The NDP 2020 Singapore Together Pack will be produced for 80 per cent of households in Singapore in order to account for those who have not said that they do not need one, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen stated in Parliament on June 5.

He added that from "prior experience", this should be adequate for those who still wanted to collect the packs from community centres, to celebrate the National Day Parade.

Here, Ng highlighted that these packs were usually produced for 90 per cent of households.

As such, should there be excess, there will be "no shortage of means" to distribute them to homes or institutions, ensuring there is no wastage.

Singapore Together Pack will come in a reusable grocery bag

With regard to the pack itself, Ng stated that it will also be called the Singapore Together Pack and will come in a "reusable grocery bag" which can also be folded into a small pouch.

As for its contents, Ng stated that these will consist of, among other things:

• Designs on the bag by local artists with disabilities and Primary Five pupils,
• A full-size national cloth flag,
• A handheld version of the flag
• Face masks,
• Iron-on patches for face masks,
• Thermometers
• Hand sanitisers,
• A pledge card,
• Face tattoos, and
• A snack and a drink from a local F&B company.

In partnership with SG Enable, artists with disabilities from seven social service agencies (SSAs) have created artworks for various NDP collateral to express their love and aspirations for Singapore. Ten of these artworks are featured on the Singapore Together Pack, with additional designs printed on the “Our Heart for Singapore” card in each pack.

Responding to parliamentary questions on the contents and cost of producing, packing and distributing the packs, Ng said each Singapore Together Pack costs about S$2.40.

Why not have a full public consultation before each NDP?

When asked by both Workers' Party NCMP Leon Perera and MP Louis Ng about either having more consultation with the public or an opt-out option, Ng replied that there was a need to strike a balance.

Ng elaborated that while the NDP executive committee needed to be open and consultative, should every group with their "individual preferences" used the NDP to press for differences, then the committee "has a very difficult task, because...it will never be able to be all things to all men."

Ng then gave the following example of water bottles in the funpack for previous parades, highlighting that while there was a conscious awareness, even on the part of the NDP committee, to reduce plastic usage by using disposable water bottles, a balance had to be struck with the elderly and children who still needed to use bottled water.

On this matter, Ng highlighted that the committee had even examined the idea of distributing reusable water bottles, then placing water stands around the venue, but eventually found the idea to be undoable.

As such, the committee "did the next best thing: instead of two small bottles, they gave one big bottle will reduce the amount of plastic, I presume."

Ng also drew up a point of comparison on carbon expenditure.

He said:

"In terms of carbon expenditure, my fighter planes probably use up more and we rah-rah to the zoom of it. But that's petrol being burned up there, or diesel or refined diesel whatever you call it. Why just the fun packs? It could be many other things. So I think there's a limit. We will be forward leaning, we will take in views, but there's a balance to be struck."

Ng noted that while the final cost figures were not in, this year's NDP budget should be reduced by a third. Ng stated that while he was for prudence, he warned against a mood of "despondency" overcoming Singapore, and allowing despair to prevail in the national psyche, particularly amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

He warned that mentality would be the greatest harm to Singapore. Ng mentioned how even in tough times such as SARS or the Asian Financial Crisis, NDP still went on, and the "drumbeat" that Singaporeans marched to neither "faulted or reduced in intensity".

Editors Note: The Ministry of Defence has clarified that it is giving out a Singapore Together Pack, not a fun pack. References in the story of this year's NDP funpack have been edited to Singapore Together Pack.

Top photo from MINDEF