Fellow colleagues,

As we gather here as members of the MND family in the beautiful setting of Labrador park to celebrate Singapore’s 42nd year of independence, our spirits are high, buoyed by the strong economic growth, and firm recovery in the construction sector.

Our Challenges, Our Strengths

2 Quote Prime Minister in his National Day Rally 2005 Speech -- “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.”

3 The theme for this year’s National Day celebration is “City of Possibilities”. It reminds us that we need to stay relevant in this fast-changing globalised world and hold our own against other cities with larger land area and more resources. We must continue to leverage on our unique strengths so as to distinguish ourselves as a hub-city that is both global and liveable.

An Endearing Home, A Distinctive Global City

4 MND’s vision is to make Singapore “An Endearing Home, A Distinctive Global City”. We want to create a Singapore that is not only attractive to investors and international talents, but is also one that our people can be proud of.

A Distinctive Global City

5 It is apt that this year’s National Day Parade is being held at the Marina Bay, where the focus of the vision to make Singapore a distinctive global city is centred.

6 The development of a new downtown in the Marina Bay area has been in URA’s plans since the 1980s. It is now taking shape nicely, with projects like the Marina Bay Financial Centre, the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, the Singapore Flyer, and the Gardens by the Bay -- all in various stages of construction. Over the past years, over $10 billion worth of private investments have been put into the Marina Bay area.

7 As Marina Bay lights up for the birthday bash, we can envisage an array of opportunities aplenty at the Bay for both residents and visitors. Indeed, the Marina Bay area will be an exciting place to live, work and play in. It epitomizes the Singapore we want to create for the future -- a beautiful, vibrant metropolis.

8 Beyond Marina Bay, we are also enhancing existing downtown areas to inject buzz and vibrancy. We are improving the Orchard Road pedestrian mall with new lighting, street furniture and performance spaces. Our cultural, entertainment and business districts such as Clarke Quay, Bras Basah / Bugis, Shenton Way and the Civic District are undergoing rejuvenation. We will be encouraging more iconic architecture in our physical infrastructure, and instituting art and lighting incentive schemes to increase the vibrancy and buzz of our city.

An Endearing Home; Distinctive Heartlands

9 At the same time, we are making our heartlands distinctive and endearing. Providing affordable and quality public housing under a home ownership programme has been a key part of the social contract since the independence of Singapore. As the society evolves and the character of our population changes, public housing will remain a key component of the new social compact. Even as we pursue the vision of a Distinctive Global City, we must ensure that our heartlands are not neglected.

10 We must continue our efforts in the upgrading and rejuvenation of our housing estates. Our residents can look forward to an enhanced living experience with lush landscaping, environmentally friendly features, barrier free facilities and more distinctive designs for public housing.

11 Public housing, however, is not just about hardware. Just as important is the heartware aspect of HDB living, which is a key factor that anchors Singaporeans to our island-home. The Forum on HDB Heartware, led by Minister of State Grace Fu, has recently completed its public consultation on how we can strengthen community bonds in HDB heartlands. We will be trying out some of the proposals to see how we can make our heartland communities more cohesive and vibrant.

12 Our other statutory boards are also contributing towards the MND vision. NParks advanced our Garden City image with the very successful staging of the Singapore Garden Festival last year. As NParks works on the development of the Gardens by the Bay, it will also continue to build new parks, expand the park connector network, and extend greenery skywards as part of its strategy to transform Singapore into a “City in a Garden”.

13 For BCA, the turnaround in the construction sector has kept it very busy. Even the disruption in sand and granite supply earlier this year had not dampened the flurry of construction activities, as BCA had quickly activated its contingency plan to stabilise the supply market. BCA is now looking ahead to increase the green quotient of the industry, raising awareness of sustainable construction; thereby ensuring Singapore’s physical development is environmentally sustainable.

14 And after all the hard work each day, when we look at what’s being served at the dinner table, we are able to enjoy our meals with a peace of mind, knowing that AVA has put in place a robust food safety system to maintain high food standards and ensure a steady supply of safe food.

A Collective Vision for Singapore

15 Making Singapore An Endearing Home and A Distinctive Global City, however, should not be just MND’s vision, but a collective vision of Singaporeans. We must therefore work closely with other agencies as well as the people sector to realise this vision for Singapore.

16 As we fly the Singapore flag high at Marina Bay this National Day, let us work together to make Singapore An Endearing Home and A Distinctive Global City.

17 I wish everyone a Happy National Day!

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