happy. This feels like a dream, and now it’s a dream come true. I grew up watching Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei playing such big finals and now I’m here as the world champion. It’s unbelievable.

“I’m honoured to deliver this first gold for Singapore. I know many Singaporeans have been staying up to follow my progress, and I want to thank everyone for their support and for being a huge motivation.

"I feel I have improved over the past few months, but I still have a long way to go to be where I want to be, and I will continue to work hard to be even better as I chase my dream of winning an Olympic medal for Singapore."

Since the competition's inception in 1977, only four countries - China, Indonesia, Denmark and Japan - have won gold in the men's singles, and now, Singapore has one of its own.

In the final, Loh displayed courage and composure despite his injury.

He was 9-3 down in the opening frame but roared back. At 12-12, he flung himself to the ground to retrieve a smash and bounced right up for the kill.

From that moment, he never looked back.

The second game followed a similar vein, and Kidambi was up 18-16, but the underdog was relentless in his quest to become world champion, and did so after winning his third match point.

In the other finals, China's world No. 3 pair of Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan beat fourth-ranked South Koreans Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan 21-16, 21-17 to add to their 2017 women's doubles world title.

Elsewhere, there were new world champions as Japan's world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi beat Chinese Taipei's top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying 21-14, 21-11 in the women's singles final.

In the men's doubles final, Japan's world No. 4 Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi beat China's 24th-ranked He Jiting and Tan Qiang 21-12, 21-18. And in the mixed doubles final, Thailand's world No. 1 Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai beat Japan's world No. 4 Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino 21-13, 21-14.

But for Singapore badminton, it has been more than a decade since it has made ripples of some magnitude on the international stage.

Loh's breakthrough will easily rank among Singapore's greatest sporting feats, which include swimmer Joseph Schooling's 100m butterfly gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, as well as Feng Tianwei, Wang Yuegu, Sun Beibei, Li Jiawei and Yu Mengyu's "Miracle in Moscow", when they upset mighty China to win the World Team Table Tennis Championships in 2010.

Fu Mingtian claimed the last of the nation's three SEA Games golds when she won the women's singles in 2011, while Li Li remains its only Commonwealth Games champion after winning the women's singles in 2002.

Further back, the late Wong Peng Soon won the last of his four All England titles in 1955.

Singapore President Halimah Yacob led the plaudits as she congratulated Loh in a Facebook post, and wrote: “Thank you for flying the Singapore flag high, by dint of sheer hard work and perseverance. We are all proud of you.”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong added: “Well done, Kean Yew! You do Singapore proud. Looking forward to your next success!”

Carving his place among badminton’s elite, Loh has beaten six out of the world’s top 10 players in the past three months.

2016: A year of looking to the future

Six major events caused Singaporeans to ponder over the future and what it will bring
By David Chan, Published The Straits Times, 17 Dec 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, it is timely to reflect on the past 12 months, which I would summarise as "a future-focused year" - one filled with events and issues that made people ponder about their own future and that of the country.

It is useful to revisit the way we approached the key events and issues. After all, when it comes to thinking about the future, how we think is as important as what we think.

Let me highlight six major happenings which in my view led many Singaporeans to ask: "What might the future bring?", or "What might the future mean?"

SGFUTURE

The year started well with SGfuture, a series of dialogues for Singaporeans to share their hopes and ideas for the future. The exercise was government- facilitated but people-driven.

SGfuture is a ground-up and grounded action-oriented movement. People from all walks of life spoke up, shared ideas and came together in community-led projects to do something to make a positive difference to others and Singapore society at large.

Whether the project is encouraging Singaporeans to read regularly, teaching basic life-saving skills in emergencies, or building a dementia-friendly community, what people say and what they do come together. The ideas are translated to concrete actions that make a real impact on people's lives, both now and for their future.

This democracy of deeds and voices benefits the recipients, but it also has lasting positive effects on the givers of help. When people give their time, effort and resources, they experience personal meaning in helping others. They also become more grateful for their own circumstances as they encounter many others who are less fortunate.

As people come together to give, they influence one another with their altruistic acts and social innovation. So giving generates multiplier effects and builds strong communities.

Rio Paralympics 2016: Yip Pin Xiu nets Gold with a World Record

By Wang Meng Meng, The Sunday Times, 11 Sep 2016

There was never any doubt.

Dominating from start to finish, Yip Pin Xiu won Singapore's first Rio Paralympics gold in style early yesterday morning - setting a new world record time of 2min 7.09sec in the 100m backstroke (S2) final.

The 24-year-old, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, which affects her eyesight, admitted that she could not see any of her five challengers in the water.

She relied on mental strength to push her all the way to victory - the fruit of four years of labour, which includes at least 12 training sessions weekly.

The Singapore Management University student slashed 2.7sec off her own world mark yesterday to easily beat China's Feng Yazhu (2:18.65) and Ukraine's Iryna Sotska (2:21.98).

"When I touched the wall, the first thing I saw was the Singaporean crowd jumping and, at that moment, I knew I was first," said Yip, who became the country's first and still only Paralympic gold medallist after she won the 50m backstroke (S3) in Beijing in 2008.



"Pin Xiu, you have made Singapore very proud today," posted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on his Facebook page, sharing the sentiments of President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

"Her amazing achievement reminds us that with hard work, determination and grit, we can overcome the odds and come out on top," PM Lee added.

Swimmer Joseph Schooling, who brought home Singapore's first Olympic gold when he won the 100m butterfly at the Rio Games last month, also posted his congratulations on Facebook.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu added that a public celebration has been planned for Singapore's Paralympians when they return from Rio.

Yip's next race is the 50m backstroke (S2) on Thursday.

Joseph Schooling, Singapore's First Olympic Gold Medallist

Rare Parliament honour for Joseph Schooling
Parliament moves motion to congratulate Schooling on Olympic gold, support Team SG in Rio
Olympic champion comes home to joyous welcome; NS deferred until next Games
By Chua Siang Yee, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2016

Joseph Schooling's habit of making history continued outside the pool yesterday as he became the first sportsman to be formally congratulated by the Singapore Parliament for his Olympian efforts that captured the nation's imagination.

Hours after he flew into Singapore, proudly displaying the country's first-ever Olympics gold medal, the 21-year-old stood in Parliament, where a motion was moved to hail and acknowledge his achievement.

"This House congratulates swimmer Joseph Issac Schooling for his achievements at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games," Parliament noted.



The country's leaders paid tribute to the moment last week when the swimmer's victory in the 100m butterfly event meant that Majulah Singapura was played at the Olympic Games' medal ceremony for the first time.

"It was a moment of great national pride, not just for Joseph and his family, but for our entire nation," said Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also president of the Singapore National Olympic Council. Mr Tan had been present by the pool to watch the swimmer make history.

He also paid tribute to Schooling's parents, Colin and May Schooling, who had dedicated their lives to supporting his dream. "It takes a village to raise an Olympic champion, they say - but, above all, it takes a family," he said.

Schooling later told reporters that he was honoured to be the first sportsman to be acknowledged in this manner by Parliament. "It is pretty cool for me and my family to have that honour and (the) chance for everyone to say the things that they said in front of us. I had goosebumps. It is a privilege."

On an emotional and event-filled day for the young swimmer, it was also announced that his national service (NS) will be deferred until at least the next Olympic Games, four years from now, to give him the best chance to defend the crown he wrested from the likes of swimming legend Michael Phelps.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said Schooling's request to extend his NS deferment had been approved by the Armed Forces Council as he had fulfilled all the necessary conditions.

"Joseph can now set his sights on 2020 to defend his Olympic title and win more national glory for Singapore," Dr Ng said in a Facebook post. "Let us all wish him many more achievements and success."

Schooling, himself, got a sense of the powerful emotions his victory has evoked from the moment his flight touched down at 5.35am yesterday. It was greeted by a water cannon salute on the tarmac that Changi Airport had arranged.

More was to come as he walked in to face a sea of supporters chanting his name at the arrival hall of Terminal 3. Some had been waiting for him since 10pm the previous night.

He patiently posed for wefies, signed autographs and received hugs and backslaps.

More greetings are in the works. Sports Singapore is planning an open-top bus victory parade on the streets to celebrate the University of Texas student's achievements.



President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who was in Rio to witness his historic feat, said in a Facebook post that the win could have a positive impact beyond the sporting arena.

Dr Tan said: "It shows that one can achieve the extraordinary if one follows one's passion. I am confident that Schooling's win will inspire more young Singaporeans to follow their dreams.

"Singapore is very proud of Schooling and his supporting crew for making history for Singapore."


 

How do Olympic athletes pay their bills?

By Edward Etzel, Published The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2016

Two weeks ago, while sitting in traffic, I noticed a weathered bumper sticker with a little acoustic guitar on it that said: "Real musicians have day jobs."

I presume most of us do have real day jobs, but as the Rio Olympic Games began, for some reason - maybe because I'm a former Olympic shooter - I wondered about the hundreds of young women and men who have tried (with many failing) to represent the United States in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Real musicians and Olympians seem to have a lot in common. They have ambition and enthusiasm for their craft. But, like musicians, these talented young people have to pay their electricity bills too. How do they support themselves and their families, all the while having to diligently train, often several hours a day, over the course of years? How did I pull it off?



THE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS

Many might assume that since athletes are at the pinnacles of their respective sports, they're all able to live comfortably, either from endorsements or competing professionally. After all, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps' estimated net worth is US$55 million (S$74 million).

But most who do make it to Rio receive very little funding, and most don't make a lot of money off their sport outside of the Olympics, either. For example, two-time Olympic javelin thrower Cyrus Hostetler recently told The Washington Post that the most he's ever earned in a year is US$3,000.

Sure, there are many celebrity athletes who are professionals, have corporate endorsements and have their airbrushed faces on a Wheaties box. Basketball stars like Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler will take a hiatus from their NBA training camps, compete in the Olympic Games and then return to a life of material comfort. But these folk are few and far between.

Joseph Schooling Wins Singapore's First Olympic Gold

Olympic Games Rio 2016 - Joseph Schooling, Singapore's First Olympic Gold Medallist

Joseph Schooling's coronation complete as he wins Singapore's first gold in an Olympic record time of 50.39sec
By May Chen, The Straits Times, 13 Aug 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO - The boy who left home at age 14 to train in the United States, in pursuit of a dream many labelled impossible, is now the man who has delivered his nation's first Olympic gold in the Men's 100m Butterfly.

Joseph Schooling's single-minded, seven-year chase of his Olympic dream bore fruit when he touched home first on Friday night in Brazil (Saturday morning at 9.12am, Singapore time, Aug 13), showing the world - and his countrymen back home - what a small country like Singapore is capable of at sport's pinnacle.



In an Olympic-record time of 50.39sec, Schooling eclipsed the 50.83sec he clocked just the night before in the semi-finals to qualify fastest for the final.

In that same time, he became the Republic's first male Olympic medallist in 56 years. Tan Howe Liang's weightlifting silver in 1960 was the last and until now, the only won by a male athlete.

In that same time, he added a shiny gold to Singapore's modest medal tally. It now stands at one gold, two silver, two bronzes over almost seven decades of participation at the Olympics.

What a night! 21-year old @joschooling won #SIN's first ever Olympic #Gold medal tonight in the Men's 100m Butterfly pic.twitter.com/Z5l6ZVfLhp

— Rio 2016 (@Rio2016_en) August 13, 2016

In an astonishing three-way tie for silver, defending champion Michael Phelps of the United States, five-time Olympic medallist Laszlo Cseh of Hungary and defending world champion Chad le Clos of South Africa all clocked 51.14sec to share second place.

Straight after his historic golden feat, Schooling told Singapore media: "This swim wasn't for me. It's for my country.

"Some people believe that Singapore has a lot of talent. I believe that. It doesn't matter where you're from really. I hope this opens new doors for sports in our country and I hope I've set a precedent for the young in our country.

"It's been a hard road, I've done something that no one in our country has done before. I've received a lot of support and that's phenomenal, that's great. I can't really describe what that means.

"But it's been a tough road, I'm not going to lie, the first guy through the wall is always bloody. I had to take that blow.

"I'm thankful and I'm blessed that I have the ability to accomplish this. This moment is not about me, it's really for my country, it's all about my coaches, my family, my friends who believed from when I was a six-year-old kid, that I could do it."

MAJULAH SINGAPURA: Watch @joschooling receive his gold medal at #Rio2016 https://t.co/OuSkvfmmbE https://t.co/FS1ZOJZICq

— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) August 13, 2016

Competing against multiple Olympic champions and world champions like these, what Schooling was tasked with on Friday felt unthinkable before the race, despite the cool and confidence he has shown in Rio.

It seemed incredulous to think that a 21-year-old from Singapore, a country that before Thursday never even had a male swimmer in an Olympic final, stood a chance against the greatest Olympian of all time.

Case in point: some among the American media, while full of praise for Schooling's quality, coined the term "The King and the Kid" to describe the American great and the challenger who grew up emulating Phelps.

But there was surely no doubting the Singaporean's steely nerves tonight. It takes substance and guts - audacity, even - to beat Phelps in an event he is a three-time Olympic champion and world record holder of. And to be the man to hand Phelps his first defeat after five finals at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

But that is now moot, for naysayers have been silenced, Schooling's years of toil rewarded and prayers from Rio to Singapore answered.

As Schooling said to the gathered Singapore media group: "I'm full of emotions right now, I don't know what to believe, whether I actually did it or whether I'm still preparing for the race.

"I need to let this moment sink in. Right now all I can say is, I'm really honoured and privileged to have the opportunity to race in the Olympic final alongside huge names like Michael (Phelps), Chad (le Clos), Laszlo (Cseh), guys that have changed the face of this sport."

On Schooling's outstanding performance, Phelps himself told the media later: "It’s faster than I went four years ago to win, but Jo’s tough. Obviously he’s had a great year last year and had a really great last two years, so hats off to him

"Nobody is happy to lose, but I'm proud of Jo. What he's able to achieve is up to him. Ball's in his court. As big as he wants to dream."

Asked what Phelps said to him after the race, Schooling told the Singapore media: "Good job, that was a great race, he said. I told him to go four more years and he said 'no way'. Hopefully he changes his mind. I like racing him."

President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Minister for Social and Family Development and president of Singapore National Olympic Council Tan Chuan-Jin as well as Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu were there to witness history made.



Singapore now has one Olympic gold. Just one, but one that is so precious.

For the first time, Majulah Singapura has rung at the Olympic Games.

And it is a sweet, sweet sound.

The world loves refugees, when they're Olympians

By Roger Cohen, Published The Straits Times, 10 Aug 2016

The world is moved by Team Refugees at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They are greeted with a standing ovation at the opening ceremony. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, not a man given to extravagant displays of emotion, is all smiles.

United States President Barack Obama tweets support for the 10 athletes in the team who "prove that you can succeed no matter where you're from".

Ms Samantha Power, the American ambassador to the UN, posts a video on Facebook in which she speaks of the world's 65 million displaced people - the largest number since World War II - and says they "are dreaming bigger because you're doing what you're doing".

Who could fail to be moved? These are brave people. They have fled anguish in search not of a better life, but of life itself. In general, you do not choose to become a refugee because you have a choice, but because you have no choice. Like Yusra Mardini, the 18-year-old Syrian refugee from a Damascus suburb, who left a country that now exists only in name, and reached Germany only after the small boat bringing her from Turkey to Greece started taking on water in heavy seas. She and her sister Sarah dived into the water and for more than three hours pushed until it reached the island of Lesbos.

In Rio, Mardini won her heat in the 100m butterfly, but did not advance due to her inferior time. Still, hers is a remarkable achievement.

Yes, the world is moved by Team Refugees. Yet, it is unmoved by refugees.

They die at sea. They die sealed in the back of a truck. They die anonymous deaths. Fences are erected, walls mooted. Posters decry them. They represent danger and threaten disruption. They are freeloaders. They are left in festering limbo on remote Pacific islands. There is talk of a threat to "European civilisation" - read Christian Europe. There is talk of making the US great again - read making the US white again.

Rightist political parties thrive by scapegoating them. Nobody wants refugees. They could be terrorists or rapists. They sit in reception centres. The US has pledged to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the current fiscal year. In the previous four years, it had admitted about 1,900. This is a pittance. About 4.8 million Syrians have fled their country since the war began.

Historic Olympic award for trio

Singapore's first Olympic medallist, two SNOC office-bearers receive IOC Diploma of Merit

By Alvin Chia, The Straits Times, 9 Mar 2016

It has been 56 years since Tan Howe Liang won Singapore's first Olympic medal. Yesterday, the 83-year-old was again honoured by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which conferred the IOC Diploma of Merit on the former weightlifter.

Tan, along with Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) secretary-general Chris Chan and vice-president Dr Tan Eng Liang, received the award last night for contributions to the Olympic movement.

They are the first Singaporeans to receive the award, which was presented by SNOC president Tan Chuan-Jin and Singapore's IOC member Ng Ser Miang.

Ng said the award recognised the contributions of each recipient to the growth of sport in Singapore. He pointed out that Tan's Olympic silver medal still inspires aspiring athletes today.

Tan was accompanied by his wife last night at the ceremony at Faber Peak Singapore, and the former weightlifter was approached by younger athletes, including 16-year-old shooter Martina Lindsay Veloso, to autograph a commemorative Olympic book.

Said Ng: "Howe Liang is an icon and he continues to inspire.

"With the Rio (de Janeiro) Games coming up, people like Howe Liang will be an inspiration for all the Singapore athletes. As we progress, we learn to appreciate (his achievement) more."

Minister for Social and Family Development Tan said in his speech: "Often, we seek inspiration from figures in sport, from people whose hearts are in sport not for expedient reasons or for personal benefit, but for all the priceless values that sport upholds.

"Howe Liang, Eng Liang and Chris have demonstrated these values through their commitment to sports."

National Museum’s permanent galleries reopen on 19 Sep 2015 after year-long revamp

The galleries contain contributions from Singaporeans - among them, the only known recording of the first version of the national anthem.
By Chan Luo Er, Channel NewsAsia, 19 Sep 2015

The National Museum of Singapore officially opened its revamped permanent galleries on Saturday (Sep 19).

The galleries contain contributions from fellow Singaporeans and also pay homage to the country's pioneers. Visitorship to the museum has gone up threefold since the 1990s - last year, more than 1.2 million people visited the galleries.

Attending the opening event, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said: "Singaporeans, whether young or old yearn to reconnect with our past - who we are and where we came from. These historical moorings strengthen our sense of identity and self-confidence. They give us our bearings in an uncertain world."

On display at one of the galleries is the only known recording of the first version of the national anthem - written in 1958 by Mr Zubir Said - before it was refined in December 1959 to become the song we know today. Mr Low Kam Hoong got it as a present from his father when he was 11. He donated it to the museum as he wants to share it with the nation.



There is also a dazzling display inspired by the nation's female Olympians in the 1950s. Tang Pui Wah is the first female to represent Singapore in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and is a role model for Janet Jesudason and Mary Klass, who were the only women to represent Singapore at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. 

"The movement of the display brings to mind the passion we had when we were younger," said Ms Tang. "Just watching it gets my blood racing so I hope youths today will be inspired by it and want to pick up running."

E.W. Barker: The Eurasian who drafted Singapore's separation documents

E.W. Barker is best remembered for being independent Singapore's first law minister. But he also helmed other portfolios, and was an avid athlete.
By Susan Sim, Published The Straits Times, 15 Aug 2015

He was the first Singapore minister to sign the Separation Agreement with Malaysia in the early hours of Aug 7, 1965. Mr E. W. Barker, however, left space at the top for his senior colleagues and so became the fourth of the 10 Singapore names appended to the treaty we now know as the Independence of Singapore Agreement, 1965.

Barely nine months earlier, Mr Edmund William Barker had been practising law. Then, suddenly, he was law minister, and sharing a closely guarded secret with five other men in Singapore: Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee, head of the civil service Stanley Steward, head of Special Branch George Bogaars, and Cabinet Secretary Wong Chooi Sen.

By then, it would have been obvious, except to the most optimistic, that merger with Malaysia was not working. No, the secret was that both countries were negotiating an amicable separation. While Dr Goh engaged in shuttle diplomacy to convince the Malaysians that Singapore wanted to secede as an independent nation, it was Mr Barker's job to draft the legal papers.

It took 10 days for Mr Barker to draft, circulate, amend and finalise three documents - an agreement to separate, an amendment to the Malaysian Constitution to allow Singapore to leave since the Constitution provided only for states to join but not to leave, and a proclamation of independence.

Yet that was the easy part. He and Dr Goh then had to take the drafts to Kuala Lumpur and persuade the Malaysian government to sign them without too much quibble.

"The agreement I drafted was in fact a longer agreement," Mr Barker revealed in 1982, "but the Prime Minister wanted to keep it as short as possible lest the Malaysians would be afraid of signing it."

On his part, Dr Goh knew that for the last round of talks with the Malaysian Tunku and his colleagues on Aug 6, 1965, "Barker would be the principal actor on our side". And he was, drafting on the spot two new clauses in the separation agreement to satisfy new demands by the finance ministers of both sides. The Malaysians wanted to be released from liabilities and obligations under agreements they had previously guaranteed on Singapore's behalf while it was part of Malaysia, and Dr Goh wanted a clause to provide that both countries would after separation cooperate in economic affairs for mutual benefit.

It probably helped that Mr Barker had played on the same hockey and rugby teams in school as two of the key players on the Malaysian side - Deputy Prime Minister Tun Razak and Attorney-General Kadir Yusof - and each considered the other an old friend. For he was acutely aware that if things did not go well, he and Dr Goh could be accused of treason and the drafts produced as proof of their guilt. "But I trusted them completely. I knew that they would not do that to us. These were my old friends," he said in an oral history interview that has become the definitive Singapore account of the events that took place 50 years ago.

And so it came to pass that shortly after midnight on Aug 7, Mr Barker handed over the signed documents to Prime Minister Lee, who said: "Thank you, Eddie. This is a bloodless coup."

Joseph Schooling wins Singapore's first ever medal at the World Championships 2015

From Russia with love
By Jonathan Wong, The Straits Times, 9 Aug 2015

Even as the Republic awakens today to celebrate its history, a young Singaporean of prodigious sporting talent went to bed last night reflecting on his own improbable journey.

Unlike his barren Fina World Championships debut two years ago in Barcelona, there was only triumph and vindication for Joseph Schooling as he became the first local swimmer to win a medal at the elite meet in Kazan, Russia.

He clocked 50.96sec in the 100m butterfly to finish third behind defending champion Chad le Clos (50.56) and Hungarian Laszlo Cseh (50.87), earning himself a place in the record books in what will surely go down as a milestone moment in Singapore's sporting history.

His effort was also a new Asian record, lowering the mark of 51.00 set by Japan's Kohei Kawamoto in 2009.

Said Schooling, who was named 2014 Sportsman of the Year at the annual Singapore Sports Awards earlier this week: "I couldn't be happier to have won a medal on the eve of Singapore's 50th birthday, and would like to dedicate this win to everyone who has supported and believed in me.

"I came to the world championships with an intention of winning a medal in any of my three individual events.

"I came close in the 50m and i knew that today was my last chance.

"I am delighted with my individual performance at this World Championships and will continue to work hard towards Rio 2016."

Starting in lane one as the seventh-fastest qualifier, the 20-year-old was the quickest off the blocks and was in the lead as he made the turn 0.19sec ahead of second-placed le Clos.

But the South African, who won the 200m fly at the 2012 London Olympics, showed all of his fighting qualities in the next 50m to retain his title.

For Schooling, there was no room for despair though, as he savours a stunning week of achievements in the pool.

This was his second appearance in a world championship final race, a feat no local male swimmer besides Ang Peng Siong (fourth in the 50m free at the 1986 edition in Madrid) can lay claim to.

A swimmer's career is defined by the clock and Schooling's timings are proof that he is heading in the right direction and towards his ultimate goal of an Olympic medal.

Swimmer Quah Zheng Wen gets to defer NS

Long-term deferment clears the way for Zheng Wen to compete in Olympics next year
By Charles Ong, The Straits Times, 8 Jul 2015

National swimmer Quah Zheng Wen is aiming to make a big splash at the Olympics next year and not just make up the numbers in Rio.

The 18-year-old, who was due to enlist tomorrow, said this after being granted long-term deferment from full-time national service by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) yesterday.

He becomes the second Singapore athlete, after fellow swimmer Joseph Schooling in 2013, to be granted long-term deferment. Both were granted deferment till Aug 31 next year.

This clears the path for Quah to also participate in the World Championships from July 24 to Aug 9. The Rio Games take place from Aug 5 to 21 next year.

"People have always said (to me) to go for the experience at big meets, but I don't want that anymore," said Quah yesterday.

"I've gone to enough big meets and I want to be more than just a participant at the Olympics, like I was in 2012. I've been granted the opportunity and will have a really good chance at that."