PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Teck Ghee National Day Celebration Dinner 2023

Please scroll down for the Malay, Chinese and English transcript.

* * * * *

各位居民，大家晚上好，祝大家国庆日快乐！

很高兴有机会和大家欢聚一堂，庆祝我们第58个国庆。让我先用马来语讲几句话。

Apa khabar kepada para penduduk Teck Ghee? Saya sangat gembira dapat berjumpa anda semua malam ini untuk menyambut Hari Kebangsaan kita. Saya harap anda telah mengikuti ucapan saya di Rapat Umum Hari Kebangsaan Ahad lalu.

Dalam ucapan itu, saya telah menyentuh bagaimana kita berjaya keluar daripada COVID dengan baik. Bagaimanapun, sekarang kita perlu berdepan dengan cabaran-cabaran baru sebagai satu rakyat. Ekonomi kita melalui sedikit kelembapan tetapi kita tidak terlalu terjejas. Kami tahu rakyat Singapura bimbang tentang kenaikan kos sara hidup.

Pemerintah berazam untuk membantu anda menghadapinya. Kami telah memperkukuh Pakej Jaminan untuk membantu rakyat Singapura. Sepanjang tahun, hampir setiap bulan, rakyat Singapura menerima bantuan berbagai-bagai bantuan – seperti baucer CDC, rebat-rebat U-Save dan S&CC, ataupun wang tunai. Kami sedang meninjau kemungkinan menambah sokongan ini supaya dapat memberi bantuan tambahan lagi pada tahun yang akan datang.

Di peringkat kawasan undi, kami juga ada beberapa skim bantuan. Ini termasuk anugerah dermasiswa dan yuran tuisyen bagi golongan pelajar kurang bernasib baik; baucer bagi warga emas yang memerlukan serta bantuan makanan bagi keluarga-keluarga bergaji rendah.

Ayuh kita terus bergotong-royong untuk membantu satu sama lain demi membina kediaman yang lebih baik di Teck Ghee dan di seluruh Singapura.

Sekarang izinkan saya meneruskan ucapan saya dalam Bahasa Mandarin dan Inggeris.

Terima kasih.

朋友们，居民们，大家晚上好！

很高兴能够跟大家一起庆祝国庆。如今，在德义区里举办的大大小小各种活动，已经全面恢复。 居民踊跃参与活动，互相交流，联络感情，甘榜精神也更加浓厚了。

在今年的国庆群众大会上，我就谈到了政府推出了各种补助，减轻人们应付通货膨胀以及生活费上涨的压力。因为受到国际局势的影响，我国的物价和能源的价格持续上涨；水电费和杂费也调高了。为了应付人口老化的开销，政府也不得不调高了消费税。当然，如果什么都不上涨，能够保持原来的水平是最理想的。不过新加坡几乎每一样东西都是要进口的， 所以我们不得不做这些调整，保障未来。

我了解人们的担忧。因此，政府通过定心与援助配套，帮助大家减轻负担。几乎每一个月都有不同的补贴。这包括CDC购物券、U-Save水电费和杂费 回扣，现金补助等等；各种各样，大大小小的都有。

其实，政府的补助，不止已经制定了，并且能够的话，我们还增加一点。因为去年政府在一些方面节约了开支，所以今年得到一些财政盈余，能够加强了一些援助措施，让人们再受惠。财政部正在研究，看接下来，有没有办法，再增加援助措施，帮助大家渡过难关。

除了政府补助，德义区也有自己的补助计划，例如助学金，以及过年时给有需要的居民派发的红包，让他们也过个好年。所以，我希望大家不要太担忧，因为政府会和国人携手同心，尽心尽力帮助国人应付生活费上的压力。

Helping our People Age Well

除了生活费问题，大家关注的另一个问题，就是我们人口的老化。而宏茂桥这一区尤其明显，我们尤其关注，因为我们的乐龄居民百分比特别高。

如果年长人士能够经常运动，甚至出来跟邻居和朋友一起活动、联络感情，过着充实的生活，就可以帮助自己维持身心健康。目前，在德义区里，我们有五间活跃乐龄中心 (AAC)，宏茂桥一道有三间，另外两间在宏茂桥十道。这是为了方便居民参与活动，保持活跃健康。德义的民众俱乐部和宏茂桥联络所，以及居民联系网（居委会中心）也提供各种适合乐龄人士的多姿多彩的活动，例如Zumba、瑜伽、太极拳等等。唱歌也有、跳舞也有、运动也有，应有尽有。需要的只是要大家前来参加，那就尽善尽美了。所以，我鼓励年长居民，积极参与这些活动。这些活动是为你们办的，希望你们有积极的反应，这样能够帮助保持自己的健康。今晚也有一组乐队等一下会上台表演，也是我们乐龄人士组成的。这群Uncle、Aunty志同道合，都喜爱音乐，他们年纪不小，但是对音乐的热忱不输年轻人。等一下我们就有机会欣赏他们的表演，我们期待他们带来的精彩歌曲。

除了替乐龄人士举办各种各样的活动，我们也正在改造邻理社区，以确保年长居民的安全，让大家方便走动。宏茂桥市镇现在正在翻新。翻新计划里，我们也有一样的考量。翻新后，市中心将会有更多有盖设施和休息点、也有无障碍的行人道、斜坡道等等，方便乐龄人士行动，不会绊到脚、不会跌倒，能够休息一下，所以希望大家出来乘乘凉，“吃吃风”，能够聊一聊，也能够稍微有一点运动。

市中心的翻新也是为了配合建屋局的“再创我们的家园”计划 (Remaking Our Heartland) ，改善我们的市镇环境，让居民有更好的生活。除了在市镇中心，政府将尝试把这些对乐龄人士有益的设施，例如无障碍走道等等， 综合起来，把一个小区改成“乐龄安全区”(Silver Zone) 让年长者更安全地在社区里走动。我们其中一个新的安全区就会在宏茂桥31街和32街。这个新的计划做好之后，我希望对所有的居民，尤其是乐龄人士，有所帮助。

政府着重照顾好我国的年长人士，不仅是为了回馈大家对我国的贡献，也是为了照顾好你们的子子孙孙。让年轻一代可以好好把握机会、展翅高飞、追求梦想、为家人、为国家再创辉煌。

刚才大家看了关于李光耀先生100年冥诞的短片。李光耀先生是建国总理，没有他，我们不会有今天的新加坡。他一生讲了很多名言，有一句我尤其记得。他说：“领导新加坡，我们最重要的责任，不是对过去，也不是对今天，而是对新加坡的未来。”这个是很重要的一句话。

当然，我们会照顾眼前的问题 ：生活费、各种各样大大小小的困难，我们必须着手解决。当然，我们必须记得先辈们的贡献，照顾好年长一代的需求，让他们能够平平安安地、放心地安享晚年。但是我们最重要的责任，是确保新加坡有一个光明的前途，我们的孩子、我们的孙子，他们有施展才华的机会，他们能够在我们的基础上，更上一层楼，把新加坡建得更美好、更理想；让以后他们的子子孙孙也有机会把新加坡继续带向前去，乘风破浪，勇往直前。

这样，新加坡才有前途，我们才能说我们尽了自己的责任，所以我希望大家会帮助我们。从事这个建国的事业，是做不完的工作，可是我们一步一步来，一步一步向前走，明天总是会更好的。谢谢大家。

Good evening Residents and Friends of Teck Ghee! Very happy to celebrate the National Day dinner together with you.

Very happy that we have resumed our programmes after COVID; we had large-scale programmes like Chingay @ Heartlands a few months ago and National Day Observance Ceremony a few weeks ago. The Teck Ghee community spirit is strong!

Addressing Cost of Living Concerns

At the National Day Rally last week, I talked about how we will support you to cope with the cost of living and inflation. Globally, food prices are going up, energy prices have gone up. In Singapore, too, we import a lot of our food, we import nearly all of our energy — our prices have had to go up, and you see it in the utility bills and S&CC charges. Costs go up in Singapore, it affects all of us, and especially it affects the older folks — no longer working, retired, living on their savings. No one wants these cost increases, but sometimes they cannot be avoided.

That is why we have rolled out the Assurance Package last year to give assistance to our households. At the Rally, I showed the calendar — you may have seen my calendar, every month, starts in April, because April is the beginning of our Financial Year. April to April, every month, there is some item there which is from the Government — either U-Save top-up, or Medisave top-up, maybe cash rebate, or maybe CDC Voucher. The only month where we did not have anything last year was in November and this year again November; last year November because last year was the World Cup and 财神爷 was busy watching football. This year November, because every month you have something, so November we took a break. But December, there was again cash grant for household, and in January, there was again CDC Voucher. So every month we have something, 大大小小, more or less, I think it has helped people to cope with the cost of living.

As I said at the Rally, residents have been asking me, can we top up just a little bit more, get a little more help? You ask me, I ask who? So I asked the Finance Minister; Finance Minister has to think about it, and I hope that we will be able to do a little bit more and ease your burden a little bit more, so we can all get through this together.

In addition, in Teck Ghee, we have our own assistance schemes too, e.g. Chinese New Year ang baos and our education bursary awards, NTUC vouchers for needy families, to help residents see through, and to make sure we all are together and nobody is left behind.

Helping our People Age Well

The other issue which I talked about at my Rally, which is also on people’s minds, and especially our own residents’ minds, is our rapidly ageing population. In Ang Mo Kio and Teck Ghee, we pay a lot of attention to this because many of us are either Pioneer Generation, or Merdeka Generation, or we will be getting the Majulah Package. I think probably more than half of us will be there.

What can we do about this? There are many things we can do, but I talked about two things at the Rally and I will say a bit about them again. One is active ageing — to keep fit, to keep well, to keep in touch with your friends, to be able to feel that there is something in life you want to do and some purpose to look forward to for tomorrow. We have in Teck Ghee, 5 Active Ageing Centres which has many activities. Our CCs and RNs also organise all sorts of courses and activities — like Zumba, Yoga, Tai Ji Quan, and many others. You have got all sorts of exercises. Sometimes I joined in and I got to work very hard and sweat. It is good fun and it is good, and I hope that all of you will come down and join in and take part from time to time, if possible, regularly. In fact, tonight, we have a group of senior citizens performing. Later on, you will see a live band of seniors from our very own Community Arts & Cultural Club. This is exactly what Active Ageing is about — coming together, enjoying activities with your friends, putting up performances, and being appreciated and feeling there is something I want to do in life. Congratulations to the band in advance! Let’s look forward to their music later on.

Apart from active ageing, I also spoke about making our HDB homes and precincts more elderly friendly. For example, we are updating our Town Centre — in fact, the works are ongoing now. We are making it more attractive and lively for residents and shopkeepers alike.

At the same time, we are making it more barrier-free; with more ramps, rest points and shelters along the way, so that it is safer and easier for seniors to get around, and hopefully more seniors will be encouraged to come and visit the town centre more often. We are also enhancing the Silver Zone at St 32 which is in Teck Ghee, to make our streets safer for seniors. For example, we will have road humps, we will make the roads narrower so the cars have to drive slower. We will put safety markings so that the cars are warned, they know this is a place with a lot of old people so they will slow down. These projects will complement HDB’s “Remaking Our Heartlands” programme, to make the precincts more liveable for all age groups.

And it is not just for the old folks. We will look after the old people because we owe this generation — the PG, the MG and the older ones — a lot for bringing us up, for bringing us here, for making Singapore what it is today. But at the same time, we owe our responsibility to the future, to make sure that Singapore has a bright future, that our children and grandchildren will be able to build on what we have done and make Singapore even better.

You saw the video of Mr Lee Kuan Yew just now to commemorate LKY100. Without Mr Lee and his team, we would not be here today. But one of the things when we think of Mr Lee is not just to remember him, but to also remember what he fought for, what he stood for, what he tried to achieve and what we should continue to work towards in the next generation, and the next, and the next generation.

He said many things which are quotable and which we remember. But one of the quotes from Mr Lee is talking about the leadership of Singapore. He says, “My deepest responsibility is not to the present and certainly not to the past, but to the future of Singapore.” We look after the present. We have to see to the cost of living; we have to see to all the problems which people have, make sure people have jobs, and can look after their families, children are in schools and so on. We will take care of the senior citizens. They brought us here, we owe them a great debt of gratitude, and we want to make sure they are alright in their golden years. And we must remember where we came from, how we got here.

But our most important responsibility is to the future, to make sure Singapore can make progress, to make sure that our children are well prepared, to make sure our economy is strong, and Singapore is well-defended, and we can move forward with confidence and steadily. Whatever happens in the world, whether you have COVID, whether you have tensions between the great powers, whether there is a war in Ukraine, we are steady, we are strong. We will step by step move forward and create a better future for ourselves.

That is what we need to do as a nation. I think that is also what we need to do in Ang Mo Kio and in Teck Ghee, and that is what I have been trying to do and I am sure my successors will also be doing the same. So I hope you will work with us towards this goal.

Today, we celebrate. Let’s work together to make sure that in 10 years’ time, 20 years’ time, 50 years’ time, our children can celebrate and can equally look forward to a brighter tomorrow and a better Singapore. Thank you very much. Wish you a very Happy National Day and Majulah Singapura! Thank you.