I recorded this year’s National Day Message at the Botanic Gardens. This was where my parents brought me to watch the first Aneka Ragam Rakyat, or People’s Variety Concert, on 2 August 1959. These were a series of free, open-air concerts with a multicultural theme. They were organised by the newly elected PAP government, to start us on our journey of becoming one people, one nation.
We have come a long way since then. However, the pandemic has strained fault lines in our society, and sharpened difficult issues that we need to deal with. I spoke about three: lower wage workers, foreign work pass holders, and race and religion. While not new issues, we must address them and not let them cause divisions among us.
On COVID-19, more than two thirds of residents are now fully vaccinated, putting us in a more resilient position. We can look forward to a careful re-opening of our economy, and moving into the new normal. So long as we stay united, and keep on building a more harmonious society, Singapore will continue to prosper for generations to come.
I wish all Singaporeans a very happy National Day! 🇸🇬
You can watch the Messages in other languages here:
Malay (delivered by Masagos Zulkifli) -
go.gov.sg/ndm2021-ml
Chinese (delivered by Heng Swee Keat) -
go.gov.sg/ndm2021-cl
Tamil (delivered by S Iswaran) -
go.gov.sg/ndm2021-tl
– LHL
