PM Wong's 1st National Day Rally in summary: Jobs, housing, families & more

In the evening of Aug. 18, 2024, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered his maiden National Day Rally.

At the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Headquarters at Ang Mo Kio, he began with Malay and Mandarin, before concluding with the English speech.

The prime minister, who introduced himself as "a fellow citizen and friend", detailed renewed policies in which all Singaporeans, young and not so young, want a "refreshed Singapore Dream".

PM Wong also highlighted that "realising our new ambitions will require a major reset — a major reset in our policies, to be sure; but equally important, a major reset in our attitudes too".

He added that the transformations he seeks will unfold over several years and asked for support from all Singaporeans.

"To achieve our shared goals, I need your help. Because making the lasting changes we are aiming for will require a mindset shift in all of us."

Here's the rundown.

Preserving Bilingualism

PM Wong said in his Mandarin speech that his commitment is that the "government will continue to support the cultivation of bilingual capability".

He has been open about his primarily English-speaking family background, and his endeavour to improve on his Mandarin and Malay.

He previously shared that he has been taking weekly lessons in both languages in an effort to gain fluency.

It seems as though he's made progress, as following in the footsteps of his predecessor, PM Wong delivered the National Day Rally confidently in all three languages.

But it has been an upward climb. In his Malay speech, he said that he has been "diligently learning" how to speak Malay, after failing to learn it in his childhood.

Afterwards, in his Mandarin speech, he revealed that he had been teased in school for being "jiak kentang" — referring to Asians who are more Westernised in manner.

Using himself as an example, he stressed the importance of bilingualism, noting that Singapore is "fundamentally an Asian society, not a Western one".

Economy

PM Wong spoke about three things close to many Singaporeans' hearts: jobs, businesses, and cost of living.

Amid rising living costs due to inflation, he said that the government is committed to providing ample support to "lighten everyone's burden".

He also reassured Singaporeans that the government would provide support and help in a changing economic environment, particularly in helping older workers upgrade.

To that end, he unveiled a new SkillsFuture scheme, which provides lower- and middle-income workers who have lost their jobs with temporary financial support of up to S$6,000 for up to six months.

PM Wong also announced an upcoming review of government rules and processes for businesses.

While Singapore "[does] quite well" on the whole, the review aims to keep the regulatory burden to a minimum, so Singapore stays economically competitive.

The review, led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, is currently "hard at work" with a few ministers on this, he added.

New shared parental leave scheme for families

The government will work towards building a more family-friendly environment in Singapore.

A new shared parental leave scheme, which will give working parents up to 10 weeks' shared leave to split between them, will be progressively implemented from next year.

A four-week paternity leave system — first introduced in last year's Budget, with a two-week voluntary segment — will also be made mandatory for all eligible fathers.

“I hope this move will go some way in reassuring young couples,” PM Wong said.

Housing

The prime minister also touched on the issue of housing.

For first-time home buyers, the government will increase the Enhanced Central Provident Fund (CPF) Housing Grant, to help those in lower-income groups.

Single children and their parents will also get priority access to Build-to-Order flats starting mid-2025.

Currently only available to married children, the expanded measure will help single children who want to stay close to their aged parents to take care of them.

Gifted Education Programme updated

On the perennial topic of education, PM Wong announced that the longstanding Gifted Education Programme (GEP) in primary schools will be updated from its current form.

It will be replaced by new programmes in each primary school that will stretch students in their various fields of strength and interest.

He also spoke about the upcoming University of the Arts Singapore, noting that the government will support youths opting for less-traditional pathways like the arts.

If he had the chance, he would "definitely have opted" to study in an arts institution instead, he added.

Development of Kallang and Bayfront & strengthening sporting culture

Finally, PM Wong spoke on the development of two precincts in Singapore — Kallang Alive, and Marina Bay.

On the first, he explained that the government will do more to strengthen the sporting culture in Singapore, and help Singaporeans realise their sporting dreams.

As part of this, it will develop Kallang to cater to both student and veteran athletes, as well as Singaporeans interested in sport.

Over at Marina Bay, PM Wong expressed his optimism about upcoming developments in the area.

These include the upcoming Bay East Gardens, and new residential areas in Nicoll, Kampong Bugis, Tanjong Rhu, Marina South, and Marina East.

Top image from PMO/Youtube