Renew Singapore, PM tells new generation
Next generation of Singaporeans must create new possibilities in age of disruption
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on the new generation of Singaporeans to renew the country in an age of disruption while holding fast to the values that have made it successful.
The Pioneer Generation built modern Singapore from scratch, he noted. And succeeding generations weathered many crises to bring it to First World status.
Now, he wants the new generation "to open a new chapter, to create new possibilities and frontiers for our country".
He made the call at the annual May Day Rally yesterday attended by 1,600 unionists, workers, employers and Cabinet ministers.
In striving for a new future, PM Lee said Singaporeans must keep faith with the country's trademark values: the instinct to plan ahead; the drive to do better; the sense of mission; and the duty of stewardship.
"This shared responsibility, this shared sense of mission, is our strength. It is how we will show others - and show ourselves too - that Singapore will always have what it takes to endure and to succeed," he added, while highlighting what lies ahead for the economy and how the country is responding to technological disruption.
Last year, improved productivity helped the economy grow a better-than-expected 3.6 per cent, he said. There is a good chance it will grow by more than 2.5 per cent this year if the momentum of economic restructuring is sustained.
Growth this year is forecast to be between 1.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent. But hitting this target also hinges on the external environment, which is clouded by tensions, said Mr Lee.
He emphasised again a theme of speeches he had made at various international meetings in the past weeks - the importance of free trade and investments.
This is being threatened by the strained trade relations between the US and China, sparking fears of a trade war, which could escalate into a more serious row if countries are forced to take sides, he added.
Mr Lee warned unambiguously that what is at stake is not just trade, but war and peace. But as the dark clouds on the horizon will take time to reach us, Singapore's economy will be all right this year as long as efforts to strengthen it continue.
The labour movement plays a critical role in the journey of change, he said, describing how disruptive technology has brought radical changes.
He pledged to workers to "walk with you and support you all the way". It is the reason fourth generation political leaders are sent to the labour union to renew tripartism, he said.
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