Govt has delivered on all promises to improve lives
TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Delivering his 12th National Day Rally today (Aug 23), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong laid out the various commitments he had made over the past decade to improve the lives of Singaporeans, and how they have been realised, such as making healthcare more accessible and providing more education choices for youth of different abilities.
“In the last 10 years, we built on what we inherited. We put brick on brick, climbed step by step. We kept Singapore special (and) delivered results for Singaporeans,” said Mr Lee, who was sworn in as Prime Minister in 2004.
Among them was the promise to “build more beautiful homes that Singaporeans could afford, and we did”, said Mr Lee. This included Punggol 21 Plus, which the Prime Minister announced in 2007. Sharing his vision then, he had assured Singaporeans that the former pig-farming site would be transformed into an eco-friendly and green town, complete with waterfront residences.
Older housing estates such as Dawson would also be revived, he said then. Old landmarks would be left — for a sense of history — and integrated into the new design of the neighbourhood.
Today, the kampung spirit of yore continues to live on, said Mr Lee. “During Ramadan, neighbours broke fast together along HDB (Housing and Development Board) corridors. And all over the island, volunteers have beautified our shared spaces with Communities in Bloom,” he said, referring to the islandwide gardening movement launched in 2005.
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Social safety nets have also been strengthened over the past years, as pledged, with the launch of schemes such as Workfare, Silver Support and ComCare.
More hospitals have also been built. For instance, the Ng Teng Fong Hospital opened in June, while Yishun Community Hospital begins operations at the end of this year.
On the healthcare front, Mr Lee said the Community Health Assist Scheme and the Pioneer Generation Card have made such services “more accessible and more affordable”, while the soon-to-be-implemented MediShield Life will provide lifelong healthcare coverage.
More pathways have also been created “for our children to chase rainbows”. “(There is the) Northlight and Assumption Pathway for students who failed their PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination), because we believe in our young and we will never give up on them,” Mr Lee said.
Meanwhile, education institutions such as the School of the Arts, the Sports School and the School of Science and Technology cater to youth with varied talents.
New Institute of Technical Education campuses with “first-class” facilities have been also been built, alongside new publicly funded universities, such as SIM University in 2005, the Singapore University of Technology and Design in 2012 and the Singapore Institute of Technology in 2009.
Much has also been done to transform the city, said Mr Lee.
Changi Airport is undergoing upgrading and will soon have two more terminals. Project Jewel, a retail and lifestyle complex within the airport, is also expected to be ready by the end of 2018.
Gardens By The Bay, park connectors and enhanced waterways have added touches of greenery and water to Singapore’s landscape, said the Prime Minister.
Showing the audience images of the changes in the Marina Bay area, he said: “At my National Day Rally (in 2005), I promised you that by our Jubilee year, Marina Bay would be special. This is Marina Bay today. We did this together. We had a vision, we believed in it and, together, we realised our dreams.”
