SM Lee Hsien Loong at the Teck Ghee Chinese New Year Dinner 2025

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

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Welcome everyone to the Teck Ghee Chinese New Year Dinner! Wish you all a very happy Chinese New Year, and a good Year of the Snake ahead.

Let me begin by addressing our Malay friends who are joining us here tonight. 

Malay Remarks

Para penduduk sekalian, terima kasih kerana turut serta dalam perayaan Tahun Baru Cina kita di Teck Ghee ini!

Tahun Naga yang baru berlalu adalah tahun yang baik. Kita harap begitu juga dengan Tahun Ular. Tetapi kita tahu bahawa banyak cabaran yang menanti, terutama kebimbangan orang ramai tentang kos sara hidup yang tinggi.

Pemerintah sedang berusaha sedaya upaya untuk membantu anda. Bulan lalu anda patut terima baucar CDC $300. Sepanjang beberapa tahun yang lalu, Pemerintah juga telah mengeluarkan pelbagai bantuan termasuk baucar GST dan Rebat U-Save. Saya harap semua ini dapat sedikit sebanyak meringankan beban kos anda.

Tidak lama lagi, anda boleh jangkakan lebih banyak bantuan dalam Belanjawan. Dan dalam ucapan Bahasa Inggeris saya sebentar lagi, saya juga akan berkongsi tentang rancangan Pemerintah untuk masa depan Singapura.

Saya gembira melihat kita sama-sama menyambut Tahun Baru Cina malam ini, dan tiap-tiap tahun. Hari Raya akan tiba tidak lama lagi, dan kami tidak sabar untuk meraikannya bersama anda. Begitulah cara kita di Singapura – sebagai masyarakat berbilang budaya dan kaum yang boleh kita semua banggakan. Terima kasih!

Translation of the Malay Remarks

Residents, thank you for joining our Teck Ghee Chinese New Year celebrations!

We had a good Year of the Dragon, and we hope the same for the Year of the Snake too. But we also know that there are many challenges that lie ahead, especially many people’s concerns about the high cost of living.

The Government is doing our best to help you. Last month you should have received $300 of CDC vouchers. These past few years, the Government has also provided various forms of assistance, including GST vouchers and U-Save rebates. I hope that all these have helped a little in reducing your cost burdens.

You can also expect more help to be announced in the upcoming Budget. Later in my English speech, I will also share the Government’s plans for Singapore’s future.

I am glad to see all of us celebrating Chinese New Year together tonight. Hari Raya is coming soon, and we look forward to celebrating that with you. That is our way in Singapore – as a multicultural society that we can all be proud of. Thank you! 

Mandarin Remarks

大家晚上好！祝各位蛇转乾坤、身体健康、心想事成、万事如意！今天是正月十一，十一吉祥、福气满堂、也是我们德义居民和家人朋友聚在一起的好日子。有些人在新年之际，会关心他们在蛇年的运势。我不是算命师，无法为你推测几时会发大财、行大运、举行大选。不过，我还可以跟大家分享一下，政府接下来的计划，为大家打造更优质、更舒适的生活环境。

第一，关于生活费。大家一直担心钱不够用。政府这两三年来不断推出各项补助措施，帮助国人应付生活费的上涨。去年，政府一共分发了两轮的社理会邻里购物券(CDC Voucher)。上个月又分发了一轮，300元。相信大家在办年货时，已经用到了，或者已经花光了。此外，政府在这个月又会推出新一轮的定心与援助配套资助 (Assurance Package)。再过几天，黄循财总理会在今年的财政预算案中，宣布更多协助国人应付生活开支的援助措施。因此，在应付生活费方面，人们应该都会有基本的保障。

第二，住房方面，政府在过去的两三年来，加快步伐兴建组屋， 让年轻夫妇能够更快地拥有自己的家。去年，在德义区就推出了 Central Trio，新的BTO项目。因为Central Trio靠近宏茂桥中心，价格会比标准组屋高出一些。不过，在建屋局去年开始施行的新政策下，Central Trio被规划为优选地段的预购组屋 (BTO Plus)。换句话说，申请者能够享有更高的政府津贴。有了这些津贴，更多人可以考虑申请Central Trio 的组屋。

第三，德义和宏茂桥的基础设施也在不断地改进。宏茂桥中心的翻新工程，已在去年竣工。德义也有不少乐龄居民。所以，在设施方面，我们特别融入了方便乐龄人士的元素，以便更好的照顾年长居民。有坐的地方，有乘凉的地方，有不需要走楼梯的地方，有很多方便老人家的设施。宏茂桥31街的第一个“安心街道”就是个好例子。再过不久，宏茂桥市镇理事会将和大家分享过去五年里在社区内所完成的许许多多建设项目，以及介绍宏茂桥未来的发展计划。

第四，德义和宏茂桥的交通网络也将有所改善。南北交通廊建成后，将缩短居民的通勤时间。新的跨岛地铁线 (Cross Island Line) 竣工后，在宏茂桥第一道和第六道的交界处，会有新的德义地铁站；让居民能够乘搭地铁，往东南西北，四通八达。我知道这许多的建筑工程，在施工时，为居民们带来不少的不便。 但放眼未来，它们将提升大家的生活水平，让大家的生活更方便。不久前通车的汤申-东海湾线就是一个好例子。现在（它）已经通车了，过去几年的不方便已经过去了。我看大家应该知道，可以了解， 这是我们应该做的事请。所以，恳请大家多多包容。

第五，在绿化环保方面，我们也取得了良好的进展。我们充分利用了组屋屋顶，安装了太阳能板。这既环保，也帮助宏茂桥市镇理事会节省电源开支，间接减轻居民服务与杂费 (S&CC)上的负担。S&CC的上涨可以缓和一点，不用起得这么高。

总的来说，宏茂桥区里多方面的改善，反映了政府多年来，因为有了选民的委托，才能够做周全、长远的计划，不被短期的纷扰而分散注意力。这也让我们在过去的几十年来，能够充分利用大致平稳的国际政治局势，让国家各方面能够稳定发展。

不过，国外的大环境现在并不明朗。欧洲战事尚未平息。中东以巴的冲突虽然暂时停火，但根本问题尚未解除，事态不稳。中美关系会不会继续僵化？而这对台海和南中国海的局势，以及我们的区域平安和稳定又会带来什么变数？美国有了新的政府。它的政治理念和世界观点与过去截然不同。新政府所提出的新措施，以及对多个课题的新立场，对亚洲以及新加坡会有什么影响? 我们每天看报纸，每天有新闻，每天都（觉得）惊奇，每天问自己我们的世界何去何从。

我们这个弹丸小国的生息，和动荡的国际局势脱不了关系。

但是我有信心，只要大家全民一心，我们能够共度难关。毕竟，过去几十年来，政府与人民共同经历了不少风风雨雨。政府一直以来，竭尽所能，领导国人，为未来做好准备。我们用心制定和施行完善的政策，把国家建设好。也注重国人的教育和技能提升，帮助国人与时并进，保持优势， 能有好的工作和机遇。所以我有把握，通过政府的各项措施，与国人的努力，团结一致，我们有能力克服眼前的挑战，塑造一个更温馨的国家，一个更好的生活。希望大家像过去60年一样，继续支持政府，与我们携手同心、同舟共济，共同打造一个更美好的未来，让新加坡再攀高峰。

接下来，让我用英语继续演讲。谢谢大家。 

English Remarks

Good evening everybody, and welcome to our Teck Ghee Chinese New Year Dinner again!

The Year of the Dragon has been good to us. We have much to be thankful for. We carried out a smooth leadership transition. Our economy grew by 4% – stronger than expected. Inflation has come down.

A Troubled World

But much uncertainty awaits us in this new year. International geopolitics is as tense as ever. US-China relations remain fraught, with fundamental differences unresolved. In Europe, the war in Ukraine is about to enter its fourth year. In the Middle East, there is a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and some hostages are being released, exchanged for prisoners. But the fundamental Palestinian issues remain unresolved – and probably worsened. Thankfully, Southeast Asia continues to be at peace. But the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait remain potential flashpoints. And we must continue working hard on our relations with our neighbours.

There is now a significant new factor in all of these: and that is the new US administration. Because of internal challenges and divisions, the US now has an Administration with a very different approach to government and to the world. It is defining American interests more narrowly. It takes a transactional approach to achieve its immediate outcomes. It looks on tariffs favourably: as a preferred policy tool, an external source of revenue, and a way to force other countries to make concessions. It is also withdrawing from multilateral commitments like the WHO and the Paris Accords on climate change. The US is no longer prepared to underwrite the global order. This makes the international environment far less orderly and predictable. Singapore, like all other countries, must adapt to this new reality, even as we seek to maintain our strong ties and friendship with the US.

Singapore’s Path Forward

But even in this troubled world, small countries like Singapore can act and must act, to secure ourselves. What can we do to continue to survive and thrive? Two things - Sticking to two fundamental factors that have brought us here today: First, having a strong and competent Government that anticipates challenges, earns your trust, and makes good decisions to secure your future. Second, by staying united as one people, who understand the world we live in and the challenges we face, and work closely with the Government to make our dreams a reality. Very often, in other countries the governments fail to deliver, and every few years, the country changes governments – this one does not work, toss them out, try again. And each time, the people hope for a better future. But each time, they hope in vain. And then, they get political churn. Policies are incoherent – stop, start, forward, reverse, try something else. And they lose many opportunities to improve their lives.

Singapore has been exceptional. We have enjoyed strong trust and partnership between the Government and Singaporeans for more than 60 years. This is why we have been able to make consistent progress decade after decade, instead of chopping and changing course every few years. That is how we have built today’s Singapore and reached SG60.

This Government understands the challenges ahead and we have worked out plans to take Singapore forward amidst the uncertainty, just as we have done for so many decades.

We continue to support you on immediate cost of living concerns, especially families who need help the most. Households received $300 in CDC vouchers in January, on top of the $800 disbursed last year. You would also have received GST vouchers, U-Save rebates, Public Transport Vouchers, and many other forms of support. And there is more help to come in the upcoming Budget.

Housing remains a key priority. HDB has caught up with the COVID backlog, and is on track to launch more than 100,000 flats by this year, counting over five years since 2021. 100,000 flats in five years! And the new Standard, Plus and Prime framework will help keep BTO flats affordable and available to all.

Beyond immediate issues, we are investing heavily in Singapore’s future. Investing in people – in your education, training, and upskilling. So that our youth and workers have the skills to remain competitive and secure good jobs, even as the economy is transformed with new technologies, with robots, with AI – we learn the new skills, we do the new jobs. We are investing in our country and our infrastructure. We are building Changi Terminal 5 and Tuas Megaport – which will make our world-class airport and seaport even better. We are building new train lines and expressways – like the Thomson-East Coast Line, the Cross Island Line and the North-South Corridor going through Ang Mo Kio and Teck Ghee – to improve connectivity and convenience for all. We are building new hospitals and community care facilities – like the Woodlands Health Campus, which I opened last year – to take better care of our ageing population. And on the East Coast, we are building the Long Island – a massive, decades-long reclamation project to protect us as sea levels rise with global warming.

Most importantly, we are investing in our social fabric, through Forward SG. Programmes like ComLink+ and the Fresh Start Housing Scheme will uplift our vulnerable, and enhance social mobility. It gives hope for the needy; it gives opportunities for everyone. We recently launched SGSHARE. This is a national regular giving programme linked to SG60 and ComChest. It will spur volunteerism and strengthen bonds amongst fellow Singaporeans.

We are building a Singapore: Where every citizen belongs, where everyone will have every opportunity to succeed, no matter your starting point in life, where we all share a sense of participation and purpose, and where we take ownership of our nation’s future together.

None of these good things will happen by themselves. It does not fall from heaven; it does not appear by magic. We have to make it happen. It requires a capable, caring Government with the foresight to look ahead, and the courage to do the right things. And a people who will stay united, and be willing to work with the Government over the long term.

Conclusion

As long as we continue to work hard and work together, I am confident that Singapore will stay exceptional. We are different from others. We must always be different from others. Our economy can then continue to grow. We can have good homes to live in. Singaporeans can secure good jobs and wages. And we can build a better tomorrow, for us and for our children.

As we welcome the Year of the Snake, let us move forward with confidence, courage, and optimism. I wish everyone good health, prosperity, and happiness. Happy New Year!

Thank you very much!

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