Chinese New Year Message 2016 from PM Lee Hsien Loong

My heartiest good wishes to all, as we welcome the Year of the Monkey.

Chinese New Year is a special occasion. It is a time to remind ourselves of the importance of family: How it is our pillar of strength and support; how it cheers us on when we are down and rejoices with us when we achieve success; how it is always there for us.

So during this festive period, we look forward to reunion dinner with our families on 除夕 (Chinese New Year’s Eve). We catch up with not only our immediate families, but also our grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces. We exchange mandarin oranges and indulge in delicious New Year goodies. We make New Year visits to each other’s homes, to 拜年 . We welcome new additions to families. The not-so-young ones tease the younger ones with embarrassing questions: asking singles: “Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”; asking young people who are dating, “When are you getting married?”; and asking newlyweds, “When are you having a baby?”

I was delighted that last year, more Singaporeans welcomed babies into their families – 33,800 citizen births, the most in 13 years, and even slightly more than the dragon year in 2012. I hope we will have more babies in the Year of the Monkey. The Government will continue to support Singaporeans in the many responsibilities and joys of parenthood.

Besides babies, family is also about living a full life, experiencing joys and sorrows over a lifetime together with our loved ones – from being a child, growing up, finding love, starting and bringing up a family, growing old together. So when I watched this video, I thought it encapsulated what family really means. This is why the family is such an important building block of society. It is the model of how we should relate to one another as fellow citizens, seeing one another as members of an extended Singapore family.

Last week, I met the finalists of The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award: a builder of schools for the poor in Southeast Asia; a nurse who risked her life to care for Ebola patients in Sierra Leone; an ex-consultant who opened up his home to take care of at-risk youths; a sales promoter who cleaned up a stranger who had soiled himself while grocery shopping.

I was humbled and inspired by their stories. None of them thought what he or she did was special. They were all ordinary Singaporeans, but they all did extraordinary things. They brightened life a little, motivated only to put right what they found wrong, and bring solace and hope to those who were suffering or needed help. By helping others, and inspiring many more, they have made a difference to Singapore and to the world.

That is what Singapore should be about. How we treat each other and what we are willing to do for one another defines who we are. This country belongs to all of us, and is what we make of it. It is big hearts that must make our little red dot shine bright.

Chinese New Year is also a time when we wish each other good health and prosperity. That is why we give each other pineapple tarts, because “pineapple” in dialect sounds like “Ong Lai” （旺来）, which means “may prosperity come”.

Yet, I know that the economic outlook is filled with uncertainty. The world economy is slowing, and even China’s economy is softening. Stock markets around the world are down. Business sentiment in Singapore is guarded.

The Government is watching the situation closely. We do not expect a severe downturn, like the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. The Government will continue to support businesses and workers as we restructure and upgrade. We must continue to strive to get on to the right path, so that we can prosper again when conditions improve, as they will.

We should take these ups and downs in our stride. We still enjoy full employment, and there are still opportunities to be seized, in Singapore and in the region. I hope you will continue to go for them, to be 机智灵巧 , just as the monkey leaps onto higher branches to pick peaches, and through his wit and agility takes care of himself, and stays at least one jump ahead of others.

Happy Chinese New Year! 祝大家猴年大吉!

在我们迎接2016猴年到来之际，让我衷心祝愿大家新春快乐。

新春佳节，意义深长，让我们深刻感受到家庭和亲情的重要：家庭是我们的精神支柱和力量泉源；我们的家人，在我们失意的时候，鼓励和安慰我们；在我们成功的时候，则跟我们一起欢庆；他们永远守候在我们身边。

因此，每逢春节，我们都热切盼望着与家人在除夕之夜共享团圆饭。我们互相拜年，珍惜跟至亲的家人相聚，还有机会拜访爷爷奶奶、外公外婆，叔叔舅舅、姑姑阿姨、堂表兄弟姐妹、侄儿女、外甥女等等。我们叙旧，了解彼此的近况、生活。我们尊重传统，见面时会互换柑桔，互相问好祝福，一起享用糕点美食。遇到亲人添了喜，迎来宝宝，整个家族都分享那份喜悦。长辈遇到小辈，难免要关心一下他们的终身大事。他们会问：有对象了吗？什么时候结婚？什么时候生孩子？长辈总是一片好意，不过小辈有时候觉得很难招架，如临大敌。

去年，我国更多家庭添了宝宝，全年迎来了33，800个金禧宝宝，令我感到欣慰。这是13年来最多新生公民的一年，比2012龙年还多一些。我希望国人在猴年再接再厉，增添更多宝宝。政府会继续给予支持，助国人抚育孩子，享受为人父母的喜悦。

当然，家的意义不只是在于生儿育女；家让我们的人生更加圆满，在人生旅途中有亲人相伴，同甘共苦——从稚嫩的小孩到长大成人，从恋爱到成家，从为人父母到白头偕老。最近我看了配合农历新年推出的终身健保宣传短片《终生的爱护Love of a Lifetime》，觉得它凸显了家的真正意义。家庭是社会重要的基石，我们关爱家庭，也应该关爱国家和同胞，把新加坡看作是大家应该共同守护的大家庭。

上个星期，我在《海峡时报》“新加坡年度人物”奖的颁奖礼上同获选入围的人士会面，让我留下深刻印象。他们包括一位在东南亚地区为贫苦学生 建造学校的热心人士、一位在塞拉利昂冒着生命危险照顾伊波拉病患的护士、另一位是把住家开放给边缘少年的前销售顾问；以及一位无私善良的推销员：她不辞劳苦照顾一名非亲非故、患上失禁症的老人。

这些人士的仁风善举，让我深感敬佩，也获得启发。他们无不谦虚地说，他们是平常人做平常的事；然而，这些背景平凡的新加坡人显露出的是种种很不平凡的精神。他们为他人的生命带来阳光和温暖，引导误入歧途的人重新走上正途，为孤苦无依的人带来安慰和希望。他们无私地帮助别人，也启发了许多人，他们改善了他人的生活，让新加坡和世界变得更美好。

这样的关爱精神，正是新加坡社会所应该彰显的。我们待人接物的态度，将决定我们会成为怎样的社会。新加坡属于每一个人民，是全体人民一起打造的国家。唯有人民富有爱心，乐于助人，我们这个小红点才能够持续发光发亮。

新春佳节期间，人们互相送上美好祝愿，在言语上尽量讨个好兆头。这就是为什么大家喜欢互赠黄梨挞糕饼，因为黄梨的方言发音类似“旺来”，寓意“好运来”。

我们都希望猴年风调雨顺，一片兴旺。不过，今年的经济展望并不是很明朗。全球经济正在放缓，即使是中国也不例外，而世界各地的股市也表现疲弱。本地的企业对经济前景持着谨慎的态度。

政府正在密切留意接下来的经济走势。我们预计不会面对类似2008年全球金融危机那样严重的经济衰退。在我国进行经济转型之际，政府将继续协助企业重组和员工提升技能。我们必须继续朝正确的方向前进，这样一来，当经济情况好转时，而这样的时刻也一定会到来，我们才能继续取得繁荣。

我们必须冷静和从容地面对这些经济方面的起起落落。我们依然处于全民就业的水平，而在新加坡和我们所处的地区还是有不少的发展机会。我希望大家会继续把握这些机会，正如灵猴为了生存会跳到更高的枝干摘桃吃一样，它们展现机智与灵巧，抢占先机，我们也应如此。

谨祝大家猴年大吉，心想事成！

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