SM Goh Chok Tong at the Marine Parade National Day Dinner 2010

Live Our Dreams

The theme for this year’s National Day Parade is “Live Our Dreams, Fly our Flag”. Tonight, I want to speak on the Singapore Dream. This will be more cheerful than talking about the Singapore Gripe. Of course, some Singaporeans, understandably, gripe over several current issues like the recent floods, home prices, crowded MRT trains and distance fare pricing. But we should not lose sight of the many more things which are going well for Singapore. For instance, we have rebounded with a vengeance from last year’s recession. Or take a walk along Marina Bay and soak in the beauty and vibrancy. So tonight, I encourage you to look at the bright side of things and live your dreams. This is far healthier than to live the Singapore Gripe and drone on like vuvuzelas.

I grew up in a house without electricity and modern sanitation. But my dream as a teenager was not to own a home with modern comforts. It was to go to university. In the 1960s, very few students went to university. Getting a degree was indeed a dream.

At university, my dream was to get a PhD and become a professor. I never lived this dream. I was bonded to serve the government because of my university bursary.

However, I did not gripe about a broken dream. I was thankful to get a good and secure job. In those days, Singapore was poor and unemployment was high, at about 14 per cent. So getting a job, any job, was the first priority of people in my generation. Our next priority was to get married and set up home. We aspired to buy a 3-room flat and a car. So our dream was caricatured as “1, 2, 3, 4” – one wife, two children, 3-room flat and four wheels. Why only two children? You may remember the family planning slogan of “Stop at Two” at that time.

Singapore achieved rapid economic growth through the 70s, 80s and 90s. Incomes went up. So did the aspirations of the young. By the 90’s, the Singapore Dream had been elevated to the 5 Cs – cash, credit cards, car, condominium, and country club membership. Owning a HDB flat was the norm. So Singaporeans dreamt of owning condominiums. They also wanted to join country clubs to enjoy a genteel lifestyle.

Twenty years on, what are Singaporeans’ dreams today? With many more avenues now to get a polytechnic diploma or university degree, and a growing economy, our young should be able to get good jobs. And with our renewed productivity drive, our income will continue to rise. So, most Singaporeans should have the first two Cs – cash and credit cards. They can also aspire to own good quality housing. In fact, our newer HDB estates are becoming like condominiums – lush landscaping, covered multi-storey car parks, children’s playgrounds, adult fitness stations and elderly wellness centres. Amenities in community clubs are also close by. What about a car and country club membership? Well, should the young wish to pursue these two Cs, they are attainable for a large number of Singaporeans. In short, if the 5 Cs are still what young Singaporeans dream about, with hard work, I think this dream is within their reach.

But I wish to raise a more fundamental question – at this stage of Singapore’s development, should we still be spinning this same dream of 5 Cs? Should we not re-think our priorities? Should our young not aim at something different, something more meaningful, a life more fulfilling? I am not suggesting that material goods are not important or that there is anything wrong with chasing after the 5 Cs. But the 5 Cs should not be our end goals. As I have said earlier, so long as we can achieve good economic growth, most Singaporeans should have a good chance of attaining most, if not all, of the 5 Cs. Also, chasing the 5 Cs alone may not necessarily mean a rich, fulfilling life. Conversely, even if we cannot have all the 5 Cs, we can still lead a happy, satisfying and meaningful life.

Of course, there would always be Singaporeans for whom life is a daily struggle. Their needs are more basic – an HDB flat and cash to pay the bills. But I believe that they too have dreams. They may want opportunities to upgrade their skills and to give more to their children. They surely want their children to do well. And I am confident that their children will. They will be developed, whatever their talent. So long as the children put in the effort, they too will have every chance of giving their parents a better life and living their own dreams.

Indeed, I notice that our young, or Gen Y, are broadening their goals beyond the 5Cs. They are putting more emphasis on leading a rounded, fulfilling life. They want work-life balance. They are active in sports and the arts. Many leave good paying jobs to pursue their passion or dreams. I have met a couple of young men who left their banking jobs to become chefs. I have a friend whose daughter has just graduated but chose to train as a yoga instructor. She wants to specialise in hot yoga, i.e. yoga practised in high room temperature. My friend accepts her daughter’s choice of career so long as she finds satisfaction in what she is doing.

Our young have a sense of adventure. They climb mountains, sail the high seas, motor-biked around the world and travel extensively. But they do not think only of themselves. Many participate in volunteer programmes. They contribute to charity. They are active in NGOs and are concerned about humanitarian and green issues.

I am happy at this trend to follow one’s passion and lead a more fulfilling life. But I worry that along the way, some of them might have dropped “1 wife and 2 children” from their dreams. In my view, having a family is a vital part of a fulfilling life. It should be at the core of every Singapore Dream. When I look back on my life, the happiest moments were playing with my children, bringing them to school and nurturing them. I watched them grow, I shared their struggle from teenage to adulthood, I shed tears when they married and rejoiced when they had families of their own. It is a feeling of immense satisfaction and achievement. And now, I feel totally contented whenever I can spend time with my grandchildren.

Tonight, whatever your age, I encourage you to spin your dreams. My own dream now is not about my own future. It is about the future of Singapore. If I have to reinvent the 5Cs, my dream is to help create the conditions for a generation of Singaporeans to have a good Career, live in Comfort, surrounded byChildren, and be Considerate and Charitable.

Let me elaborate. More than just a job or a means to earn a living, Career means constantly striving to be better in your chosen field. No improvement is too small. It is also about realising your full potential and a basis for individual self-respect and dignity.

Comfort means material as well as emotional comfort. You do not need to have a lot of wealth but you must have enough to enjoy a comfortable life. You must also have the right attitude towards life. Otherwise, whatever you have will not be enough for you and you will never be contented.

Children refer to home and family and a new cycle of life. They are the main reasons why many of us want to have a good Career and a Comfortable home.

Beyond self and family, we want to contribute to and live harmoniously in a larger community. That is where the last 2Cs - to be Considerate and Charitable - come in. Being considerate includes having regard for the feelings and needs of others in our speech and actions. Just as we do not want to be hurt by others’ inconsiderate remarks, we should not pass hurtful remarks of others. This goes beyond family members, friends and neighbours. We should be especially considerate, given the potential divisions inherent in our society – divisions between different races and different religions, between Singaporeans and foreigners, and between the young and old. Being Charitable is not just about giving money but your time and effort to help the less fortunate. It means compassion and empathy for others in difficulties.

This is my hope for Singapore. But you should have your own dream. I cannot dream for you; the government cannot dream for you. What the government will do is to create the fertile soil for you to sow and grow your dreams. The first essential condition is a vibrant and growing economy. Such an economy will offer many opportunities and well-paid, challenging jobs.

The second essential condition is a quality education system. We will be spending more on education and life-long worker training. The changes being made to our education system are transformational and exciting. They will reach out to every Singaporean and at every level, taking into account our children’s different abilities and interests. At the top end, young Singaporeans will have more universities and more pathways to choose from. At the lower end, we have paid special attention to those who are academically weak through dedicated schools like Northlight School (NLS) and Assumption Pathway School (APS). These schools have more teachers per student to provide closer supervision and stronger pastoral care and support. These two schools are showing good results. They will serve as useful models for more such schools to be set up later. With all these developments, whatever your child’s talent, be it academic or non-academic, he or she will be better prepared to work and live in a globalised economy.

With these two essential conditions, you should be able to build on them to create your own future and to live your dreams.

I wish you all the best and a Happy National Day!

* * * * *

国务资政吴作栋在马林百列国庆晚宴上华语讲话全文 2010年8月7日（星期六）

我们腾飞的梦想

各位马林百列的朋友和居民：

今年的国庆庆典主题是“腾飞的梦想，飘扬的国旗”。今晚，我想借这个主题说说我的看法，希望能够带动大家深入讨论。

首先，我从我的经历说起。记得小时候，我住的房子，没有电，也没有现代的卫生设备。我就是在这么一间简陋的房子长大的。不过，我当时的梦想并不是要住大房子。当时，我的梦想是上大学。在60年代，很少人能上大学。能考获一张大学文凭是一件梦寐以求的事。

大学毕业后，我的梦想是成为一名大学教授。然而，我始终无法实现这个梦想。因为，考上大学时我申请了政府助学金，毕业后得依照合约在政府部门工作。

那是一个艰苦的年代，新加坡很穷，很多人没有工作。虽然，我无法实现梦想，但是，能找到一份好工作，我很高兴。对我这一代的人来说，找份好工作是人生的头等大事。至于第二等大事，当然是结婚生子了。我们当中，有很多人梦想有房有车。有人曾经这么巧妙地形容我们当时的梦想。口号是：一、二、三、四。一个老婆、两个孩子、三房式组屋、四个轮子。为什么两个孩子？大家还记得吧，

当时的家庭生育口号是：“两个就够了”。

转眼间，70年代、80年代、90年代过去了。那是新加坡经济腾飞的年代，人们的收入多了，眼界高了，梦想也开始不一样了。他们追求的是5个C：(cash) 现金、(credit cards) 信用卡、(car) 车子、(condominium) 公寓、(country club membership) 乡村俱乐部会籍。由于政府推行居者有其屋的政策，多数新加坡人都买得起组屋。于是，人们开始向往高尚的私人住宅。这也是人之常情。人往高处走，水往低处流，谁不想过好日子？不过，我担心，人们在追求梦想时，把“一个老婆、两个孩子”的那一部分给丢了。怪不得，今天我们的总生育率跌到1.22的历史新低。

在我看来，今天的新加坡梦似乎没有起太大的变化。我想，很多年轻人依然认为5C很重要。我相信，接下来的10年，经济还是很蓬勃。目前，同年入学的学生当中，每一届有百分之25升上大学，另外百分之40就读理工学院。所以，年轻人要找一份好工作应该不难。对大多数人来说，要得到现金和信用卡这两个C，应该也不难。即使是购买优质住宅也不是遥远的梦。现在的组屋已经改良了许多，可以说不比私人公寓逊色。只要经济持续增长，年轻人应该能够如愿拥有5C。

不过，以新加坡目前的发展来看，我们是否应该继续织同样的梦？我们的年轻一代，是不是应该有新的梦想？是不是应该有比追求物质更崇高的志向？我不是说追求物质不重要，也不是说5C有什么不对。只不过，5C不应该成为我们的终极目标。即使我们不能拥有所有的5C，我们依然可以追求理想，可以过充实的生活。

依我看，现在的年轻人的确和上一代不一样了。他们重视体育，热爱艺术，不仅仅把它们当爱好，也把它们当职业。他们想看世界，他们要行善，要当志愿工作者。他们要的，是一个活力四射的新加坡。他们要过的，是开心、充实的生活。如果说梦想是种子，那经济就是土壤。土壤肥沃，种子才能长得好。经济繁荣，年轻人的梦想才能飞得更高更远。

所以今晚，我希望大家能够反思一下“梦想”这两个字的意义。我们年轻一代的21世纪梦想，应该是什么？我们该如何实现梦想？

关于这一点，我会在英语演讲里详细说明。

祝大家身体健康，事事顺利，国庆日快乐！

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