PM Lawrence Wong at the Swearing-In Ceremony (May 2024)

Mr President, Colleagues and Friends,
My fellow Singaporeans,

I am deeply honoured to be sworn in as the Prime Minister of Singapore. 

Tonight, we are joined by Singaporeans from all walks of life.

You embody the rich fabric of our nation: students and teachers; unionists and business leaders; athletes and artists; community volunteers and frontliners.

Whether you are here physically at the Istana, or watching from home, your presence is felt and deeply appreciated.

I seek your support and your trust.

My team and I will do our utmost to serve you and our country. Let me say a few words in Malay and Mandarin, before I continue in English. 

Malay Speech

Saudara saudari sekalian

Malam ini, saya mengambil alih sebagai Perdana Menteri daripada Encik Lee.

Saya berasa rendah diri dan berbesar hati kerana diamanahkan dengan tanggungjawab ini.

Saya berikrar untuk berkhidmat sebaik mungkin bagi semua rakyat Singapura.

Kita hidup dalam dunia yang sering bergelora dan tidak menentu.

Walaupun masa hadapan semakin mencabar, terdapat juga banyak peluang baharu.

Sebagai rakyat yang bersatu-padu, saya yakin kita boleh merebut peluang-peluang tersebut demi membina Singapura yang lebih baik.

Sebagai Perdana Menteri, saya akan turun padang mendekati rakyat, dan bekerja keras untuk memperbaik mutu kehidupan anda.

Ayuh, kita berganding bahu, dan bersatu hati untuk sama-sama melakar masa hadapan baharu yang lebih cerah bagi semua.

Terima Kasih

Mandarin Speech

各位同胞

我很荣幸能接替李显龙先生出任我国总理，

以这个新的身份继续为人民服务。

在未来的日子里，我将竭尽所能，担起这项重任。

这些年来，李先生为新加坡鞠躬尽瘁，做出了很多贡献。

我从政以后，他就像我的良师，悉心指导我。

作为我的内阁同僚，他也不断地支持和鼓励我。

我很感激他答应继续留在内阁，他将会为我和我的团队提供宝贵的意见和看法。

新加坡今天的成就，是历任领导班子及我国人民辛苦耕耘的成果。

我和多数第四代领导团队是在国家独立后出生的。

我们十分感谢先辈们无私的付出和贡献，而我们会在这个基础上继续全力以赴,再接再厉。

我们知道前方的路将出现新的挑战、也会有新的问题需要我们处理。

这是因为如今的世界动荡不安，我国的社会需求也正在不断地变化。

但是我相信，只要全民团结一致，我们就能灵活地应变，积极地以新的思维和方法来克服挑战，为国人创造更美好的生活。

新加坡故事的下一个篇章，正等着我们一起去谱写。

我和我的团队将和全体国人携手合作、群策群力。

让我们大家肩并肩，一起推动新加坡,向前迈进，为你我以及我们的子孙后代，打造一个更美好的家园，一个更灿烂的未来！

English Speech

Generational Change

Today marks a significant milestone – a passing of the baton, not just between leadership teams, but also across generations.

I am the first Prime Minister of Singapore to be born after independence.  Almost all my colleagues in the 4G team were also born after 1965.

My generation’s story is the story of independent Singapore.  Our lives are testimony to the values that forged our nation:

Incorruptibility
Meritocracy
Multiracialism
Justice, and
Equality

These principles are deeply ingrained in all of us.

We understand the vital importance of good leadership, political stability, and long-term planning.

We ourselves are the beneficiaries of the imaginative policies of our founding fathers…

Pursued resolutely and patiently over decades.

Shaped by these experiences, our leadership style will differ from that of previous generations.

We will lead in our own way.

We will continue to think boldly and to think far.

We know that there is still much more to do.

For the story of our island-nation continues to unfold.

There are many more pages to write.

And the best chapters of our Singapore Story lie ahead.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

As we write the next chapters, we are not starting from scratch.

We stand on the shoulders of giants.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his team led us through independence and established the key pillars of governance.

Mr Goh Chok Tong and his team took us through the next lap, and nurtured a kinder and gentler society.

These are important foundations we will build on.

Tonight, I record our nation’s gratitude – and my own – to Mr Lee Hsien Loong.

Over a lifetime of public service, stretching over half a century, he devoted every measure of his being to the service of our country and people.

Under his stewardship, Singapore navigated external as well as domestic changes, and overcame multiple crises.

Mr Lee spoke often of the need to keep Singapore exceptional.

He was exceptional himself – in his devotion, his selflessness, and his dedication to serve.

We owe him a great debt of gratitude.

I am grateful that Mr Lee and the more experienced ministers will continue to serve in my Cabinet.

They will provide continuity, as I renew and strengthen the team with new members.

One of my key priorities is to identify and persuade younger Singaporeans – men and women in their 30s and 40s to join our team.

So I call out tonight to all my fellow citizens: Help me to provide Singaporeans with the government they deserve.

Let us make a difference, and serve our nation together.

A Different World

Singapore’s position is strong.  But the world around us is in flux.

For thirty years since the Cold War ended, we enjoyed unprecedented peace and stability in the Asia Pacific.

Unfortunately, that era is over.  It will not return.

Now we face a world of conflict and rivalry.

The great powers are competing to shape a new, yet undefined, global order.

This transition will be marked by geopolitical tensions, as well as protectionism and rampant nationalism everywhere.

It will likely stretch for years, if not decades.

As a small country, we cannot escape these powerful cross-currents.

As an open economy, our livelihoods will be hit when multilateralism fractures.

As a diverse society, we will be vulnerable to external influences that tug us in different directions.

We must brace ourselves to these new realities and adapt to a messier, riskier and more violent world.

Fortunately, our international standing is high, and the Singapore brand is admired and trusted worldwide.

We seek to be friends with all, while upholding our rights and interests.

We value the centrality of ASEAN and its efforts to foster regional cooperation and integration.

We hope for stable US-China relations and will continue engaging both powers, even as issues inevitably arise between them.

We will strengthen our partnerships, near and far; and advance Singapore’s interests, so as to better shape outcomes for ourselves as well as the world. 

Building on our Strengths

This is not the first time that we’ve had to confront tough external circumstances.

We have done so repeatedly over the last six decades.  Each time, we have weathered the storms and emerged stronger.

The key to our success is our high level of trust in each other, and our ability to work well together.

Singapore has always been a diverse country – many races, many religions, many languages – and more so now than before.

Yet we’ve strengthened our bonds as one people.

We have achieved this not by denying our differences, but by embracing them.

We have ensured that every community, every religion and every linguistic group, big or small, feels:
Included
Respected
And Valued.

When issues arise between communities, and from time to time, they will – we do not accentuate our differences.

Instead, we accept them.

We seek pragmatic compromises and find as much common ground as possible.

We do so always in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.

This is the ethos that will guide me and my team.

This is how we will continue to evolve and strengthen our Singapore identity.

It’s never about subtracting, but always about adding.

It’s never about contracting, but always about expanding.

So from our diversity, we forge unity.

From many, we become one united people, regardless of race, language, or religion.

This collective striving for unity saw us through the Covid pandemic, the crisis of our generation.

We responded effectively to the pandemic because we trust one another.

The way we dealt with the crisis – together, saving lives and livelihoods – deepened our social capital, and made us a better and stronger people.

Covid was a baptism of fire for me and my team.

It reinforced my conviction that our exceptional performance as a nation lies not in any one person or any single institution, but in how well we can can work together as one Team Singapore.

As Prime Minister, I will lead and bear responsibility for the decisions I take.

But I will also engage and maximise the combined energies, imaginations and strengths of all Singaporeans.

That is how we will take our nation forward in this dangerous and troubled world.

Forward Singapore

Today, Singapore is at a high economic level, compared to most other countries.

By international standards, we have built excellent systems of education, housing, healthcare and transport.

But our circumstances are changing, technology is advancing, and our population is ageing fast.

So we cannot afford to cruise along.

We must continue to do our best – to improve, upgrade, and transform Singapore.

I am convinced we can, and we must, do better.

This is why I launched the Forward Singapore exercise.

We listened to and spoke with many of you; we distilled your aspirations into a shared vision for our future.

Forward Singapore represents the ambitions of our generation.

It expresses our resolve to keep our society strong and united; to share the benefits of progress with all, not just some; to uplift all Singaporeans, and not just a few.

Younger Singaporeans in particular have spoken clearly.

They will strive and work hard for their goals. But they do not wish to be trapped in an endless rat race of hyper-competition.

They want a refreshed Singapore Dream – one that is not defined by material success alone, but also offers meaning and purpose in their careers and their lives.

I am determined to help Singaporeans realise your dreams.

With our tripartite partners, we will continue to build a vibrant economy and create good jobs for all.

We will find new ways to be productive and innovative, and achieve a better balance where work is purposeful, and life is meaningful.

We will foster a fairer, more just and more equal society.

We will look after our seniors, the vulnerable amongst us, and those with special needs.

We will support all Singaporeans, regardless of their start points, age or ability – to uplift themselves and lead fulfilling lives.

My team and I will do more in all of these areas.

We need your help too – to support our fellow citizens, and to renew our commitment to each other.

Then we can build a Singapore where everyone succeeds in being the best possible versions of themselves.

We can be a people, who are more:
Inclusive
Gracious
and Big-Hearted.

We can be a society where every Singaporean matters.  And a Singapore that matters to every Singaporean.

These are ambitious goals.

There are no easy formulas to apply, no available models to follow.

We will have to experiment, discover fresh solutions and blaze new paths.

Along the way, there will be voices that doubt our ability to go further. This scepticism has been with us since the beginning.

Many have said that Singapore won’t make it. Yet time and again, we have proved the doubters wrong.

And we will do so again.

As Singaporeans, we all know what it means to exceed expectations – to go beyond what others think we are capable of, or even what we ourselves thought we could do.

When the going gets tough, we do not crumble. We press on, with faith in our fellow citizens and in Singapore’s future.

We strive harder, reach further, and prove that with determination and hard work, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.

I will bring this same spirit in to my new role.

This is my promise to all Singaporeans:

I will serve you with all my heart.

I will never settle for the status quo.

I will always seek better ways to make tomorrow better than today.

My mission is clear: to continue defying the odds and to sustain this miracle called Singapore.

So that we can reach even greater heights.

So that we can be a beacon of hope and unity for ourselves and our children.

Taking Singapore Forward Together

My fellow Singaporeans, I ask you to join me and my team in our journey forward.

Everyone will have a stake in our nation’s progress.

Everyone will play a key role in shaping our future.

Let us unite with common purpose and shared resolve.

Let us take Singapore Forward – Together.

Thank you.

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