DPM Heng Swee Keat at the Indian Cultural Fiesta 2025

Minister of State Alvin Tan,
Mayor Denise Phua,
High Commissioner Dr Shilpak Ambule,
Mr Regunarth, Chairman of the Little India Shop Owners and Heritage Association,
Mdm Neela Ayyakannu, Organising Chair, Indian Cultural Fiesta 2025,

Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good evening.

My wife and I are delighted to join you at this year’s Indian Cultural Fiesta to usher in the new year and celebrate the colourful and vibrant traditions of Singapore’s Indian community.

We just heard from Mdm Neela about two milestones around this year’s Indian Cultural Fiesta. One, that it is 15 years since our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew inaugurated the very first edition, in April 2010. Two, that it coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Little India Shop Owners and Heritage Association, or LISHA.

I would like to add a third milestone. takes place during SG60. 2025 marks 60 years of Singapore’s independence. Six decades of coming together as one people, one nation, one Singapore, to build a stronger country, a vibrant economy, a resilient society and most of all a better home for everyone now as well as for our future generations.

We were earlier treated to an inspiring performance by Team Damaru. Later this evening, we will see a showcase of the different dance traditions from across the Indian community. Earlier, MOS Alvin, Mayor Denise, my wife and I toured the exhibition put up by the different community groups. We learned much about the fascinating diversity of our Indian community, and I encourage all of you to see it.

This exhibition shows how people of Indian origin, from all over the Indian subcontinent, have contributed to the wider Singapore Story, and this is an important thread within our SG60 journey. Even before our independence, migrants from different parts of the subcontinent – including Tamils, Malayalees, Telugus, Sindhis, Kannadigas, Punjabis, Bengalis and many others – came here in pursuit of a better future. 

The different groups put down roots here and grew their bonds with one another. Importantly, they also built deep and lasting bonds with those outside the Indian community. These efforts helped lay the foundation for our multi-racial, multi-religious harmony we experience in Singapore today. 

By investing time and energy to reach across ethnic and communal lines, they put us on the path towards becoming “one united people”.

As we celebrate SG60 this year, we must appreciate the hard work of our pioneers and commit to building on, and further strengthening, the Singapore that we inherited from them. Pioneers like Mr P Govindasamy Pillai, for example, who this hall is named after. Mr Pillai channelled the money he made in business towards philanthropic causes that extended beyond the Indian community. Over the years, many others from the Indian community have contributed to Singapore’s progress and development – in politics and public service, the judiciary, business, the military, as doctors and teachers, and in many other roles.

Equally as importantly, as we built our nation, the different community groups have evolved and developed a distinctive Singaporean identity and a distinctive Singaporean Indian identity - one that we see in this annual Indian Cultural Fiesta. The performances and exhibition we see today do not just highlight our diversity. They also celebrate how we forge unity in diversity. This has been a priority for Singapore’s leaders – from our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew and through successive generations of leaders. Being Singaporean, and becoming Singaporean, does not mean divesting our cultural roots altogether. It means coming together, building on our commonalities, enriching our shared collective heritage, and building something new and special.

Doing this is about more than just big gesture. Everyday actions by our people are just as crucial. For example, by sharing in one another’s festive celebrations and experiences, and I am glad to see a multi-racial audience here today. This approach deepens trust among the communities and among our people. In turn, this trust has been a critical ingredient in fostering social cohesion and stability, and enabling Singapore’s growth and development, over the years. Others around the world recognise this. On my recent trips to the US, Europe and China, many friends of Singapore expressed admiration for how we have built up our multi-racial and multi-religious trust and harmony. And this is especially salient as we see so many societies torn apart by issues of race, language and religion.

Preserving and deepening this trust will always be a work-in-progress. As a small country and open economy, Singapore’s harmony and cohesion will inevitably face pressures from time to time and must never be taken for granted. The world today is changing rapidly. In just these past few months, we have seen an acceleration of geopolitical tensions, particularly with the very severe trade and tariff war, and an unravelling of a world order that used to embrace globalisation and allowed Singapore to flourish in previous decades. Now, this has exacerbated global economic uncertainties caused by technological disruption and a loss of confidence in globalisation. Around the world, we have also seen how social media has impacted the cohesion of societies by giving rise to greater fragmentation and polarisation. Words said online can erode trust and sow divisions between different groups. When this happens, everyone is worse off. I am glad that in Singapore, Parliament has passed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) introduced by Minister Shanmugam. This is an important institutional mechanism to protect society from being torn apart by online falsehoods. 

So, in this challenging environment, we must continue to work even harder, to strengthen our social fabric. And this is one of the key goals of the Forward Singapore agenda laid out by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to refresh our social compact and write the next chapter of the Singapore Story. But the Government cannot do this alone. It truly takes a whole-of-society effort to deepen and enhance our appreciation of different cultures, and to expand our common space. Community groups and organisations like LISHA play a role. For example, during Pongal, LISHA’s Pongal Festival Village offers immersive cultural experiences that allow people to gain a deeper appreciation of Tamil heritage and the agrarian traditions that are integral to the celebration of Pongal. The annual Deepavali Light-Up also transforms Little India with lights and colours, drawing in Singaporeans of all backgrounds to partake in the festivities, and in fact drawing people from all over the world.

Several years back, when I was Minister-in-attendance during the Official Visit of then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, I took him on a tour of Little India to view the festive light up. He had many curious questions about how our communities interacted with one another. When I subsequently met him in Beijing later on, the first thing he told me was that the visit to Little India had left a very deep impression on him.

Over the years, self-help groups like SINDA have also worked with partners not only to support and uplift those from the Indian community, but also to promote deeper cross-cultural engagement and understanding especially among our youth.

I was very delighted that when I toured the exhibition earlier, there were so many young people who were eager to demonstrate all the different cultural traditions, and with such confidence. In forging our social cohesion, each of us as can contribute. 

Later, we will recognise community leaders as well as those who have supported this Indian Cultural Fiesta. I thank you for your contributions, and for setting a good example for others to follow. As we go forward and build an even better future for Singapore, I encourage the Singaporean Indian community to continue exploring how you can contribute in new, constructive and impactful ways.

For example, we heard the Indian drums earlier. There are at least two groups I know of, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the Jazz Association of Singapore, that have used the Indian drums and Malay kompang in their performances. In both cases, the groups tapped on our local heritage to add a uniquely Singaporean flavour to very classical musical styles. 

Let me conclude. Since 2010, 15 years ago, this Indian Cultural Fiesta has promoted cultural appreciation and bonding within Singapore’s Indian community. It has also enhanced understanding and awareness of the Singaporean Indian community’s culture and heritage among other communities, and indeed across Singapore. In doing so, it has deepened Singapore’s precious multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural compact.

Let me thank LISHA, as well as the Organising Committees for this year and for all previous years, for your hard work in putting together the various editions of this event.

I also commend LISHA and all the participating groups for your efforts and dedication to keeping the community’s cultural traditions alive, and to ensuring that Singapore’s shared heritage remains vibrant and meaningful for the young and future generations.

In the next two days, different Indian sub-communities will bring in the New Year. The festivities and traditions across the different groups reflect common values like unity, resilience, renewal and an optimism for a better future. In fact, these are shared values appreciated by all of Singapore’s society, across the different races and religions. Celebrations like these are a good opportunity to reinforce our collective commitment to building an inclusive and harmonious society.

Let us continue working together to shape a Singapore where every culture flourishes, and where all our people and communities feel a deep sense of belonging and responsibility.

Thank you very much, and a very Happy New Year once again!