Speech by Minister Lawrence Wong at the MND National Day Observance Ceremony

Aug 3, 2016


A very good morning to all of you. 

I’m very happy to join you for this National Day Observance Ceremony. It’s my first time joining this observance ceremony since I came to MND last year, so it’s my first national day observance ceremony with you. And I would like to wish all of you a very Happy National Day in advance. 

Our work has contributed much to Singapore 

This year’s National Day is a significant milestone because it’s our first year after SG50. So it marks a new beginning, in a way, for us as we embark on a new phase of our national development and our nation building journey. And even as we do this, even as we begin this new journey forward, I think we should continue to build on the achievements of our pioneers and remember their work. We should pay tribute to them for their gumption, their perseverance in the face of insurmountable challenges when Singapore started, how they’ve built and transformed our nation and how we now reap the fruits of their efforts and sacrifice. So we should always think about how we can build on their legacy and forge a better and stronger Singapore for the future. 

All of us in MND play a key role in this process of nation building. This has been the case since MND began its work, since the time when the first HDB flat was built, since the time when NParks planted the first tree in Singapore. This is the way MND has shaped and built Singapore together with Singaporeans, and shaping a significant part of the Singaporean way of life. 

Some of you have been around for much longer. I think there may well be pioneers in our midst. Some of you were taking the pledge just now, and some of you are seated. So you have been involved in this work from the very start. From the very start when we built HDB flats, resettled many people from squatters, greened Singapore, you know how MND’s work has defined and shaped our Singaporean way of life. Be it our unique HDB living, our garden city, or our beautiful skyline. So our agencies in the MND family, and our policies touch the lives of many Singaporeans and we should continue this work in shaping our future for the next 50 years. 


MND Minister’s Team Awards 

To recognise the good work of the staff from the MND family, we are giving out the Minister’s Team Awards later this morning. These awards are presented to outstanding project teams which have shown exceptional effort in innovation, collaboration and public service delivery. And the projects have contributed in one way or another to our vision of transforming Singapore into an endearing home and a distinctive global city. There are several teams which are coming up later, let’s give a big round of applause to congratulate all of them. There are also exhibits upstairs at the lobby area which you can see when you go for the reception to learn more about these projects. 

All the teams have done tremendously good work, and the teams’ work span a number of years. So actually, the people who are receiving the awards are the lucky ones because they are the ones who are still around in the project this year. In fact, some of these projects span so many years that the people who have been involved from the start may have moved out, or to another department, or to another place in the organisation. So they are no longer in the project team technically, but they have all been involved in the project from the start. And that’s the nature of the work; it’s long-term but many people have been involved and the work would not have been possible without all of you being part of it. 

I will share a few examples of these projects but they are by no means comprehensive; it’s not in any order of merit. It doesn’t mean that the ones I mentioned are better than the ones not mentioned. It’s just that I don’t have time to mention all of them but I will just mention three today. 

First is the NParks team which led the inscription of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’ve worked closely with them, in fact, when I was in MCCY previously, because it was a collaboration between MCCY and NParks. And we worked closely together, to lead this bid for Singapore Botanic Gardens to be our World Heritage Site. I see Ambassador Andrew Toh here as well, our ambassador to UNESCO. 

This bid was made possible because of the passion, the professionalism of the NParks team, not just in preparing the dossier and the bid, but the fact that it’s the good work of NParks in caring for the Gardens over many many decades. If they had not done this, then the bid would not even have been possible. It was the hard work of NParks officers, over decades, preserving, conserving and keeping the Gardens in good shape; and then when we were preparing for the bid, the team worked extra hard to make the case that the Botanic Gardens was a world heritage site with outstanding universal value, and they rallied Singaporeans to support this bid. 

I am very glad that we were able to achieve this international recognition, which was made all the more special because we got this at the time of our Golden Jubilee. In fact when we were in the process of making this bid, some of us were worried – we did not want to have the pressure of delivering the bid in 2015. Because we did not know whether it was possible, and it was actually a very compressed timeline, most countries take longer. So if we had done it this year or next year it would have been a more comfortable timeline. But being the true Singaporeans we were, we cannot do anything in the easy way so we said we must try to do it faster, better, and even much better if it’s done in 2015 and then we can give it as a birthday present to Singapore. The team worked very hard and we managed to get it done in 2015, and it was, I think, a very special treat for all Singaporeans to have it coincide with our Golden Jubilee. 

The next project is the one by URA that work closely with stakeholders to encourage the implementation of Car-Free Zones in the city. Some of you may say what is so difficult about doing car-free zones, just close off the roads only, what is the big deal; car-free, just close the door and put a barricade, that’s it. 

But it is much more than that, if you have actually gone down to see how this is being done, the URA officers literally have to go down to the ground, they will have to first talk to the stall owners or the shop owners lining up both sides of the streets. Because you can close off the streets and make everybody very unhappy because they are frustrated, their cars can’t come through, everybody will be angry with you. They want to do it through joint ownership and through collaboration, so they will go down first, talk to each of the shop owners, explain to them what we are doing, why closing off the roads is actually a good thing for them, why it can bring more business, how they can do more place-making, bring more activities on the streets. 

Initially, all the shop owners will be very reluctant, they will be hesitant, they will complain, they will not want to do it, and it is the URA officers who go shop by shop, explaining to each and every shop owner why it is beneficial and then gradually persuading them to say it is better, why not try one night first, close off for one night, see how more human traffic comes, how you can bring out your table and chairs to the outdoor areas and you can have more diners. It is that kind of persuasion that happens before they can bring about a car-free street, and then they have more activities in the particular street. As a result, it is a win-win for all stakeholders, including the F&B operators along the way. Car-free sounds very easy – just close off the street, but it is not that easy to do, and it is certainly not easy to make sure that it is a success, and the URA officers work very hard to do so. 

The third project that I will mention is the HDB Greenprint @ Yuhua. This is a pilot project to bring sustainable living into existing HDB estates. And again, it is not just about putting infrastructure, it’s not just about solar panels or pneumatic waste system which is being done, but it is also extensive engagement, education and consultation with the grassroots leaders and residents living in Yuhua. Because the aim is to educate and empower residents to embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle. It is not just them enjoying some of these things but there is a consciousness and mind-set that this is something which we should embrace, it is good for us, and it is good for the environment. I think they have done a good job as the pilot was successfully completed last year and it was conferred BCA Green Mark Award (Platinum) in recognition of its environmental excellence. 

Continuing the good work 

These are just three examples of the very good work that all of you do. There are certainly many more projects, I’ve only mentioned three in the interest of time. You will see the recipients later and there are exhibits to show the whole range of projects that received the awards this year. We see some common themes across these projects – how we work together as a Government, and how we engage and consult with our partners and stakeholders to achieve our common goals. It’s work that is important, and it’s work that is crucial in building and shaping our future together. 

Going forward, we have many significant plans, many major plans to transform our urban landscape; these are plans that are already in the pipeline. You have heard about many of them – be it the Jurong Lake District, the High Speed Rail, the movement of Paya Lebar Airport to Changi, the transformation of our city centre, and of new urban centres across the whole of the island. There are many major plans that we have to embark on our next phase of development for the next 50 years. I am sure we can make the future Singapore 50 years later much better than what we have today. We can also expect new challenges, and we must continue to press forward with the same spirit of our pioneers and strive for a better tomorrow. 

Let us always remember that our Golden Jubilee may be over, but Singapore’s Golden Age lies ahead of us. The Jubilee celebration is over, SG50 is last year, but we still have better days ahead of us and we should all strive and work hard to achieve this. 

Whether it is to make Singapore a City in a Garden, to plan our Future City, to enhance our food supply or to build new HDB towns, there’s a lot more that we can do to together build a new and better Singapore. 

I thank all of you for your service and contributions to making our little red dot a home that all of us can be proud of. 

Thank you very much and Happy National Day once again!