SM Lee Hsien Loong at the Serangoon National Day Dinner 2025

各位实龙岗的居民，大家晚上好！

首先祝大家一个预先的国庆日快乐。第60周年国庆日快乐。

非常高兴今天晚上能够跟阿裕尼和实龙岗的居民再次见面。去年国庆日，我也是到阿裕尼，当年是到勿洛蓄水池-榜鹅，和他们一起庆祝国庆日。今年大选期间，5月间，我也到阿裕尼走访过一次了。所以今晚是一年之内第三次来到阿裕尼集选区了。感觉非常好。其实这个是我的老地方。因为实龙岗花园曾经是宏茂桥集选区的一部份，并且是由我负责照顾的。所以我对实龙岗花园很熟悉。后来因为划分选区改变了，实龙岗花园变成阿裕尼的一部分。现在是阿裕尼里，实龙岗分区的一部分。但是，感情依旧。所以，很高兴跟大家在一起。基层组织顾问陈惠意女士在实龙岗服务了很多年。我也经常跟她会面，了解实龙岗和阿裕尼的情况。他们继续努力，我继续鼓励她加油，继续一步一步地向前走。

今年是我们建国60周年。新加坡独立已经一个甲子了。在座白发鬓鬓的居民，应该还记得六十年前的事情、记忆犹新。回想当年，新马分家之后，新加坡前途茫茫，困难重重；很难想象这么一个弱小的国家，能够找到生存之路。更不用说能够有这么灿烂的未来。但是，一代又一代的国人在政府的领导下团结起来，一起牺牲，一起努力，创造了今天的新加坡。来到此刻，得来不易。因此我们应该特别珍惜、也可以感到十分自豪。

过去六十年，人民行动党政府持续兑现对选民的承诺，有效的改善和提升人民的生活，让我国的经济继续蓬勃发展，创造了无数的良好的就业机会。但是尽管如此，岁月久了，天下好像是平安太平了，越来越多的国人都希望在国会里有多一把声音，提出其他的看法，解决方案。然而，如果我们希望有一支能干而有效的团队组织政府，领导新加坡为人民服务，那执政党就必须赢得足够的选票、足够的议席，必须清楚的获得人民的委托和支持。不然的话，我们办事的能力肯定会脆弱，我们服务的水平肯定会降低。其他国家对我们的尊重和待遇肯定会改变。这个是事实。大家知道这是不可逃避的事实。所以我们在征求更有能力的政府，和征求更多的平衡、制衡政府、要管控政府的两个意愿之下，我们必须得到一个适当的平衡。

因此在今年的选举里，我很欣慰人民再次给予了执政党信任和明确的委托。这表示新加坡人了解这一点；新一代的选民了解这一点。

现在大选结束了，那我希望国人能够把政治分歧搁置一旁，团结一致；让我们共同克服眼前的挑战，为新加坡再创新高。

无论你住在哪个选区、投了哪一个政党的票，人民行动党政府都会继续照顾好你和你的家人，和你们的前途。

在实龙岗，也是如此。惠意和她的基层团队在这里服务多年。虽然他们不是你们的议员，市镇理事会也不是由他们管理的，不过他们仍然通过其他方式和渠道，不断为大家服务，增强居民与政府之间的沟通。他们不屈不挠的精神，得来不易、实属可嘉。借此，我要感谢惠意和所有的基层领袖、义工、合作伙伴为实龙岗的付出和努力。让我们用热烈的掌声感谢他们。我希望大家会支持他们，充分地参与他们所组织的活动，和他们携手加强实龙岗的社区精神。

接下来，让我用英语来讲几句话。

Good evening, everybody

Very happy to see all of you here in Serangoon and Aljunied GRC tonight, and to receive such a warm welcome from all of you as I was walking in just now, and as we are talking this evening.

Last year, I attended the National Day celebrations in Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, also in Aljunied GRC. And in the general election this year, during the campaign, I visited Aljunied again to support our candidates. And tonight, I am back in Aljunied again for the third time in the last twelve months, to join your National Day celebrations here in Serangoon Gardens. And I am very happy about that.

Because I have always thought of Serangoon residents as my old friends. Serangoon Gardens which is in Serangoon, used to be part of Ang Mo Kio GRC, and it was in my area, I was taking care of it. But as Ang Mo Kio’s population grew and the boundaries got re-demarcated and shifted, Serangoon Gardens later became part of Aljunied GRC. And now it is in Serangoon division, with Chan Hui Yuh as the Grassroots Advisor. So I am happy to be back here today, and to be among familiar faces and friends.

This year is SG60 – the 60th anniversary of Singapore’s independence. When we first became independent all those years ago, many people thought we were too small, too vulnerable to survive, never mind to thrive. And yet, that generation of Singaporeans and their children, and their children’s children, united behind a capable government, and knuckled down to work. Against the odds, we built a nation. We all have reason to be proud of what we have done together.

The PAP government after all these years, continues to deliver good results for the country, and to enjoy the confidence of Singaporeans. People want this government to do good work for them. But at the same time, after all these years of peace and prosperity and progress, the desire for more alternative voices in Parliament has become stronger. “The PAP should work hard. But maybe if there is a few more opposition MPs in Parliament, the PAP will work harder.” And so we see the desire has grown stronger. The number of opposition MPs in Parliament has also grown, and the sentiment – I think it is quite natural, it is quite understandable. So my attitude is: the opposition is here to stay in Singapore politics. But in order for Singapore to keep on doing well, the government has to continue to hold its own, and to win votes and to win seats in elections. Because otherwise, beyond a point, it will become harder for us to form a team, harder for us to govern Singapore well, harder for us to get support for policies which we need, in order to make the country work and progress.

And when that happens, the quality of the government will go down. Our lives, the country’s future will be affected. We will become more unhappy with the government. You can elect more opposition MPs to check the government, to goad it to work better, but once you are set on that path, you are heading in the wrong direction.

So we have to strike the right balance between having stronger alternative voices, versus supporting and electing an effective government – one which will deliver high standards and good results, which Singaporeans have gotten used to and have come to expect from the government; one which will take the tough but necessary decisions to secure our long-term future, particularly in today’s troubled world. We went to elections in May, at a time when everybody was shocked by America’s tariffs, the US administration’s policies. What was to come, a very big question mark. Now three months later, all those question marks remain, and they have not grown smaller, they have grown bigger. We have gotten a bit more used to the uncertainties and the trouble, but the troubles are still there, and they are affecting us and will continue growing. So, in this world more than ever, we will need our collective wits, our resolve, our unity, in order to secure our future, our safety and success.

So I was very happy and relieved that during the general election, Singaporeans understood this and gave the PAP Government a clear mandate, and once again put your trust in us, and showed that Singaporeans understood was at stake. Singaporeans took note, because we ourselves need to know that we are together in this. And many countries took note also that Singapore has a strong government, able to cope with the challenges we are facing.

Now the elections are over, it does not matter who you voted for in the election. Let us work together to respond to the troubles in the world and to chart our own course forward, to improve our country and our lives.

The PAP Government will continue to take care of all citizens, no matter which constituency you live in, or which party you voted for. So although Aljunied is an opposition ward, we have here a group of dedicated Grassroots Leaders and volunteers and Grassroot Advisors, who are committed to serving residents to the best of their ability. They will patiently explain government policies and measures to residents; they will implement and support schemes and initiatives to help make Aljunied and Serangoon a vibrant and caring place. They will have programmes for seniors like befriending programmes, like health screening and monthly singalongs; they will have activities for the youth and families, monthly food rescue efforts, cultural activities like Kompang groups and many more.

The Grassroot Advisors and the Grassroot Leaders in Aljunied and Serangoon do not have an easy job. Because they cannot help you in the same way that Grassroot Advisors do and GRLs do in a PAP-held ward, because they are not your elected MPs, and neither do they oversee your Town Council. But they will always do their best.

I am very grateful that we have such a dedicated group of individuals who have come forward take on these challenges and to serve fellow residents. So please join me in giving the Serangoon GRLs and volunteers and the Grassroot Advisors a big round of applause. Thank you for your hard work. You will have the government’s full support, so that you can continue to make a positive impact on the Serangoon and Aljunied Community. And I hope residents will give the GRLs your cooperation and support too, and take full advantage of the programmes and work which they are doing for you.

This is an exceptional country, Singapore. There is no other country like this – where the government and Singaporeans have enjoyed strong trust and partnership with each other for more than 60 years. And that is how we have progressed steadily decade after decade; that is how we have built today’s Singapore and reached SG60.

So today, with all the resources we have, with the record of what we have done together, with the confidence that we know we can have in ourselves, we can be certain, we can be sure, we can do it again. We will work together, we will show Singapore what we can do, and we will take Singapore forward for many more years to come.

So Happy Birthday Singapore, Happy National Day everybody; Happy SG60.

Thank you very much.

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