AT NATIONAL
DAY RALLY 2005 ON
AT NUS
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE
Introduction
Friends
and fellow Singaporeans, 40 years ago, we set out into an uncertain
future.� We didn�t know what lay ahead
but we were determined to survive and to build a better future for
ourselves.� Today,
����������� One test of this was when the
tsunami hit our neighbours last December.�
Ordinary Singaporeans responded overwhelmingly in cash, in kind,
volunteering to help.� Our volunteers
with NGOs, our doctors and nurses, our SAF and civil defence servicemen, they
carried out rescue and repair operations under very difficult conditions.�
����������� There are so many stories which could
be told, but I have to choose one to represent all the things we did.� In Banda Aceh, the
air traffic control tower at the airport was damaged by the earthquake and the
tsunami.� They needed the airport
operational so that relief supplies could fly in.� We had a mobile air traffic control tower in
����������� Our
response to the tsunami won us respect, as well as friendship.� It showed the world that our people and our
organisations are outfits that are competent, effective, always
ready.� It showed that we care for others
and would do our best to help when our friends are in need.
����������� And so,
when the operation was completed and we left, we left as friends.� In Meulaboh where
we were busiest, Teo Chee Hean went for the farewell ceremony when the SAF sailed
away.� Colonel Geerhan
who was the Indonesian army
commander, who was in Meulaboh
and responsible for it, hugged him, three bear hugs.� We left behind 16,000 school bags in Meulaboh, in Bandar Aceh, in Phuket, in
����������� So, I
think we have friends as a result of this.�
It�s a great tribute to the men and women who took part.� Your team work and spirit made it possible
and you made us all proud to be Singaporeans.�
Some of you are here tonight.� May
I ask you to rise and stand and be recognised.� We salute you.
����������� Another sign that we are maturing as
a country is that I think young Singaporeans now understand what it stands for
us to survive as a nation.� Two weeks
ago, I was here in this cultural centre watching a National Day musical review, �All 4 Love� put on by Lim Swee Say�s grassroots and the GRC, very high quality
production but the casts were all volunteers.�
That�s a National Day production, so National Day stories.� As Lim Swee Say
said, at the end of the story, his tissue box was empty.�
����������� But what registered, what caught my
eye was the cast.� The youngest member
was an 11-year-old girl, primary five, Patty Lim was
her name. And they produced a programme book. So I flipped through and I
found in the programme book what Patty Lim had said for her birthday wish for
����������� As a small country, we pay close
attention to making friends abroad and ensuring
����������� We are investing in
����������� In ASEAN, we�re growing our
linkages on a broad front, talking about an ASEAN community by 2020,
hopefully sooner.� Beyond that,
����������� And our relations with
����������� So, we are friends with all the key players which matter
to us.� They are not all friends with one
another all of the time, and they have various problems amongst themselves but
with
����������� One security issue which we have to
worry about is terrorism.� The
����������� So, you see, even for our National Day Rally, we
have to go through a long process before we can all sit in here tonight --
policemen, Ghurkhas, roadblocks, sentries, scans -- but it�s necessary.� We have to take it with the utmost
seriousness because the terrorists have not given up.�
����������� But we have to be psychologically
prepared.� If ever something happens
here, we�ve got to remain unshaken, respond promptly, efficiently, calmly and
press on as one united people, just like the British did when there were the
bombings on the
����������� Most important of all, we must not
let the terrorists destroy our hard-won racial and religious harmony and social
cohesion, the fabric of our society which we've built up over 40 years.� And that�s why the answer to the terrorists
is not just security measures and bomb scans, but also nation-building.
����������� What will
Developing
the
I
will start with the economy because that�s how we earn a living for
ourselves.� In fact, last year I wanted
to start with the economy, but my ministers told me, everybody knows you make
economic speeches, say something else.� But I�m coming back to the economy this year
because, in fact, that�s the root of how we will solve all our other
problems.�
�����������
����������� I know that many Singaporeans are
concerned about competition.� It�s
understandable because everywhere in the world, people are worried about
competition, anxious about livelihoods.�
����������� I was in
����������� In
����������� Even in
�
����������� But we�re not going to stay
there.� We didn�t get here by doing
nothing.� We started with nothing and we
made this.� We started with mosquito
coils, exporting them.� We went on to
make semiconductors.� We started with bee hoon
makers, now we have the Biopolis.� So, we have to continue to change and to
start ahead of the game and there are two major thrusts that we are going to
continue to grow and prosper.�
����������� The first is to foster innovation
and enterprise and the second is R&D.�
����������� Let me talk about innovation and enterprise first.�
����������� It�s one strong lesson which I took
away after visiting
����������� I�m not saying that
����������� Two years ago, DPM Tony Tan visited
����������� At first he couldn�t speak a word of
Bahasa.� So, to
communicate with his business people, he used a calculator.� He'll do the sums to show,
do
subtractions, additions.� But, over time,
he learnt Bahasa, picked it up without lessons and now he�s doing okay.� He told Lim Chuan
Poh, his attitude was "ga ga zo", "just do
it".�
����������� He wasn�t the only one.� There were about 10 or 20 of them there and
they went to the airport to meet Dr Tony Tan.�
Tony said they did not ask him for anything. But they said: "Please keep the
SAF here a little bit longer because from time to time, there are riots in this
place and we need somebody to protect us.��
����������� So, we need innovation and
enterprise.
����������� Secondly, we have to exploit R&D, knowledge.� We built up this economy based on efficiency,
based on cost-effectiveness.� We work
well, we squeeze costs down, minimise waste and so, we attracted multinationals
to come here.� They provided the
enterprise, we got the jobs.�
����������� Now, we have to go beyond
efficiency.� You must still be efficient,
but you must now develop and exploit knowledge, R&D, compete on the basis
of knowledge and innovation and talent and not just on costs. And that way we can move
the economy to the next level.�
����������� I give you an example of three
companies to show what I mean � Philips, Samsung and Sony. All three electronics companies.� They all started off doing consumer
electronics.� Philips went for R&D,
medical products, sold medical instruments, sophisticated software inside, high
margin, high knowledge content.�
����������� Samsung is in handphones
but fancy handphones, a lot of innovation and
design.� So, they have colour screens, they
have
built-in cameras.� One new model every
few days and they�ve built themselves a big market share and profits.�
����������� Sony is in consumer electronics,
high volume, low margins.� In fact, in recent years, they suffered
losses.� So, we have to adopt a strategy
like Samsung and Philips.�
����������� So over the last year I asked Dr Tan
to chair a ministerial committee on research and development.
They�ve
studied it in-depth, visited many countries, made their recommendations and the
Government has accepted their recommendations -- two big ones.� One is to set up a Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC)
to advise
the Government on research and innovation strategies and to include people from
the private sector, from academia, people from the scientific community and
also the key ministers to be involved in it so that you can get the lessons
first hand.� And secondly, to set up a National Research Foundation (NRF) to fund long-term research in
strategic areas.� We�ve accepted
these recommendations.� This has to be a
national effort, backed by the whole government and with the co-operation of
the private sector.� So, I�ve decided
that for the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council, I will
chair it myself.� The National Research
Foundation, Dr Tony Tan has agreed to chair and he will also be the Deputy
Chairman of the RIEC, the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council, and he will help me to
drive this effort and continue to do so after he steps down as DPM at the end
of this month.�
����������� I�m very grateful to Tony because he
stayed on to help me through this transition year.� He's done major projects, the R&D review,
co-ordinating national security, setting up the system for looking after our
national security, overseeing university education and now agreeing to
contribute after stepping down.�
����������� He has many more contributions to
make to
�����������
����������� So, innovation, enterprise and
R&D, these are the ways to remake the economy.� There are risks in this approach.� We are a small country, we can�t bet on every
number on the table, we have to back certain positions.� But we have to do this and if we succeed, we
will gain a competitive edge which will put us ahead for 15 or 20 years to
come; not forever, but long enough for us to make a living and to work out the
next step forward and, therefore, to create jobs and prosperity for
Singaporeans.�
Progressing together
When
we talk about economic growth, it�s for a social purpose because with growth,
we generate resources and with the resources, we can deal with our social
objectives, the things we want to do, achieve goals, make progress
together.�
����������� We can deal with adjusting to a
society with older Singaporeans.� Last
year I spoke about younger Singaporeans.�
So this year I shall talk about older Singaporeans and their
concerns.�
����������� We can help low-income Singaporeans
to make sure nobody is left out and also, we can make sure that healthcare will
be affordable, which I will talk about briefly at the end.�
Providing
for older Singaporeans
Let
me start with the question of providing for the needs of older
Singaporeans.� We are a society which is
rapidly ageing.� If you are just within
����������� Halimah told me, she went on a
walkabout one day and in the market, met an Indonesian maid, just arrived in
����������� Let me talk first about the workers� attitude.� The older workers have to learn to adjust,
adapt, learn new skills, accept temporary jobs, contract work and go with the
world, with what is available and what they are able to do, and I know of many
older workers who have made these adjustments and who have, therefore, been
able to find jobs and remain productive with the help of enlightened
employers.� They have a strong determination
not to give up.� They stay in the job
market -- no matter what happens, they will do it.�
����������� NTUC Lifestyle magazine recently, a few months ago, had
an article about such a worker.� Her name
is Shirley Lee, she�s 63 years old.� She
was a clerk, she got retrenched in her 50s.� She found another job, she got retrenched
again.� She is now 63.� She has savings, her husband is working, but
they have a young son still in JC and they had decided that they want to save
money for the son�s education, for his future.�
So, she said, "I�m still fit, I can work, I will work".� She tried many jobs, couldn�t find an
employer.� So, she went and got a
certificate in cleaning, became a toilet cleaner, not much pay but she did the
job and I quote what she said.� She told
Lifestyle:� �The son asked me why I had to
stoop so low and be a toilet cleaner, he wanted me to stop.� I told him I see no loss of dignity in being
a toilet cleaner.� I�m earning my living
and I�m not robbing anybody.� Anyway,
what else will I do at home with him so busy in school studying?�
����������� So, with that sort of attitude, Word, Excel, Spreadsheet,
when NTUC Lifestyle published her story, she got 71 job offers.� She chose one to work with SAGE, the
Singapore Action Group of Elders, because she believed in helping others like
her.� So, I wish her well.� I think we all wish her well.
����������� The employers� attitude is equally important.� The companies have to give older workers a
chance.� If when the worker rings up they
say, "What�s your age?"� You
say, "Forty-five", and they say, "Don�t call me, I�ll call
you".� Then, you can�t even
start.� And some of the companies put up
requirements -- spas, front-desk receptionists -- says "40 or below".� I don�t understand this.� If you say "Spa masseuse, work hard, 40
or below", I can understand, but front-desk? Here, you want somebody who
will be able to look after the customer, to have some maturity, be reliable,
loyal, patient, ready to work, experienced and skilled and I think older
workers have that.�
����������� I think employers should change their mindsets and give
older workers a chance.� Older workers,
sometimes employers tell me, "Older workers are so slow, I better pay them don�t
come to work". But I don�t think it�s necessarily
true.� They may need a bit more time to
get used to the environment, but they are not slow.� You go to a fast food joint, you say,
"Regular Coke, takeaway" -- if it�s a teenager, he knows what you�re
talking about.� If it�s somebody my age,
I may say, "You want an economy meal, or you want regular?� You want to eat here or you want to go?"� So, he says, "Regular Coke,
takeaway", but "lia bo kiu" (don�t understand).� But you go to a coffee shop, you say, "One kopi-si kosong, one kopi-gao, one teh-o-peng", no problem,
everybody gets exactly the drink which he ordered.� So, I think older workers can do it.�
����������� There are some good employers, but we need more.� SGH is one good employer.� They�ve got 77 people whom they have
re-employed after reaching retirement age.�
Three of them are reaching 70.�
How do I know?� I asked them.� Why did I ask them?� Because I met one of these, Mr Ng Hon Weng, he�s a radiographer.�
That means he sets you up to take x-ray pictures.� So, whenever I go to SGH, very often, if he�s
on duty, he will do me.� Very efficient,
puts me up, he says, "Hands up, shift a bit, hold your breath", zap,
it�s done.� X-ray comes out, no
re-shoot.� I did this once overseas in a
very well-known hospital -- young man came, he put me on the table, he shifted
the table, he moved me up, he moved me down, he turned me around a little
bit.� Then his supervisor came, says,
"No good, do again".� So,
that�s why Mr Ng, aged 70, is still able to be working, productive, with skills
which he can impart to younger people so that they also can be as good as he is
and maybe even better in time and I think we need more people working like that
and more people willing to employ workers like that.�
����������� We�ve got a tripartite committee working on this
problem.� We�ve got the Workforce
Development Agency, the unions, the CDCs, they�re all
working closer to help older workers, but I think this is something which is
not just policies and formulas and incentives, but mindset change and that�s
why it�s National Day Rally subject.�
����������� The other issue, the second issue I want to talk about on
social issues is low-income Singaporeans, giving them a helping hand.� The recent years have been hard for the low
income group -- uncertainty, retrenchments, bonuses
down, overtime down.� Now, the economy is
picking up and I can see that the wages are going up, recruitment is going up, things are looking up again.�
But we still have to pay attention to this problem because I think it
has not totally gone away and we must make sure that everybody enjoys the
fruits of progress.� And also, we have to
do this to make sure that there�s social mobility, that whether you�re rich or
poor, you have a fair chance of getting your children to do well and to move up
in life.� ��������� We�ve done a lot to help already.� We�ve got all kinds of assistance schemes, like Comcare, particularly this year,
which is a big project.� We�ve got job
redesign and re-creation, so that people can work smarter, be more productive, therefore earn more, whether you�re cleaning
tables, whether you�re sweeping the roads, even driving buses.�
����������� And we focus on education and training to raise earning
power and to make sure that in the long term, we no longer have people who are
low-skilled and, therefore, low-pay.�
I�ll talk about this some more later on.�
����������� But the basic principle which we apply in helping
low-income Singaporeans, which has worked well for us and, we must keep it, is
we go for "workfare", not welfare.�
That means, if you work, if you�re prepared to
help yourself, if you�re going to strive, I will help you to succeed.� But if you sit back and you say, "Please
do something for me and the more you do for me, the less I need to do for
myself", then I think we cannot do that, because that way is perdition, is
a disaster for the individual, he�s demoralised.� It�s disaster for the country.� Instead of going to create wealth, you�re
sitting back and expecting it to fall from heaven.� Cannot be done.�
����������� I would like to highlight just two areas concerning
low-income families tonight.� One is the
question of dysfunctional families.� This
is the group which has multiple problems.�
We see them in MPS.� They come,
one case, five or six letters to write because they are in difficulty with so
many different agencies and actually, even in their own families -- broken up,
children misbehaving and so on.� All
races are represented, but amongst the groups, the Malay community is
over-represented, which is why I talked a little bit more about this in my
Malay speech just now.� But it�s a
problem which we have to address, tackle and to help these people get their
lives in order, most important, to get their children to be sorted out so their
children start off straight in life and don�t go wrong at a young age and then
perpetuate the problem in the next generation.�
So, that�s one of the issues we have to be concerned with.�
����������� The other issue concerning low-income families is to
discuss what we can do to work to build up their assets.� One of the very effective approaches which
this government has implemented over many years is the HDB Home Ownership Scheme.� We subsidise people to own and to save, but
we don�t subsidise people to spend.� So,
HDB home ownership through helping you to have
an HDB flat, we have helped make sure that everybody has a stake in Singapore
and it�s a very, very good way to level up our society.�
����������� So, we collect all kinds of statistics in
����������� It will see him into his old age and his family if he is
prudent.� Also, they have money in the
CPF.� So, I asked, "What about the
CPF?� Let�s look at this group and see
what they have there".
����������� Well, they have something there.� CPF $33,000; Medisave
$16,000 average, so you add up, this group has got about $49,000, nearly
$50,000 savings for the future.� So, I
think that we have done the right thing to help provide for this group of
low-income Singaporeans to make sure that their future is assured,
that they have a stake in
����������� But I think we can do more to help them, not to spend but
to build up their assets. We�ve been studying this and we�ve decided that what
we�re going to do is to have a new scheme, a new CPF Housing Grant Scheme for
lower income families who buy HDB flats.�
Let me explain to you how this works.�
����������� When you buy a HDB flat from the HDB, you get a good
price.� I think everybody knows that,
right?� Because we give it to you at
below the market rate, it�s a discount, it�s meant as a hongbao.� But the discount, the price is the same once
you buy the flat, whether you are $8,000 household income, whether you are
$1,000 household income, it�s the same price, same subsidy, same bite of the
cherry.� So, my question is, can�t we
find a way to help the lower income groups bite from a bigger cherry?� I think there�s a way to do it.�
����������� What you can do is when a family buys a HDB flat, we�ll
assess your income and if your income is in the lower income group, then I
think we can put a grant, paid into your CPF, which will help you to buy the
HDB flat from us.� This is for HDB flat
from the Government and also HDB flat if you want to buy resale, you get the
resale grant and I will give you this grant as well.� So, in effect, if you�re lower income, you
have more and I think if we do this, we would be able to narrow the gap between
the lower income and the people who are doing better off.� ����������� The
details, we have to work out because you want to make sure that people don�t
just stop working to get the grant, but we will find a way to do it.� I think it�s the right way to do, it�s the right way to help
lower-income Singaporeans.� So, I�ve told
Ng Eng Hen.� He says, yes, he�s going to
work hard on this.
����������� Last, I�d like to talk about healthcare costs.� This is a big subject.� If I make a lecture on this, we will spend a
long time.� So, I will find another
occasion to speak fully on this subject but tonight, I just want to say a few
of the things which we are doing in healthcare.�
It�s a concern for many Singaporeans, especially the older Singaporeans
and the lower income Singaporeans.�
So, there are two things which we will do.� One, the MediShield age limit.� Right now, it�s 80.� We will raise it to 85 so that when you are
old, when you need the insurance, the MediShield will
be there, you will be protected.�
����������� Secondly, the Medisave, we will
make it more flexible so that for those people who have enough balances and are
still working, then we can be more liberal in the withdrawal rules for the Medisave.� If you are
going to unsubsidised wards, A or B1 wards, or private hospitals, you can have
a little bit more out of the Medisave balance and if
you go for the SOCs, Specialist Outpatient Clinics,
for major treatments, I think we can allow controlled use from Medisave also.� I
think this will be a great help because even reading the wish
lists of people saying what they
would expect
to hear from the National Day Rally, this was one of them.� So, we are working on this.� I think we can improve our MediShield, Medisave schemes to
make it work better.�
����������� These are problems which do not have easy solutions, but
I can make you this promise -- we are one people together.� Growth and prosperity in
Boost
for polytechnics and ITEs
Next,
I want to talk about education because in order to remake the economy, then
Singaporeans have to be equipped with the right skills and the right
attitudes.� Last year, I spoke about the
schools, "Teach less, learn more", to give our
young more room to discover their passionate interests.� I think it has caused the schools to think in
a different way and considerable progress has been made in this direction.� So, this year, I am going to focus on
post-secondary education, especially the polys and
the ITEs.�
����������� We must have an education system which offers first-class
education to all and not just to an elite few at the top.� We want to create opportunities for all of
our people, regardless of their family background.� We want to develop every talent, not just
those who are academically-inclined, and we want to prevent the problem of low
skills and low incomes from going on into the next generation.� And that's the way we can keep ourselves an
inclusive and a mobile society because if you start at the bottom with a good
education and talent, we can move up.�
����������� That's why
����������� In medical care, it's the same.� Why is our medical care good in
����������� Other countries in the region are going for medical care
and they have doctors who are as qualified as ours, trained in the same Western
institutions in
����������� I was in one country in the region recently and talking
to the diplomats.� So, they were telling me
the operation cost one-half the price in
����������� So, that means we need good polys,
good ITEs and not just good universities.
The polys take the biggest segment of our cohort -- 40 per cent
of our students go to poly. �They are
really already world-class, greatly-admired internationally and I went to visit
one of them.� I went to Nanyang Poly.� I was
very impressed.� They are close to
industry, they can respond to industry needs as the needs change and they
provide practical and useful training to the students.� So, as a result, the graduates are in great
demand, very well-paid and skilled.�
����������� In Nanyang
Poly, I saw two things. One was the Engineering side.� They make robots.� Not just robots which can wave their hands around
and show that it's alive, but robots for a particular operational use,
commissioned by the industry.� They
showed me one which Hewlett Packard had asked them to make.� It is a robot to build plotters.� A plotter is a big thing which architects and
other people use to draw big pictures and you want a robot on a production
line.� So, you want a real project.� The lecturer takes the project, the students
work with him, batches of students work with him. This is a real-life project
which is going to put to use.
����������� In digital animation, they create their own cartoon.� If you see "Gan Cheong
King" on TV Mobile, that's done by Nanyang
Poly.� Very good, and I asked them to do
a little job for me which you will see later on.� Two of their students -- one is Viridis Liew, the other one Min
Ming -- went to a World Skills Competition in
����������� The other polys are also
creating their own industry niches.� So, Temasek Poly has courses in hospitality, tourism
management.� They do it in Sentosa, preparing for the IRs
before we had decided on the IRs.� Luckily for them, we said,
"yes".� Ngee Ann Poly, early childhood education,
mass communications, film,
sound and video, also very good.�
����������� How can we improve the polys
further? I have a few ideas. I don't think we should make them into
universities because if they start awarding their own degrees instead of diplomas,
the character of the institution changes and it works differently. You start
pursuing paper rather than applications, use practical results, and that's a mistake
which quite a number of countries have made.�
����������� But what we can do is to make easier for some of the
students in poly to get a degree.�
How?� By linking up the poly with
specialised foreign universities to run degree programmes in niche areas.� So, you can produce graduates in particular
applied disciplines, different from what NUS or NTU or SMU is doing.� So, it's not a poor cousin of NUS, NTU or
SMU, but graduates in specific areas which are in demand.� So, for example, if you are into interactive media, you can link with
institutions in the
����������� We can also improve our ITEs, Institutes of Technical Education. This is a brand
of education which is unique in the world. Their tagline is "Thinking
Hands".� You think about it.� It's a very good slogan because with hands,
you are doing something, but the brain behind it, it knows what to do.� Smart.�
So, when they train, they are training people to be hands-on, minds-on
and hearts-on.� So, you develop a
complete rounded person.�
����������� I visited them, too.� I went to ITE MacPherson.� I saw
their facilities, the students working on their projects, all very
enthusiastic.� The
students, the staff, very dedicated, self-confident, preparing to lead
fulfilling lives.� So, I asked
them, "Where do you get your students?"� He says, well, they come from the
����������� Recently four young girls from the ITE participated in a
women's competition.� It's the IBM
Women's Conference Student Contest in
����������� I watched a little video which they prepared.� It's very interesting.� I just quote you one bit from Hemalatha Arudas, who is the
hockey player.� She aspires to be a
hockey coach one day and she says, "Never say die, try until you
succeed.� When there's a will, there's a
way.� If you strive hard and work
consistently, you will be able to excel." And I think she will excel.�
����������� So, I think we should take the ITE to the next level --
One System, Three Colleges. Simei is one of the
colleges which we have built, a big one, consolidated.� We are going to build another one in Chua Chu Kang.� We are
building one in Ang Mo Kio
-- each one with a critical mass of students, 5,000 or 7,000 pupils,
comprehensive facilities and activities, just like the polys
and offering more choices to the students.�
So, you can be academic, you can be CCA, you can take a whole range and
go where your spirit wants you to go.�
����������� So, what can we do to make sure that the post-secondary
education works best?� There is one more
idea.� I think it's worth
considering.� This arose because I asked
the lecturers I met at the polys and ITE, "Do
your students have financial problems" because, in fact, we subsidise them
90-95 per cent of the costs of their education.�
They said, "Well, it's not much, it's a
few hundred dollars, but there are some students who still have problems and we
raise money to help them because otherwise, they can't afford it and may drop
out".�
����������� So, I think we should think of a way
to make a Post-Secondary Education Account for every
child.� So, every student can then draw on this account, go to poly, ITE or university in
����������� What else can we do? I think we can
look one level down, below the polys and the ITEs to their intake. The
����������� I asked Tharman, �Do ITE
students enjoy ITE?� Do they enjoy
school? Is it the same?�� He said not the
same.� And I asked the students too. The
students say ITE much better -- hands on, interesting, they have the choice of different
uniforms to wear but can we make the school better so that in the school we
apply some of lessons from the success of the ITEs?� I think it can be done.
����������� In
����������� So for example in Clementi, to
teach Maths, instead of doing sums,
����������� So, that's one thing they can do. The other thing they
can do is to have practical electives so that you can develop different
interests and talents for the kids.� Like
digital art using software to create digital animations and graphics. Or another very interesting one.� They use natural products to try to make
medicines and perfume.� So you understand
health science, you understand a bit of chemistry, you understand a bit of
biology.� You are doing something which
is challenging, interesting, which will keep them engaged, which is half the
battle to keeping the Normal Technical students with you
because if
you talk to the teachers who teach NT classes, they will tell you that a lot of
those time is spent counselling them, making sure they are motivated.� So with this, we can do it.�
����������� We have already got 39 schools with electives.� We are going to roll it out under the New
Normal Technical Curriculum within the next two years.� So we are focusing all the way down across
the broad range of the education system to provide many avenues to suit many
different students.� We want many
different models of success like the ITE girls I talked about, showed you, so
that you are all not looking to succeed in the same mould but what is your
ambition, what are you good at, we will help you to be good at that.� And many paths to success
and many opportunities to cross over.�
So you can start in school, you may go to the ITE, you can come back to
the poly, you can go from that if you do well, onto university, or to work, or
to a professional degree.� And many
second chances to do well because if you flunk out for some reason but you make
good later, we want you back.
����������� I met one lecturer at ITE.� His name is Eric Chen.� He was expelled from school at Sec 3 for playing truant.� So then he didn't have confidence to do O levels.� He went to the ITE. It turned his life
around.� From ITE, he went to Ngee Ann Poly. Then he went to
����������� So, we are aiming for a mountain range, not a pinnacle.
We want many routes up, many ways to succeed.�
If you are a teh tarik
man, you must be a good teh tarik man.� Pour
the tea and turn around. Not so easy. Then we will have
Improving our service culture
Remaking
����������� It's a critical success factor, if
we are going to develop a service industry and it's another thing which I
picked up visiting
����������� So, we have to be able to do
that.� In
����������� If you compare us with other
countries, you go to
����������� There are some
����������� But we have a long way to go to
reach world class and I hear of companies that don't really care very much
about service quality.� This is the
problem which has to be dealt with at three levels.� One, the companies have to have that focus.
Two, the service people have to have that focus. Three, we who are served by
the people have to have that culture too.�
����������� I will give an example for each of
these. Start with the company because they set the tone. There is one poly
student who went to do a work attachment in a hotel.� It�s her final year. So, guest ordered a cold
drink, waiting for a friend, felt cold.�
So this poly student says, I must look after
the guest, served her warm water.� Got scolded: �You must not serve her warm water, you must sell her
a warm drink.�� So she
gave up.� She said: �I am fed up with
this.� I am off.�
If I were her, I would straight away work for the competitor
company.� But obviously, the hotel
operator didn't have the sense.� But
sometimes it's a service girl or boy or old person who doesn't have it.� So there are many horror stories of bad
service staff.� I asked for some
examples. WDA gave me fat file.� So I
decided to make a training video. I will show you this video now.� It's called �Tao Gay Not Enough�. (Playback
of video)
http://app.sprinter.gov.sg/data/ndr/NDR_clip01.mpg
Customer:� �Auntie,
two packets, less oil, no chilli, no hum�.
Hawker:� �Neng
bao, you jiou, mai hiam, mai
hum� (in Hokkien)
Customer:� �Auntie,
sorry, tao
gay more�.
Hawker:� �Two packets,
less oil, no chilli, no hum, more tao gay�.
Cook:� �Tao gay 要多少? (in Mandarin)�
Hawker:� �Hwey, tao gay how many?
Customer:� �More, please.�
Hawker:� �Zuei�
(in Hokkien).
Hawker:� �Hello Miss, tao gay enough or not?�
Customer:� �Ya.�
Indian customer: �Three packets, thank you.�
Hawker:� �Wait.�
But sometimes, the shoe
is on the other foot. So I got another video to show you. This one is called �Tao Gay Never Enough�. (Playback of video)
http://app.sprinter.gov.sg/data/ndr/NDR_clip02.mpg
Customer: (on handphone) �One
packet�.
Hawker:� �One packet�
Indian customer:�
�Auntie�
Customer:� �Less oil, no
chilli�.
Indian customer: �Auntie.�
Customer: �More tao gay�.
Indian customer:� �Two
packets�.
Customer 2(jumping queue):�
�Can tomgpang three packets?�
Customer:� �Auntie,
three more packets�.
Indian customer: �Your friend should join the queue�.
Customer:� �Not your
business�.
(Hawker, looking apologetic, hands one packet of
fried kway teow to
Customer.� Customer refuses to take and
stomps off with Customer 2.)��
����������� If you enjoy the video, I should say it was made by Ngee Ann Polytechnic,
����������� The companies have to show leadership. You have got to
adopt service-friendly policies. You must have the system, the process. You must
make it possible for your people to give good service.� Like Raffles Hotel, the tagline is At Your
Service. So whatever you ask for, at your service, it will be done.
����������� And I think we can do that.� In our hospitals, some of the hospitals, they
use SMS to call patients when their queue number is up.� So you can go around, wander the shops, go
somewhere else, come back in time and not miss your number. I think that
improves the service quality. You have got to emphasise service training for
workers, not just the frontline staff, but the managers and the senior
bosses as well so that everybody knows that service is important.�
����������� So you see, organisations like Housing Board who deal
with hundreds of thousands of transactions every year, their
senior staff,
once a year on Service Quality Day, come down, go to the frontline, serve residents coming who have problems to deal with.� So I have heard that.� I said, that's good,
that�s like MPs doing Meet-the-People sessions.
����������� Then everybody will know service is important, then the frontline staff will get the
emphasis and the backing which they need.�
����������� Next, of course, the service staff have to acquire a service
mindset. You have to know that and believe that service jobs are honourable.
These are not low-class jobs. You can serve with pride and professionalism and
these are jobs which lead on to something.�
So Ritz Carlton says, "Ladies and Gentlemen serving ladies and
gentlemen�.� So you go on and you may
begin as a hotel serving girl, you may go on to become a masseuse or if you are
a hair dressing assistant, you might go on to run your own salon, become a hair
stylist.�
����������� There is a career path up. You start by serving. You
learn how to please people. You can move on and that's a valuable skill.�
����������� But, of course, you need social skills too - how to carry
yourself, how to serve, how to be graceful and, therefore, make people
happy.�
����������� One of the difficulties of doing this is that in
����������� A Singaporean air hostess arrived at a destination found
that she had no passport. A commotion, the airport
manager
came, sorted the problem out, managed to get her admitted, scolded her, say
�Where is your passport? How can you as an air hostess not do this?" She
says, �I must go home and scold my maid because my maid packs my bag, my maid
forgot to pack my passport, it's my maid's fault."�
����������� So I think it's a little bit harder to provide good
service if you are used to being looked after.�
But if you look at the wealthy developed countries like
����������� In Hongkong, they have turned
things around.� One of the things they
did was to have a campaign. So Andy Lau appears on TV commercials to urge
people to provide good service.� The
programme is called 'A Hospitable Hongkong'.�
����������� I think we should consider a similar campaign. Maybe we
can have Taufik and Sly to do it, and we can have a
GST campaign -- Greet, Smile and Thank
and we will make a difference.�
����������� But the customer�s attitude has also to change because if
the customer treats you like dirt, you are not going to serve with pride. And
customers
have to know as the actor in Tao Gay Never Enough didn't know,
that just because the person is serving you, it doesn't mean he or she is a slave
or a servant.� She�s looking after you, it's your responsibility to be courteous, to be
considerate, to thank her and to appreciate what he or she has done for you.
Good customers get good service. And that I think is something which all of us
have perhaps to change. It's easier to say the serving people have to change
because we all laugh at the serving people.�
But I notice Tao Gay Not Enough got more laughter than Tao Gay
Never Enough.� But Tao Gay Never Enough
also must be fixed.
����������� We have put on good shows before. When there's a big
event, we do well. The IOC we did very well, and there are other bigger events
coming.� Next year, there will be the IMF
and World Bank Conference, 16,000 participants. That may be
ten times the size of the International Olympic Committee Meeting earlier this
year and we have to deliver the best service level so that the whole world
knows
����������� This is an effort which we have to continue for a long
time. The government agencies will get together and will promote it and I have
asked Raymond Lim to be in charge of this, to make sure that we get everybody
together.� I think he can do that. It's
not just for the tourists but it's also for ourselves because it's the kind of
society we are.� What we are, being
gracious, courteous, respectful of one another, knowing that everybody has a
place, a dignified place in Singapore, everybody belongs, doing his part and
excelling in his profession and serving with pride.�
Creating a �vibrant, global� city
To remake the economy and attract talent, we have also got to remake our
city. This has to be a city which is full of life and energy and excitement, a place where people want to live, work and
play, where they are stimulated to be active, to be creative and to enjoy
life.� MND and URA briefed me recently on
their plans.� I wanted to know what they
were doing and they gave me a full explanation, brought the whole team. The
enthusiasm and excitement was infectious. So I decided to come and share it
with you and to help me do that, I have prepared some slides to show you.�
http://app.sprinter.gov.sg/data/ndr/NDR_slideshow.ppt
����������� Every major city in the world is
inventing itself and reinventing itself.�
�����������
����������� And they say, �We have left
����������� We shouldn't compete for the
biggest, tallest, fanciest, most opulent because we
don't have oil and gas.� But we must
capitalise on our strengths.� And what
are they?� Our multicultural heritage,
our clean and safe environment, our disciplined and energetic people, a
cosmopolitan and open society, and then we can make
����������� We will start with the HDB estates
because this is where our people live and where we want to keep the living
environment first-class and up-to-date.
�We�re renewing the HDB estates one by
one.� This one is Toa Payoh
where we are starting.� It�s the oldest
comprehensive town but now one of the most up to date, totally
transformed.� Nearly all the flats have
been upgraded, IUP, MUP, LUP, SERS, low rise with lifts, you name it, they have it.�
����������� We are building new flats, 40-storey flats with million
dollar views which people have moved in, very happy, new population.�
����������� There�s a new town centre, bus and MRT interchange, air
con, HDB Hub is there, new shops, offices, restaurants.� It�s a very successful rejuvenation.� Even my own grassroots, Teck
Ghee Community Centre, we organise a big National Street Soccer Tournament
every year. And the finals of the tournament, instead of doing it in Teck Ghee or Ang Mo Kio, we go to HDB Hub because there�s a natural crowd
there.� On weekends, 100,000 people visit
the town centre and lots of street life activity because there�s a younger
population, new flats, young couples have moved
in.� So property values have gone
up.� And other towns will also
follow.�
����������� I asked Mah Bow Tan when is my turn. He says oldest first.� ABC,
����������� In the city centre, we will rejuvenate
����������� We�ve already done some things, we�ve opened up.� You�ve now got people, food, cafes on the
sidewalks.� We�ve got the malls opened
up, so from the street you can see what�s going on.� From inside you can watch the passing crowd.
����������� We have vibrant street life -- dances, drummers,
entertainers. But we can do more.�
We�ll get the owners of the malls to do more and if you look at the
beginning of Orchard Road right at the top of Orchard Road, there�s a vacant
picnic site over the Orchard MRT Station which is very popular but I think it�s
a prime site and we�d like somebody to develop it, a new focal point with space
for events and an observation tower.� And
we�ll make
����������� From
����������� The schools are there.�
The
����������� Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa) is there, lots of students.� We are going to have the
����������� Not just the books, or the resources or the Internet
access which is much better than before but also the Drama Centre, the activity
spaces, many events to attract people.
����������� We�ll get the street life back also.� Along the streets we have got pedestrian
malls now.� I strolled along
����������� Why not?� And when
you come out, you can rub a laughing Buddha for good luck.� In fact, there are two laughing Buddhas for double good luck.�
����������� So it�s something new and exciting but also something old
and nostalgic about Bras Basah-Bugis area.�
����������� Those of you who are my age or thereabouts will remember
the old Bras Basah-Bugis area. So many schools there
until the 1970s, SJI, which is this one, CHIJ, St Nicholas, St Anthony�s was
there, Raffles Girls Primary School was there, even RI was nearby.� So was my school,
����������� Most sentimental of all for many people was the old
National Library.� We spent hours there
studying, chatting, pak tor
(courting), made friends, sometimes found partners and many Singaporeans were
sad to see it go but unfortunately it couldn�t be helped.� So we�ve saved 5,000 bricks and put up a wall
in the new National Library to keep the memories alive.�
����������� But now we are bringing back the schools, the students
and the old atmosphere.� If you go by
what the students are saying, I think we are succeeding.�
����������� I saw an article recently, a letter written by a student
in Nafa in the Life! Section which I think is worth
reading a little bit of.� She�s enjoying
it obviously.� She says: �There are so
many things to do in between breaks.� We
have numerous choices of food, from prata
at Al-Jalani Restaurant, chin chow at Fortune Centre
and duck noodles at
����������� I
think we will make this again a lively arts, culture, learning and
entertainment centre in the middle of the city.�
And a new generation of Singaporeans are now forming memories and sentimental
links and attachments to the new landscape, just as the older generation did,
and it will be one of the things which will anchor Singaporeans and
����������� The centrepiece of our redevelopment of the city is
����������� We�ve got the old civic district which we�ve
renovated.� We�ve linked it to the new virgin
areas, Marina South, Marina Centre, Marina East.� We are going to build a new downtown on the
new areas, link it up with the old city and extend the city seamlessly into the
new Downtown.� So there�s
water in the bay, there are gardens and we will have a Garden City by the
Bay.� If you consider
����������� We start with the water.�
We will build a Marina Barrage to dam up the mouth of the bay.� It will be ready in three years� time and it
will convert the bay into a fresh water lake.�
����������� Then we will extend the city around the lake, business,
entertainment, recreation.� I�ll take you
on a tour.� We start at the
Esplanade.� It�s called the Durian but
you see in this picture in fact it�s quite beautiful.� And the most important thing is not just the
performances inside but outside if you walk along the Esplanade you will find
lots of life, shops, food, people strolling, people enjoying themselves.� It�s like the old Esplanade used to be, only
better.��
����������� We have the old Supreme Court and City Hall
building.� We are going to convert it
into a new national art gallery and it will have colourful banners hung up.�� In case the judges get worried, those
banners aren�t there yet.� That�s what it
will look like when it becomes a national art gallery.
����������� We have the Fullerton Hotel, One Fullerton, the Merlion is there, very successful. If you go to the One Fullerton,
lots of things going on and we are going to extend it along the waterfront to Collyer Quay and at Clifford Pier we are going to move out
the bumboats and redevelop Clifford Pier and that will be another little
jewel.�
����������� On Marina South, we have the business and financial
centre.� This is a big development.� When I was in MAS, I had something to do with
it because the banking community suggested: why not make one big development
like this, then you have the facilities for the
financial institutions.� You get more
banks to do more things here.� You have
office space you have residential space, hotels.�
����������� So we put out a big plot to one developer to make an
integrated development.� We persuaded URA
and the other agencies.� They adopted the
idea.� We�ve had a very successful tender
recently and this BFC is going to provide us with first class
infrastructure.� It�s going to bring in
more financial activities and it�s going to be a major landmark on the Bayfront.��
����������� Next to the Business and Financial Centre, we will have
the Integrated Resort. I don�t know whether it will look like this.� This is an artist�s impression but it�s
another major project bigger than Suntec or the BFC
and it�s going to generate tourists and jobs and also shape the new Downtown and round out the
Bayfront.
����������� Then we�re going to have the gardens, more than one
garden.� One will be next to the IR,
colourful flowers like this.� One on the
other side of the bay in Marina East beside the NTUC golf course and
then we will have a third one along Marina Centre, each one with a distinctive
design and character and we�re going to connect them together.� So you�ll have Marina South, Marina East, Marina Centre.� We�ll
join them up, link them up with bridges, walkways, promenades so
you can
walk, you can jog, you can even run a marathon around
the Bay.� I think that will give us a
setting to bring many activities in.�
����������� Clark Quay and Boat Quay are already 24-hour zones, all
hours of the day and night.� But on the
water itself in the bay, we can have boating, sailing, racing, dragon boat race
here.�
����������� So putting all these together, we will make our city
really special.�
����������� We are embarking on the journey now.� It will take many years to complete but in
five to 10 years� time, you can see it taking shape.� And the Bayfront
will be the signature image of
����������� And on
����������� So the city must reflect the spirit of our people, be
well conceived, vigorously executed, restrained but high quality, every
aspect
thought through, constantly being improved and remade in search of
excellence.� It will be a city in our
image, a sparkling jewel, a home for all of us to be proud of, a home that will
belong to all of us.
Keeping the
My
theme tonight has been remaking
����������� There was a project like this recently.� It�s called Today in
History
����������� Take one entry on August 9, this by a young girl. �August
9 is the day our nation got its independence in 1965.� Our forefathers struggled to build our nation
and to provide us with a bright future.�
I feel very happy and proud to be born as a National Day baby�.� Wong Yun
Ting eight years old,
����������� The next volume will be Tomorrow in History and that�s
for young Singaporeans to write. And young Singaporeans, I expand
widely, children, youths, young adults, even adults who are young at
heart.� You may have grey hair or less
hair but if you have that energy, you are part of this story and together we
will continue to tell a special
����������� We must never feel constrained by our smallness.� You may be a small country but you can do
exceptional things.� Individually
Singaporeans are excelling on the world stage.
����������� I mentioned Viridis and Min
Ming just now. I take another example. From sports, we have two of
our
students. One is Teo Wee Chin from VJC,
one is Terence Koh who�s studying overseas in
����������� I think we have outstanding people.� I think as a country we can do things better
which other peoples can�t.� Never believe
that anything we can do, others can do better.�
There are many things which we can do which other people find very
hard.�
����������� I give you an example.�
I discussed this with a vice-mayor from
����������� I had an American journalist interview me once after
that.� He asked me: �What
can you do
which
����������� So we must have a never-say-die
attitude.� Ultimately it�s our resourcefulness and our
resolve which counts.
����������� I met Sheikh Alauddin recently.
He�s our silat champion, now coach.� He�s here somewhere tonight.� I asked him: �Who is your toughest competitor
in
����������� We have to have the same spirit and I think we have the
same spirit.� After that, I happened to
meet our silat team.�
I asked them: �Sheikh said this, is it true?��� They said: �Yes it�s true.�� I said: �What are you going to do about
it?�� They said: �Tomorrow we are going
to
����������� You can feel this spirit in the National Day
celebrations.� Sometimes because we are
here too long and get used to it, you become blas� but those who see us from
afar, they know how unique and precious
����������� I recently got an email from a German.� He was in
����������� This is a foreign view.�
I also had a Singaporean view.� A Singaporean who�s been away for many years and she wrote to me on
National Day to wish me well.�
She�s Ms Ranjini Thiagarajah,
a Singaporean teacher.� She�s lived in
����������� I quote from her letter. She says: �it�s only now that I live abroad that I find myself proudly flying the
����������� I think we have something very special here.� You remember sometime back, some of us will,
our first National Day Parades, the first few.�
There were no fancy lighting effects, no video linkups, no goodie bags, just a parade, contingents
marching one after the other.� Soldiers
from first Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 20th Battalion, 100th
Battalion plus one or two mass displays, lion and dragon dances and the school
bands provided the marching music.� I was
one of them. I marched three times in the band, once as an officer
cadet.� One year it rained, 1968. After the parade had formed up in the
����������� To start off with parades like that, the spirit is
special but to enjoy a 40th National Day Parade in the circumstances
which we have, that�s unique.� It�s good
luck, it�s good government, it�s strong people.� You look at the other countries which have
reached this point after independence, after the war.� The problems that have beset them, the existential
angst they feel.�
����������� Look at
����������� I think with this situation, with this climate and this
mood, we have every reason to rejoice.�
We can do this again for another 40 years because here in
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