Closing his National Day Rally 2023 speech on Aug. 20, PM Lee spoke about "preparing for the future".

Plan for succession back on track

Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, PM Lee said he had initially planned to step down as Prime Minister by 2022, before his 70th birthday.

"I promised Singaporeans that I would see the nation through the crisis, together with both the current and the 4G leadership," said PM Lee.

Now that the crisis is over, he shared that his succession plans are back on track.

He assured Singaporeans that the recent "controversial issues" will not delay his timetable for renewal.

PM Lee previously addressed these events in parliament and in his National Day Message on Aug. 8, 2023.

"We dealt with each of them thoroughly and transparently," commented PM Lee.

Supporting the 4G team

PM Lee shared that "more and more", his task is to support the 4G team and their agenda.

PM Lee thanked Singaporeans for their support of him and his team over the years.

He remarked that he has "every confidence" in Lawrence Wong and his 4G team and encouraged Singaporeans to support them too.

He said that he and his team were "deeply grateful" to Singaporeans for "standing with us through thick and thin".

He urged Singaporeans to give "Lawrence and his team your fullest support too, now and after they take over".

"Our nation’s future depends on them working as one with you to take Singapore forward," he added.

Singapore's story

He ended his rally by describing the Singapore Story as an "unlikely one from the start".

PM Lee said Singapore is "still young" and will "always be tiny".

"We will forever be an unlikely nation, created out of the sheer collective will of our people.

Nobody expected us to survive, much less to flourish.

But each time, we beat the odds.

Each time, we showed the world what Singapore can be."

He said Singapore's story has been "exceptional", but he believes that "the best parts are still to be written".

Finally, he called for Singaporeans to hold fast to Singapore's values, mutual trust, and dreams to build a better nation for future generations.

Top images via PM Lee/Facebook and Lawrence Wong/Facebook.