In 1996 when I paid my personal tribute to Kim San on his 80^th birthday it did not occur to me that seven years later on my own 80^th birthday he would reciprocate with his generous words about me and my motivation, formed after more than four decades of working together on myriads of issues in countless different situations. At our time of life, popularity and media ratings are less important than the esteem of those we respect and whose friendships we treasure. I cannot thank Kim San enough for his friendship over all these years when we laboured together. Suffice it to say that had he not delivered the HDB housing at Cantonment Road in my constituency of Tanjong Pagar I might never have won re-election in Sep 1963, and I would not have The Singapore Story to write about.

Now I must thank all of you present tonight, my many old friends, colleagues and comrades for joining me at this dinner for my 80^th birthday. And a special thank you to Lim Boon Heng and all those in the Organising Committee and the Working Committee who made the arrangements for this dinner.

I am happy to have this reunion of those who worked with me in the founding of the PAP in 1954 and later in the government from 1959. It is not given to many to be able to get together after almost 50 years to remember the times when together we did something that made a difference to the lives of our fellowmen. I am especially appreciative that they have also invited my personal friends to add to my joy on this occasion.

I did not know that I would make 80 and am grateful to have led a relatively healthy, enjoyable and productive life. I owe it to my doctors who have kept me in good shape, able to work, to travel and to do most of the things I used to do, if at a slower pace. There are wonderful glorious phrases such as "walking into the sunset", or "growing old gracefully". If only that were true. Governments who have to cater for geriatric medical care know just how untrue. For the present I am relieved that I am still able to amble into the sunset.

Recently I met several old colleagues, former MPs at a dinner at the Pyramid Club. Some looked younger than their years. I would have liked to meet my old friend, Ho See Beng. He had accepted, but on reflection decided against it for health reasons. I read his e-mail explaining his reason for not coming with sympathy and understanding. It is a common problem of aging. I miss him as well as several others. I especially thank Chin Chye for coming despite his inability to drive at night. I remember their friendship and support during the years that counted.

Every MP plays an important part, for without their work in the constituencies, tending to the needs of the voters, the government would not have been able to take Singapore to where it now is. I also thank all the civil servants whose unstinting support, brought many of our plans to fruition. Most decisive was the support of the community leaders who came forward during the years from 1962 onwards, turned the tide against the Communist United Front and stood firm against the UMNO Ultras. They became the foundation members of the CCMCs and CCs. And those in Tanjong Pagar provided me with a solid base for my own political longevity. I am grateful to them all.

Whether Party colleagues or civil servants or businessmen or my personal friends, all of us have shared significant moments together as Singapore went through some troubling times before it made the grade.

Those of us who took part in those tumultuous years from 1955 to 1965, and then again until 1971 when the British withdrew, we are a special fraternity. We went through the crucible of fire together aware the final outcome could have easily gone the other way. I was fortunate to have had such stout hearted comrades and supporters during those years.

After I stepped down as PM in 1990, I have had the unique experience of being in the Cabinet with the Prime Minister as he built his new team, and seeing them grow in experience and confidence. He inducted 3 batches of new MPs – in 1991, 1997 and 2001. Their ability, education and knowledge of world affairs kept pace with that of our people. Each batch yielded a number who made it as Cabinet ministers. Several of them now form the core of the new team.

It has not been plain sailing for them. In 1997/98, the whole region went through a severe financial crisis. Before the region fully recovered, the United States was struck on 9/11. Singapore had a near-miss of 7 truck bombs that were being planned to explode on 7 targets in Singapore that December 2001. But for sensitive management of inter-racial/religious relations by the PM and his team after the arrests of over 20 JI plotters, our society’s cohesiveness would have suffered a setback. In October 2002, the Bali bomb increased threat levels and set tourism back. In March 2003, SARS struck Singapore and dealt our economy another blow when 3 Singaporeans brought the virus back from their contact with an infected doctor staying in the same hotel in Hong Kong. Everyone was in dread of this mysterious bug.

It was a severe test for the leaders and for the people. Modern media brought the travail of Singaporeans and their responses to the notice of the world. Our leaders showed decisiveness, resourcefulness and swiftness in dealing with this unknown fatal disease that attacked many healthcare workers and killed several patients, doctors and nurses.

Any one of these challenges in the last six years would have overwhelmed a less capable and resourceful group of ministers and the PM and done greater damage to Singapore’s economy.

The SARS attack aggravated what was already in motion. The globalised economy has meant fiercer competition. Unemployment increased with more retrenchments as factories relocated at first to lower cost countries in the region, but now more to China. No one owes us a living, so we must make the difficult changes necessary to remake Singapore. They cannot be avoided if we want Singapore to become competitive again even though we are at higher wage and cost levels than our neighbours.

To cut costs significantly, to downsize and trim operations, to improve training and productivity, to reshape our strategies and reposition ourselves and our businesses, and get our companies world competitive again – all these changes will not be pain free. I am confident that the present leaders in the unions, and in the private sector, professionals, businessmen, employers and management, all understand what is at stake and will work together with the ministers to get Singapore up and growing again.

The big difference is that the leaders now have to carry a generation of young Singaporeans who have not known hardship. In 1965/1971 my colleagues and I had a tougher generation that had experienced privation and had a higher threshold for pain. The present generation grew up in a Singapore where life improved year after year. Unfortunately no growth path is without reverses. The present pessimism of the faint-hearted, reflected in the media, that Singapore has seen its best days, that the music has stopped and the party is over, is totally unfounded. This is not how I see the future for Singapore. After we have cut costs and made ourselves competitive we shall rise to greater heights. But if we psych ourselves into gloom, we deserve to be sidelined.

After 13 years which included several severe crises since 1997, there is no doubt that the present team has the capability, the grasp and the determination to lead Singapore safely through a very difficult period in its history. Through this series of tests, I could sense the bonding that resulted between leaders and people. Now, the Prime Minister is preparing a transition to the next team, to ensure as smooth and seamless a changeover as I had when he took over from me in 1990. Singaporeans are proving Samuel Huntington wrong, when he wrote that the system I had built would disappear with me. A new generation is not only upholding the system, but is taking Singapore to its next level of development.

What has been achieved in Singapore cannot be taken for granted. Whatever the wonders of modern technology, I do not believe full employment, rising real wages, with a better standard of living and quality of life in a pleasant environment can be sustained without real effort, social discipline and adapting to change. They are not the natural order of things. They can only be achieved if young and old alike understand what is at stake for us as a community and decide on the hard compromises and accommodation needed so that all can have a better future.

What will Singapore be like in 10-20 years from now? We would all like to know the future, but we cannot. Many factors are beyond Singapore’s control. Much will depend on what happens in the wider world. We do not know how the cards will fall. There is always that element of luck. For example, for no rhyme or reason, we had 3 Singaporeans catching the SARS virus during their holiday trip. It cost us 3 months of pain from March to May, suffering deaths and losses. But we overcame it. It gave Singaporeans invaluable lessons on how to overcome sudden crises. I have confidence that Singapore has both the leaders and the people with the fortitude, sagacity and strength to carry Singapore forward to a higher level.

Now on a personal note: I am grateful that I got where I am, happy that I have made a contribution to the lives of many people.

I am glad to be alive, relatively healthy and active. When I look around at my contemporaries, I’m struck by how differently time and circumstances have treated us. It’s the luck of the draw, whether you got the right genes from your parents, whether you mistreated what you were given, and finally whether you have that equanimity to take life in your stride.

To commemorate this event Seng Han Thong has taken a lot of trouble to publish this booklet about me. Let me share a little secret with you. I did not have the inclination to read quotes of what I said umpteen years ago, quotes that Han Thong and his team had painstakingly dug up. My wife suggested that I should get my grand daughter Xiuqi to go through them with Han Thong. She will have more affinity with the young generation and her choice may be more appealing to them. Xiuqi agreed and asked me for a message as a preface. I sent one. She was disappointed with the stiff formal piece I produced. She interviewed me, then re-wrote my message, and made me sound a much nicer person. Han Thong and his team then found the photos to go with the message and quotes. I thank Han Thong for conceiving the idea, and for putting in all the hard work to produce the book. I also thank him for his generosity in allowing Xiuqi to contribute her ideas. And my thanks to Xiuqi for collecting and organising the quotes, in between her university projects. I hope younger Singaporeans will find the result interesting to read.

Could I have lived my life differently? Maybe yes, but probably not. At each stage I made what was then the best choice. Having taken that decision, I changed direction and there was no turning back.

I cannot say that I planned my life. That’s why I feel life is a great adventure: exciting, unpredictable, and at times exhilarating. To make life worthwhile, never lose that joie de vivre, that zest for life, to watch the sun go down and wake up to a new day rested and refreshed after a good night.

At the end of the day what I cherish most are the human relationships. With the unfailing support of my wife and partner I have lived my life to the fullest. It is the friendships I made and the close family ties I nurtured that have provided me with that sense of satisfaction at a life well lived, and have made me what I am.

To conclude, let me recount how the national pledge came about. We needed to remind our people of their obligation to each other and to the nation. I asked Rajaratnam to draft one. Although the race riots had happened little more than a year earlier and had precipitated our independence, Raja crafted the pledge. It was a leap of faith. Nevertheless I decided to support it. Since 1966, it has been recited in all school assemblies. 37 years on, our response to the SARS crisis as one united people gives us real hope that this pledge is not a dream. Now I ask you to join me in a toast to the citizens of Singapore, who pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.

To the people of Singapore.

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