PM Lee on 'hard truths' to keep S'pore going amidst rising global tensions, climate change & tech advances

First imperative, social cohesion.

What do I mean? Race, language, and religion – these are the traditional fault lines in our society. We have made huge efforts to build a shared Singaporean identity, to live and work together harmoniously as a multiracial and multireligious society based on meritocracy and equal opportunity.

We have made great progress in this. But we will always be subject to external forces that pull different segments of our population in different directions.

We cannot disavow our diverse ethnic roots and religious affinities, we want to keep them: Chinese Singaporeans have links with China, some way or other; Indian Singaporeans with their various ancestral homes in India; Malay Singaporeans with the rest of our region, and with the global Muslim Ummah, the community of Muslims worldwide.

These are real, emotional, historical, cultural, deep ties. They can be vulnerabilities, yet we do not want to lose these rich cultural and historical heritages.

We have inherited them from our forefathers, and they contribute much to our Singaporean identity, our sense of who we are in the world.

Because we did not just descend from Mars – we have long histories, proud histories, ancestors, heritages, traditions, many of which we want to keep for ourselves and pass on to our children and grandchildren.

Therefore for us, racial and religious harmony will always be a continuing work in progress. Never think that we have “solved the problem” and that we have left it behind. It will always be with us.

The government accepts that differences exist when dealing with controversial issues

And we also have to be conscious of other potential divisions in our society: between the “haves” and the “have-nots”; the “Singaporean-born” and “naturalised” citizens; “conservatives” and “liberals”; “current” and “future” generations.

All these differences can be exploited politically, to pit Singaporeans one against another, and divide and weaken us.

Hence, we have got to continue to work hard to overcome social stresses and tensions, to enlarge our common space, and strengthen our shared Singaporean identity.

It is not a static identity. It grows and evolves over time. We are not a specimen in the museum – like that 10 years ago, like that 20 years ago, like that 50 years from now. It will grow, it will evolve.

The world changes, we adapt, we move forward. We have to guide that evolution, as best as we can, sensitively and thoughtfully.

That is why we moved on the tudung issue, and repealed Section 377A of the Penal Code.

These were controversial and difficult issues, but I decided to tackle them, and not to let them fester or to pass them along to my successors.

So we prepared the ground carefully, worked out practical compromises, and moved to a more sustainable, long-term position, while fostering mutual understanding and acceptance.

Always, when we are dealing with controversial issues, we accept that differences exist, but we will avoid accentuating them. Accept them, do not accentuate them. Instead we foster compromise, strive to enlarge a common space, establish the broadest consensus possible.

We will always have fault lines to watch and mind. Never forget, whatever our differences, we are all Singaporeans, first and foremost. And only thus can we survive and thrive in a contested and fractured world.

Long-term planning is difficult but it must be done

Second, long term planning. It is the responsibility of every government in every country.

Not just to deal with pressing, immediate problems, but also to have the vision and the sense of stewardship to peer beyond the horizon and plan far ahead.

But most governments find it very hard to do. Many are consumed by immediate problems or political crises. They lack the support or the bandwidth to think further ahead. To put it in Singaporean language: Where got time?

But the PAP Government has always planned and acted for the long term, deliberately and systematically.

Look where we are gathered today for May Day – in an Integrated Resort (IR) at Marina Bay.

When did this begin? The government started thinking about reclaiming land here in the 1960s, in the first years of our independence. The reclamation project began in 1971, more than 50 years ago. Then we had to let the reclaimed land settle, masterplan the new downtown, and build it phase by phase.

20 years ago (in 2004-2005), we started talking about IRs. This was one of my first major decisions as Prime Minister – whether or not to allow IRs in Singapore, which would introduce casino gambling to Singapore.

After a full public debate, we decided to proceed, but with suitable safeguards in place. So, the IRs opened in 2010, just in time to catch the recovery from the Global Financial Crisis, and they took off.

Today, we not only have the IRs, but also Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Barrage, Marina Reservoir, Marina South Downtown and an iconic skyline around the Bay.

After half a century, today we have built a Marina Bay that we can all be proud of. But Marina Bay is not done – Singapore is not done.

We will continue to grow and to develop Marina Bay – and Singapore – for decades to come. What do we want to see in Singapore, 50 years from now?

Here are some plans already in the pipeline. We are building a new megaport at Tuas and a new Terminal 5 at Changi, to strengthen our air and sea hubs. We will reclaim a Long Island along the east coast, to protect ourselves from rising sea levels, and create more land and another freshwater reservoir.

We always try to hit several birds with one stone. We will redevelop Paya Lebar after relocating Paya Lebar Airbase, as well as the Greater Southern Waterfront after PSA moves to Tuas, to create new spaces for future generations to live, work and play and accommodate a new NTUC Downtown South. We will decarbonise our economy to reach net zero carbon emissions, and do our part to mitigate climate change.

It is going to be a very difficult journey, this last one, but we have to do it. I have no doubt that the next team and their successors will conceive more creative and ambitious projects, which will challenge us, inspire us, and take our country to the next level.

These projects will take decades to come to fruition. They are acts of faith in Singapore’s future.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew memorably said, shortly after independence: "Over 100 years ago, this was a mudflat, swamp. Today, this is a modern city. Ten years from now, this will be a metropolis. Never fear."

This must forever be our mindset: thinking long term, working towards it with patience and determination, and building lasting strengths for Singapore, way beyond our own generation, for the next 50 years, for the next 100 years.

Political stability and trust is crucial for Singapore's success

This brings me to the third fundamental principle, imperative – political stability and trust. We cannot sustain long-term planning and effort if our politics is fractured.

The whole Singapore system is anchored on a strong base of trust between the people and their government.

The people elected the PAP government. The PAP government works hard to maintain the people’s trust and support. It shows, through words and through deeds, that it has the nation’s best interests at heart, and is improving your lives. Therefore, at each election, 15 times in a row, the PAP has won a renewed mandate, fair and square, and continued to deliver results for Singaporeans.

Very few other countries work like this. You name me one. We were fortunate to start off on the right footing.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Goh Chok Tong and their teams established the fundamentals of good government. They were unshakeably committed to meritocracy and incorruptibility. They worked hard to build a system that would endure beyond their own terms as PM. My team and I have done our best to steward Singapore, and safeguard its future. Our successors must do the same.

Getting our politics right is absolutely crucial. Please understand: we have succeeded, and Singapore has made exceptional economic and social gains, because our system is exceptional.

It is not because we are ordinary, we pass; it is because we are exceptional - distinction with star.

Then only can you have performance that is a distinction with star. The system does not have to fail outright for Singapore to get into trouble.

Even if we just become ordinary, average, we will already be in serious trouble. Because we have no natural resources, no hinterland; 700 square kilometres is nothing.

If our politics becomes like other countries, we will end up worse than other countries. Not the same as them, but worse off. Graver still, if our system malfunctions – becomes beset by populism, tribalism, nativism, or obsessed by short term gains, like some other countries – then we will certainly be sunk.

All our reserves will not last very long, nor will they count for much. There is no need to ask how much money is there in the bank, you can have a lot. But if you have gone that way, and the country has gone wrong, it would not save you. Therefore, it is crucial that all of us uphold this ethos of exceptionalism and excellence; it is crucial that we maintain political stability.

The system will evolve with time. But it has to evolve in a way that continues to serve Singapore’s interests, serve your interests. That gives us the best shot at building a brighter future for Singapore.

Top left photo by Daras Singh, right photo by Mike Enerio via Unsplash