PM Lawrence Wong at the Taoist Federation's 35th Anniversary Interfaith Dinner

Mr Tan Thiam Lye, President of the Taoist Federation,
Religious leaders, interfaith representatives,
My Parliamentary colleagues,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am delighted to join you this evening for this double celebration for Singapore’s 60th anniversary and also the Taoist Federation’s 35th anniversary. The Taoist Federation could have two people to speak just now in English and Mandarin. Unfortunately I have to do both together – one person. So I will speak in English first before I continue in Mandarin later.

It is very good on this occasion to see leaders from different faith communities joining us for this celebration. And to all our Muslim friends, I want to wish you a Selamat Hari Raya, and peace, happiness and prosperity to you and your families as well. A gathering like this is testament to the religious harmony that we enjoy in Singapore.

We did not get here by chance. It is the result of hard work by successive generations of Singaporeans. The government did its part to pass laws and policies to protect and safeguard cohesion. Our religious leaders put in the effort to build mutual trust and understanding. And Singaporeans also cooperated and interacted with one another and expanded the common space we shared with one another. And so together, we built a harmonious and united Singapore.

Tonight, I want to take this opportunity to thank all our religious leaders for your commitment to harmony and inter-faith dialogue in Singapore. Thank you very much.

Looking ahead, we will face new and complex challenges. The world is undergoing profound changes. We see conflicts and wars in the Middle East, in Europe, and other places. But more worrying is the fact that the great powers are experiencing more rivalry, more contest. There is less trust amongst them. There are more barriers to economic cooperation, and less willingness to work together. And all that means that there will be powerful forces that seek to deepen the fault-lines of race and religion in Singapore, and will threaten to pull our society further apart. We must work hard to prevent that from happening, and redouble our efforts to maintain social cohesion. It will not be easy, because so many other countries around the world are struggling with this. But here in Singapore, we have every chance of succeeding and keeping this place a beacon of stability and harmony. So even as we celebrate SG60 this year, let us renew and strengthen our resolve to protect what we have, and to keep Singapore strong and united. And I look forward to walking this journey with all of you to build a better future for everyone in Singapore. Thank you very much!

肯定道教社群的卓越贡献

各位来宾，大家晚上好！我很荣幸和大家一同庆祝新加坡道教总会成立35周年，也很高兴看到各宗教团体的朋友都在场。

你们的出席，体现了我国各宗教之间的和谐关系，让今天的晚宴更有意义。这其中少不了道总的功劳和贡献。

自1990年成立以来，道总除了弘扬道教和团结道教社群，也加强各宗教团体之间的合作。

道总一直鼓励会员跟其他宗教团体，建立友好关系，促进信徒之间的相互理解和尊重。

例如，道总和其他宗教团体合作，一起为慈善出力。

在本地，道总和居士林及回教传教协会合作，为低收入家庭的学生提供助学金。

去年，多所道教庙宇也响应和谐圈所发起的筹款活动，帮助加沙的平民。

道总和各大宗教团体的努力，让新加坡成为了更包容、凝聚力更强的社会。

今晚我们为道总35周年庆欢聚一堂。在这个特别的日子，我要感谢道总和本地道教社群，多年来不断为国家的付出和贡献。谢谢大家！

回顾过去，展望未来

对新加坡来说，今年也是特殊的一年，是新加坡建国60周年。

在华族传统里，人活到60年，也就是一甲子，象征一个完整的生命周期，是一个重要的人生里程碑。

正如人的一生，一定有起有落，新加坡的建国历程也一样。

当我国在1965年独立时，很多人并不看好我们。但我们成功突破重重困难，创造奇迹。

独立初期，我国面临许多挑战，包括经济、社会及国家安全等方面的问题。当时，我们无依无靠，也没有现成的模式可以参考，只能随机应变，迎难而上。

尽管如此，我们的建国先贤没有放弃。相反的，他们尽全力，为国家的未来努力。结果，我们不仅生存下来，还蓬勃发展，成为了繁荣的“小红点”。

最重要的是，我们打造了一个不分种族、语言、宗教，人人都有机会取得成功的新加坡。

是一代代国人的努力付出，才让新加坡有今天的成就。为此，我们应该心怀感恩。

一甲子不仅是圆满的句点，更是崭新的开始。我们谁也不知道未来是怎样的，但一定要准备好迎接新挑战。

因为世界正处在一个转折点。 美国和中国的竞争已经加剧，两国的关系会持续紧张。我们也可以看到许多国家，因为种族、宗教和政治的课题已导致社会分裂。

即使这样，一些比较大的国家，有丰富的资源，还是能继续运作。

可是如果发生在新加坡，我们就无法生存。

所以我们必须竭尽所能，团结起来，同心协力克服挑战。

幸运的是，多元文化一直是我国的优势。我们拥有不同的宗教信仰，但一直以来彼此尊重，和谐共处。

前几天，我到芽笼士乃的开斋节市集走走 (Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar)，就看到不同种族和宗教的新加坡人聚在一起，体验不同的文化，非常热闹。

而今晚的晚宴，也有各宗教团体的代表出席，反映了大家的友好关系。

展望未来，我们必须继续努力，维护种族宗教的和谐。在这方面，道总和各大宗教团体，扮演非常重要的角色。

正如陈会长刚才提到，道总必须与时并进，为新加坡的宗教和谐，继续做出贡献。

今后，道总和各大宗教团体，在加强国人互信方面，必须发挥更关键的作用。

我有信心，只要全国上下一心，我们一定能克服未来的种种挑战。让我们一起努力，巩固社会凝聚力，携手打造更坚韧团结的新加坡。

谢谢大家！

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