SPEECH BY MR GOH CHOK TONG,SENIOR MINISTER, AT MARINE PARADE NATIONAL DAY DINNER, 19 AUGUST 2006, 8.30 PM AT ROLAND RESTAURANT

THE SINGAPORE NATION: A WORK IN PROGRESS

 

 

             Singapore has progressed by leaps and bounds since our independence 41 years ago.  We now have a developed economy.  Our infrastructure is First World.  Our people are well-educated.  We enjoy good healthcare and housing.  There is inter-racial and inter-religious harmony.  So some people may think we have arrived, our work is done and we can let our guard down.  They may believe that we can cruise along and continue to prosper.  But life in this globalised world is highly competitive, challenging and uncertain.

2            Empires have waxed and waned.  The Tang Dynasty, which many historians regard as the golden age of Chinese civilisation, lasted just three centuries.  The Soviet Union collapsed in less than one.  What more for small city-states which have historically not survived for very long.  But there were exceptions like the city-state of Venice.  It flourished as a centre of trade between Western Europe and the world for almost a thousand years, before it went into decline.  Can Singapore be a viable city-state in the modern world, lasting 100, 200 or 300 years?  I believe we can if we get our basics right.

3            At 41 years age, we are still a very young country.  But we have the potential to grow into a sturdy nation, small but well-respected.  To succeed, we must regard the Singapore nation as very much a work in progress.  It is an ongoing project which all of us, our children and grandchildren, must play a part.  Let me elaborate.

4            As a small country, we are vulnerable to external changes, in particular, developments in our immediate region.  From time to time, others will try to squeeze us.  So very early on, we decided that the only way to survive was to turn Singapore into a global city, with the world as our hinterland, and making ourselves relevant and useful to others.  We have remained plugged into the global economy and world-at-large ever since.

5            Today, Singapore is a globalised and cosmopolitan society.  People of many nationalities work and live here.  Singaporeans have become very mobile.  Thousands of Singaporeans have studied overseas and returned, bringing back new ideas which will change our society.  Thousands more are studying or working overseas.  Singaporeans have a good reputation for competence, reliability and integrity.  They are highly sought-after as global workers.  How do we balance the two goals of maintaining Singapore as a global city and building the Singapore nation?  How do we forge a Singapore identity and ensure that Singaporeans are rooted when we are so open to external influences and pulls?  These are some of the key questions we have to reflect on as we celebrate our National Day.

6            Our population make-up is also changing.  Fewer Singaporean babies are born each year and we are topping up our population with foreign talent.  We are now even more diverse than ever before.  We cannot assume that all who live here will automatically share the same values and develop a bond for the country.  Nation-building is, therefore, a constant, on-going process.  There are many aspects to this.  Tonight, however, I want to focus on only one important aspect – our people.  I am particularly concerned that we are not replacing ourselves.  Correcting this problem is a major task in our nation-building.

7            I grew up with many cousins.  My children have fewer cousins.  Their children will have even fewer.  In short, with each successive generation, our family size is getting smaller.  I believe my personal experience applies to most of you too.

8            This trend is also evident in Marine Parade.  In 1976, Marine Parade had 19,500 voters.  In the recent May General Elections, the same Marine Parade estate has only 15,400 voters, down by nearly 4,000 voters.

9            In 1965, 55,700 babies were born in Singapore.  The population then was 1.9 million.  By last year, the number of resident births has plunged to 35,500.  Imagine.  20,000 babies fewer despite a near doubling of the resident population to 3.6 million.  Now, let us look at the same picture from another angle.  The number of births per female was 4.66 in 1965.  It fell to just 1.24 last year.  This means that we are not replacing both parents.  The last time we were replacing both parents was 30 years ago.  And that was a Dragon Year!

10          For our Chinese population, the situation is even graver.  In 1957, there were 6.48 babies per Chinese female.  Last year, it was only 1.08 babies per Chinese female.  If the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) falls further, we will not be replacing even the mother!  Will Singapore last 100 years if local-born Singaporeans are becoming an endangered species?

11          People make up a country.  They power the economy.  They give the country its strength, and the society its colour and unique character.

12          In the Middle East, many countries are smaller than Singapore.  But they have abundant oil and gas resources which they can use to give their people a high standard of living.

13          For Singapore, we have nothing.  People are our only natural and renewable resource.  But with fewer and fewer babies and a Total Fertility Rate of 1.24, we are not renewing this natural resource.  Where will our national strength and vitality come from in future?  Where will be the manpower, brains and skills?  The young men to defend Singapore?  The children to look after the aged?  The entrepreneurs, the artists, the musicians, the sportsmen and women to create the buzz?

14          Our older people have built up today’s Singapore.  Fortunately, many of them are still healthy and productive.  So they continue to contribute to the economy and play an active role in the live of our nation.  Without them, and with the smaller cohorts entering the labour market each year, we would have been on the decline already.

15          We are also fortunate to be able to attract foreign talent to top up our population.  Without this inflow, our economy would have lost its competitive strength long ago, and Singapore its vitality.  But this new generation of immigrants or what I call “New Singaporeans” will bring with them their own values, culture and background.  They will take time to sink roots here and share our values and goals.  We must make them feel welcome and help to bond them as Singaporeans.

16          Not having enough babies is not just a national problem.  It is also a personal, family problem.  Many of our boys and girls are marrying later or not getting married.  For those who marry, many choose to have only one or two children and some even none at all.  I can understand their reasons.  Bringing up children is expensive.  Juggling a busy career and parenthood is not easy.  It is unfair to the children if we cannot spend enough time with them.  Many young couples place more emphasis on their life-style and prefer to be DINKs – “Double Income, No Kids”.  But I feel they should picture themselves in old age.  I feel sad when I see old people living by themselves without the warmth of children and grandchildren.

17          My wife and I are fortunate that our son and daughter are not DINKs.  Each of them has three children.  They have together given us six granddaughters.  Since their children are all girls, hopefully, they will try for a boy!

18          The Prime Minister is also very concerned about the declining birth rates because it will affect Singapore’s future severely.  He will have more to say about this subject at his Rally tomorrow.

19          Reversing the declining birth rate is not easy.  The Government cannot produce babies.  Only people can.  I hope all of us will reflect on this problem of the missing babies and what it means for the country, the economy and ourselves.  We have in Singapore a gem of a nation.  Let us protect it.  Let us continue to work on it.  And above all, let us have enough Singaporeans to grow our beloved nation.

20          I wish you a happy, and may I add, productive 41st National Day.

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新加坡—建设中的家园

 

        自41年前独立以来，新加坡取得了飞跃的进展。虽然我们已经成为一个发达的经济体，但仍然是一个年轻的国家。新加坡就像是一个正在建设中的家园。让我解释这句话的意思。我们是一个多元种族、多元宗教的移民社会。我们和其他国家不一样。我们没有单一的宗教或语言，把我们团结起来。我们是一个小国。作为一个环球都市，我们很容易因外来环境发生变化而受到影响。我们的人口结构也在改变。我们不能理所当然地认为我们的成功是永恒不变的。如果事情出了差错，我们的国家是很容易倒退的。所以说，建国之路是一个持续不断的过程。今晚，我主要讨论影响我国长远未来的一个重要因素，那就是我们的人民。

2      1965年，新加坡有5万5,700名初生婴儿。四十年后，本地出生的婴儿人数下降到3万5,500人。这反映了妇女的生育比以前少了，从1965年的4.66生育率，下降到去年的 1.24。这是个值得关注的问题。我们的生育率只够替代一个家长而已。我国生育率最后一次达到能替代两个家长的水平是30年前的事了。那是个龙年！不过，从那个时候起，我国的生育率就开始下降了。

 

3      这个问题对华人来说更为严重。在1957年，每一个华人妇女当中就有6.48个婴儿。但从此以后，这个数字就一直下降。去年的生育率只达到1.08个婴儿。这样下去，我们很快就连妈妈也无法替代了。

 

4      国家是由人民组成的。今后四十年，新加坡是否能成为一个生气勃勃的国家，那决定于我国人口的多少、素质和活力。但是，面对出生婴儿人数越来越少，我们的力量和活力将从哪里来？国家的人力、人才和技能将从哪里来？保家卫国的小伙子将从哪里来？照顾年长国人的年轻人将从哪里来？

 

5      为了弥补婴儿人数的不足，我们不断引进外来人才。如果没有新人口的流入，我们的经济早就失去竞争力了。不过，新一代的移民成为新加坡人后，还将需要一段时间在这里落地生根。他们需要时间接受并认同新加坡的共同价值观。我们正在努力使他们融入这个社会，成为新加坡的一分子。

 

6      婴儿短缺不只是国家的问题，也是个人和家庭的问题。许多国人都迟婚或不结婚。许多结了婚的国人又选择只生一个或两个孩子。我了解他们这样做的理由，不过，我认为他们也应该做长远的打算。现在的年轻人比较注重个人的生活方式。他们不重视养儿防老的观念。他们无法设想自己逐渐变老，最终可能必须独自生活的情况。但现实却是如此。

 

7      要扭转出生率下跌的趋势并不容易。政府不能制造婴儿。只有年轻人才能够解决婴儿短缺的问题。我希望他们能够思考这个问题，以及这个问题对国家、经济和他们个人有什么意义。别忘了，我们在建国的道路上，只不过走了41年。41年的时光是很短的。世界上有许多强大的国家和帝国曾经强盛一时，但是现在已不复存在了。因此我们必须保护我们所取得的成就。并确保新加坡有足够的人口，继续负起建设国家的重任。

 

8      最后，我祝大家41周年国庆快乐。

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(Translation of Mandarin text into English) 

 

             Singapore has progressed by leaps and bounds since our independence 41 years ago.  We have a developed economy but we are still a young country. The Singapore nation is very much a work in progress.  Let me explain.  We are a multi-racial and multi-religious society of immigrant forefathers.  Unlike other countries, we do not have a single religion or language to unite us.  We are a small country. As a global city, we are vulnerable to external changes.  Our demography is also changing.  We cannot assume that our success will be permanent.  If things go awry, we can easily regress.  Nation-building is therefore a constant, on-going process.  Tonight, I want to focus on one important aspect which will affect the long-term future of the Singapore nation – our people.

2                             In 1965, 55,700 babies were born in Singapore.  Forty years later, the number of resident births has dropped to 35,500.  This reflects the smaller number of births per female - 1.24 last year as compared with 4.66 in 1965.  This is a cause for serious concern.  We are replacing one parent only.  The last time we were replacing both parents was 30 years ago.  That was a Dragon Year!  Since then, our birth rate has come down.

3                             This is especially serious for the Chinese.  In 1957, there were 6.48 babies per Chinese female.  The number has been coming down ever since.  Last year, it was only 1.08 babies per female.  Soon, we may not even be replacing the mother!

4                             People make up the country.  Whether Singapore will be a dynamic and vibrant nation 40 years from now will depend on the number, quality and dynamism of our people.  With fewer and fewer babies born, where will our national strength and vitality come from?  Where will be the manpower, brains and skills?  The young men to defend Singapore?  The young men and women to look after the aged?

5                             To make up for the missing babies, we have been topping up our population with foreign talent.  Without this inflow, our economy would have lost its competitive strength long ago.  But this new generation of immigrant Singaporeans will take time to sink roots in Singapore.  They will take time to absorb the shared values of Singapore.  It is work in progress to make them part of the Singapore nation. 

6                             Not having enough babies is not just a national problem.  It is also a personal, family problem.  Many of our boys and girls are marrying later or not getting married.  For those who marry, many choose to have one or two children only.  I can understand their reasons but I think they should also plan for the long term.  Nowadays, young people place more emphasis on their life-style.  They do not give weight to the idea of raising children to provide for old age.  They cannot imagine themselves growing old and that they may end up living alone.  But the reality is we do.

7                             Reversing the declining birth rate is not easy.  The Government cannot produce babies.  Only our young people can solve the puzzle of the missing babies.  I hope they will reflect on this problem and what it means for the country, the economy and themselves.  Remember, we have built a nation in just 41 years.  But 41 years is only a blip in the history of nations.  Bigger countries and stronger empires have come and gone.  Let us protect what we have achieved. Let us have enough Singaporeans to carry on building the Singapore nation. 

8                             I wish you a Happy 41st National Day.

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