Dr Ong Chit Chung, Chairman of Victoria Advisory Committee and Victoria Executive Committee

Mrs Chan Khah Gek, Principal of Victoria Junior College

Distinguished guests, teachers, parents, students, ladies and gentlemen

I am happy to be here today to join in your College Day celebrations with all of you. Let me, at the outset, extend my warmest congratulations to all the award recipients and to their parents, who are here to see their children being recognized by the college for their outstanding achievements.

Victoria Junior College has done well and has now firmly established itself as a premier junior college in Singapore. Its dynamism and vibrancy is a result of the effort of its staff members, past and present, the students, parents, alumni and many well-wishers. Its success has been a team effort.

My association with the Victorian family was but a brief one, as a student in Victoria School for less than three years, more than 60 years ago. The world that I grew up in, when I was part of the Victorian family, was one that is unimaginably different from today. While my experiences may seem remote to the students present today, I would like to briefly relate some of these, as it has some relevance to you, as you face the world.

I was born in Singapore in 1924. Like other Straits-born locals, we were British subjects. Growing up as a young boy, my world was one of British supremacy, and made to believe that the Sun never sets on the British Empire. Then came the Japanese Occupation – three and a half years, but a life-changing experience. I remembered being asked a searching question by a Japanese officer. He asked me who am I and why did I learn English. That provoked me to think about my identity, whether I am a Malayan or an Indian, or merely a subject of whoever was in power, be it British or Japanese.

For the first time in my life, I was confronted with the larger question of my true identity, and the significance of race and language. On hindsight, the Japanese Occupation made us, the Straits-born locals, ponder about our future and our status in our own homeland, although at that time, life was really a matter of one day to the next.

By the time the British returned after the war, things were no longer the same again. Certainly, by then, the idea, or rather the myth, of British supremacy, had been completely shattered. Then followed the tumultuous post-war years – the Emergency and the communist threat; the long road leading to self government; the merger; communalism and the race riots; and finally, and most unexpectedly, independence. Today, 37 years on, Singapore has attained a measure of success in nation-building and in creating, beyond expectations, a better life for its citizens.

The point of my story is firstly to remind ourselves never to take the status quo for granted. Oftentimes, especially for a small nation like us, we can get swept up by global forces – much like what my generation of Straits-born locals had experienced, when Singapore came into being through the many unexpected twists of fate. Likewise, you must also be prepared to expect change, including the occasional violent upheavals that may be beyond our control, and make the best of the situation.

There is another aspect to my story. The Singapore of today is more than just the outcome of global forces and sweeping changes taking place around us. As we moved forward immediately after independence, we could well have come to grief, like any number of Third World countries. Corruption and mismanagement, social and political unrest, and racial and religious strife, have left many a nation and people still "basket cases". We were fortunate to have had a group of visionary and able leaders who cared passionately for Singapore. They dedicated themselves, despite the heavy odds, when we had neither resources nor capital, not even a homogeneous population with a common history and outlook, to forge a nation out of this island.

We cannot replicate the conditions of our founding generation – that generation went through a unique experience, to be what we are. One of the challenges we face today – and this is a tremendous challenge – is how to pass on to the younger generation that same spirit and passion for Singapore, marked by a tenacity of purpose to take Singapore forward in a fast changing and unpredictable world. We can call this mission by any name – whether nation-building, or forging patriotism or national education, and we need not be apologetic about it. For such a spirit and determination is fundamental to the survival of any sovereign nation.

Another challenge will be to maintain our social cohesion, which we often take for granted. It is liable to be tested in unexpected ways. The globalised world could change the nature of our society and our value system, weakening our social fabric. Our prevailing harmonious racial and religious relations could be threatened by heightened sensitivities aroused by forces beyond us. We will need a strong social glue to hold ourselves together as a people, with a greater sense of the "common good".

We will need to be economically competitive, by encouraging and rewarding individuals with talent and enterprise. But at the same time, we will need to strengthen community bonding and compassion – never forgetting that we who are successful also owe an obligation to give something back to the society and to aid those who are less able. We must strive to build up these values that will anchor us and provide us the compass and bearings as we navigate through the seas of change ahead.

I am pleased to learn of the efforts by the college to actively involve all its students in community projects, some of which were mentioned earlier by your Principal in her speech. Community service allows our young to start doing their bit for society and see for themselves some of the needs and problems that exist and persist in our society. More importantly, it will dawn on them that we all need each other and that we do have the capacity to make a difference in the lives of others in times of need. I commend the college for this effort.

In a week’s time, you will be celebrating Racial Harmony Day. The preservation of racial and religious harmony has been an important factor in preserving the much-needed social and political stability for Singapore’s development and progress since our independence. It was a lesson that those of my generation had to learn the hard way.

Had I come for your College Day last year, before the Sep 11 attacks in the US and the Jemaah Islamiyah arrests in Singapore, it would have been that much more difficult for you to appreciate what I have to say about the importance of keeping racial peace and preserving religious harmony. Then, you would most likely have taken it for granted.

Now, one only needs to read the newspapers or watch the news on television to appreciate the threats to our prevailing inter-racial and religious harmony. This is among the most critical challenges we face in these times. I say so for the simple reason that a major disruption to our racial and religious harmony will have far-reaching consequences, which will reverberate for a generation and beyond. We must therefore never take our racial and religious harmony for granted.

All of us, young and old, will have to grapple with these and other challenges. While there is no reason to be pessimistic, we should be prepared to contend with them. We have faced greater odds before, even with our backs to the wall and overcome them. If we have the will and the determination, and a realistic appreciation of what is in our best interest, we can do so.

The Victorian Family is privileged to have produced many outstanding leaders in society. I hope you, who are students today, will be spurred on by those before you to make a significant contribution to the nation and to society. Seize the educational opportunities available and develop not only intellectually, but also in character and leadership qualities.

Your motto "Nil Sine Labore", which means "Nothing without Labour", remains valid today, as much as at the time when it was coined. I hope it will drive each of you to attain success in your studies and in your chosen fields of endeavour as you enter adulthood.

I began my speech by congratulating the award winners. Let me end with some words of advice – the same advice that I had given to last year’s President’s Scholars – "Ultimately, your success is not measured by the titles awarded nor positions amassed. Your success will be measured by your contributions to society, and by a selfless motivation to add value to the lives of the people around you."

Thank you.

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