PM Lawrence Wong at the IPS-SBF Conference "Global-City Singapore SG60 and Beyond"

It is very good to be here for this conference, I thank IPS and SBF for putting it together; it is one of the flagship events for SG60 this year. 60 years is short in the history of nations, but for Singapore, it is a milestone to be cherished and treasured for the reasons that Janadas talked about just now, because we were never meant to be an independent nation. Our founding leaders, our Pioneer Generation, all started out with a view that Singapore could succeed only as part of Malaya, because we are just too small, too vulnerable, to make it on our own.

And so when we became independent, and circumstances forced us to become independent, there were many doubters. People said we would not make it, and yet, 60 years later, against all odds, here we are today, in Singapore. And that is why SG60 is truly a milestone for us to come together, to reflect on how far we have come as a nation, to give thanks for all that we have today, but importantly, to look ahead at what might be the next chapter for the Singapore Story, SG60 and beyond.

And this new chapter will be taking place amidst many changes externally and also in Singapore. Within Singapore itself, we have a generational change. Most of us are from the post-65 generation. I think the majority in this room, perhaps, are. If you were born prior to 1965 you are in the minority in Singapore, possibly in society, in this room, certainly in my Cabinet too.

There are very few who can speak with conviction, like Janadas, about the events during our founding, or who were present during the event, the circumstances of founding. So memories get more distant, and we have to now make sure we remember the past, but also think about how we built and chart our new way forward as a new generation. Second, the world is changing – we all know that, we can see that – it is going to be more fragmented, more contested, and it will mean a more inhospitable environment for small countries like Singapore.

But amidst all of these challenges, I believe there are still opportunities for us. Because we are starting off from a much stronger position than when we did in 1965 – we have more resources, we have stronger institutions and systems in place to deliver good policies, and our standing is very high. The Singapore brand and reputation is admired worldwide.

Importantly, we also have a high level of trust in our society and a high level of solidarity, a sense of shared purpose that all of us in Singapore will chart our common destiny together. And I think that bodes well for the future. In particular, we just had our General Election not too long ago, and I am very grateful for the support that Singaporeans have given to me and my team. It gives us the confidence to act boldly and decisively on behalf of all of you to secure Singapore's interests in this changed world. So in this conference, we look forward to hearing your views, your suggestions, and certainly look forward to working with all of you to chart this new way forward together.

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