PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Teck Ghee National Day Celebration Dinner 2022

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

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各位德义的居民，大家晚上好！

我们两年没能举行国庆晚宴。很高兴今年再有机会和大家欢聚在一起，很高兴，所以祝大家国庆日快乐。

首先让我用国语发言:

Salam sejahtera para penduduk dan rakan-rakan di Teck Ghee!

Selepas dua tahun, saya gembira kerana kita dapat sama-sama berkumpul untuk menyambut Hari Kebangsaan.

Semasa Rapat Umum Hari Kebangsaan minggu lalu, saya menyentuh tentang bagaimana masyarakat Melayu/Islam telah maju dengan baik sepanjang beberapa dekad yang lalu. Prestasi akademik anda yang meningkat, membantu mewujudkan pekerjaan yang lebih mantap, pendapatan yang lebih tinggi, dan kehidupan yang lebih baik.

Sama pentingnya bagi masyarakat Melayu/Islam ialah faktor budaya dan kerohanian. Saya pasti ramai anda gembira kegiatan keagamaan dapat disambung semula. Ini termasuk sembahyang Tarawih dan Jumaat, serta ibadah Haji. Semasa Ramadan, saya berpeluang mengunjungi Masjid Al-Muttaqin dan berbuka puasa bersama-sama tahun ini, setelah dua tahun berbuka secara dalam talian.

Saya juga gembira melihat para penduduk Teck Ghee berkumpul untuk meraikan adat dan budaya Melayu melalui kumpulan-kumpulan seni seperti kompang dan dikir barat di kelab masyarakat. Ini penting untuk kekalkan semangat kemasyarakatan kita.

Saya amat gembira melihat masyarakat Melayu/Islam mengukir identiti Melayu/Islam Singapura yang tersendiri dan penuh berkeyakinan. Inilah caranya kita dapat terus membina sebuah Singapura yang lebih teguh dan yang lebih berdaya tahan.

Izinkan saya teruskan ucapan dalam Bahasa Mandarin dan Inggeris.

各位居民，这两年多来，我们齐心对抗冠病，历经了不少考验和波折。现在，我们的生活渐渐恢复正常了，也正在学习如何与冠病共存。在这期间，大家互相扶持，也全力配合政府的防疫措施。我衷心感谢大家的付出和努力，辛苦你们了！

上个星期，我在国庆群众大会上谈到了生活费的问题。人民都担心“钱不够用”。政府知道，人民对物价上涨感到担忧。所以，我们及时采取了各种措施，协助减轻国人的负担。例如，低收入家庭的成年人，这个月就可以得到多达700元 的现金补助。政府也发放了社区发展理事会（CDC）的邻里购物券。所有新加坡家庭去年12月获得了100元 的购物券。今年5月又获得了100元的购物券。明年1月还有多200元 的购物券。所以援助是持续下去的。此外我们还有各种各样的援助措施，包括U-Save 水电费和杂费回扣，以及保健储蓄和儿童教育户头填补。这些都是全国性的援助计划，但是我们社区内也有多项措施，帮助到有需要的居民。例如，德义区也分发餐券和必需品购物券，让受惠的居民在区内的小贩中心、咖啡店或杂货店使用。我们也有另一项计划，就是每个星期会送面包和罐头食品给有需要的居民。所以在这种困难的时期，我们互相扶持，互相帮忙，可以共同的、安稳的度过难关。

在群众大会上，我也谈到了我国人口快速老化的问题。德义区就有相当多的乐龄人士。其实在我们的区，65岁及以上的居民，占四分之一。在未来几年里，这个比例会一步一步的升高。为了能够更好的照顾乐龄居民，我们在宏茂桥增添了各种新的设施：例如宏茂桥专科中心，让居民在区内就可以看专科医生，不需要去太远的医院去求医看病、以及圣路加乐龄关怀宏茂桥之家，可为乐龄居民提供日间护理和复健服务。我们在翻新德义区和宏茂桥市镇的过程中，会继续照顾好乐龄居民的需求，为他们打造一个安全和舒适的居住环境。例如，宏茂桥1道组屋的邻区更新计划将增添无障碍设施，并为组屋底层和其他共用空间注入活力。我们也准备重新设计和翻新我们的市镇中心，种植更多花草树木，以及增建歇脚处和有盖设施，让环境更舒适，居民通行更便利。除了改善基础设施之外，我们也为乐龄居民举办了许多社区活动，包括跳尊巴舞（Zumba）和快步走运动，以及手工艺品工作坊等等。

我很高兴看到许多居民参与我们的活动 。希望大家继续保持身心活跃和健康 ，平时多注意饮食，也定期做身体检查。这样，我们才能够充分享受和亲友欢聚的快乐。

经过了疫情的考验，社会已经变得更有凝聚力，更加坚强。要面对未来的各种考验，在照顾好年长居民的同时，我们也必须竭尽所能为下一代长计远虑。因为为了国家的未来，为了下一代的幸福，我们必须要为他们着想，为他们打好一个稳固的,坚强的基础。

这样，新加坡的前途才会更加光明。

最后，让我用英语说几句话 ：

Good evening, Residents and Friends of Teck Ghee! A very Happy National Day to all of you and I am very delighted to see you all back in-person for our National Day Dinner again.

We have come a long way in our fight against COVID-19.

I am very happy that in Teck Ghee and elsewhere in Singapore, residents have come together to support one another. Going door to door – distributing masks, ART kits and CARE packs to households. Teck Ghee was one of the first neighbourhoods to trial the “Bring Your Own Bottle” initiative to provide free hand sanitisers to all our residents, which helped us to roll out the scheme nation-wide all over the country later on. On vaccinations, too, our CC here was one of the vaccination centres and our residents encouraged each other to take the jabs. Many of you went on house visits to explain to fellow residents, especially older ones, about the benefits of vaccinations, and addressed their concerns to encourage them to come and get jabbed and volunteered at our vaccination centre to help make sure that everything ran smoothly. Every effort counted in our fight against COVID-19. That is how we have come through the pandemic, as one united people.

Last week at the National Day Rally, I also spoke about our plans for reimagining and transforming Singapore. It applies not just to new towns, but also to mature estates like Teck Ghee.

We are continually improving our living areas, our neighbourhoods, our town centres. We are upgrading our estates. For example, in Blocks 221 to 226, all the way to 226G at Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 we are having the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP), which will be completed by 3rd quarter 2023. We are also enhancing many amenities and facilities in Teck Ghee and Ang Mo Kio. Last month I opened the new PCF Sparkletots @ Blk 227 because there are many young residents there in the new blocks. This will provide more accessible and affordable childcare for young families. At the same time, Ang Mo Kio Central Market & Food Centre at Block 724 have also re-opened after renovation. We have further plans to upgrade and redesign our town centre, make it more enjoyable and accessible to residents, with more greenery, more seats, and more shelters. Suitable for old people and also for young people. We hope that the first phase of upgrades will be completed as early as middle of next year. It will stretch from the square outside AMK hub and 51@AMK, through our outdoor shopping street, all the way to the Central Stage. We will hold an exhibition of our town's future developments sometime next year. I hope you can all come down to take a look. Many improvements in Teck Ghee and Ang Mo Kio which we can all look forward to.

As we celebrate National Day this month, let us continue to stay united, let us support one another, let us strive to build an even better, more caring and inclusive home for all of us in Singapore.

We wish you all a very Happy National Day! 谢谢大家。Terima kasih.

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