Written By Terence Lee

Straits Times deputy editor Zuraidah Ibrahim said that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally would be a “landmark speech”. She was half-right.

The Prime Minister, wielding the power of a real-life Sim City mayor, elicited oohs and aahs with proposed infrastructural adornments that will glamourise our city state in the years ahead.

Coming soon: Not one, but two new airport terminals, plus an indoor garden and shopping district that will take the place of an old carpark at Terminal One.

There’s even a bonus Air Force airbase that will be built next to the airport, which replaces the current one at Paya Lebar and will remove building height restrictions in the area. That means more glittery, tall buildings and neck sprains.

There’s more. The Prime Minister spoke of a new port in Tuas, which will free up prime land in Tanjong Pagar, where a new Southern Waterfront City -- a gazillion times bigger than the Marina Bay area -- will be built.

“We are not done building Singapore; we never will be done,” said the man at the conclusion of his slick, motion graphics presentation.

Middle-ground Singaporeans for the most part will be pleased. [quip float="pqright"]What’s not to like about more spots for wedding photo shoots?[/quip]

Add to that the proposed MediShield Life (Singapore’s version of universal healthcare), tweaks to the education system to foster meritocracy, and more subsidies to buy HDB flats, and you have a killer package that will probably score the PAP some votes in 2016.

But I can’t help feeling like an empty Dubai skyscraper.

Where is Singapore headed for?

The speech lacked a compelling vision of what Singapore can be. We had Lee the Builder, but not enough of Lee the Visionary. If Singapore’s first generation leaders brought the country from Third World to First, where exactly is our Prime Minister taking us?

To be fair, he highlighted the exploits of a wide range of Singaporeans in the arts, sports, and academia. I wish he could have elevated that.

A building is hollow without residents. For Singapore to prosper for the next 50 years, it needs a certain breed of people: Innovative, creative, and bold. These folks need to be home-grown or imported.

Instead of merely articulating Anthony Chen’s win at Cannes, why not cast a vision to make Singapore a cultural and artistic powerhouse?

Instead of simply highlighting visually-impaired Math professor Dr Yeo Sze Ling, [quip float="pqleft"]why not paint a picture of a Singaporean someday winning the Nobel Prize?[/quip]

And instead of talking about Facebook, Instagram, and 3D printing in an effort to sound relevant, why not set a goal to produce another billion-dollar Singapore tech company?

Ultimately, Singapore will be elevated when its people are allowed intellectual and financial freedom to create their own wonders, not visit government-sanctioned ones. Buildings, while generators of economic activity, can’t be built if the wealth isn't flowing in.

Instead of an army of half-competent National Service soldiers, it needs a system to create a platoon of Anthony Chens.

Narrative was not convincing enough

In my heart of hearts, I do believe our national leaders want these things for our country. The small efforts it will be taking from today to overhaul the nation are by no means trivial.

If done right and followed through with more significant measures, they would create a wider social safety net to facilitate entrepreneurial risk-taking, a more equitable society, and even a more compassionate one at that.

[quip float="pqleft"]It’s such a pity that Lee Hsien Loong didn't articulate a good narrative[/quip] of what Singapore could become.

While he points out Singapore’s challenges, his tone wasn't urgent enough. And instead of taking moonshots that might rally the nation, he chose to only highlight the small steps and overemphasise irrelevant goals.

What a wasted opportunity, especially with such a national platform at his disposal.

Top photo from Twitter.