154media's video: National Day Rally 2012 Highlights - 26Aug2012

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has asked Singaporeans to join him in writing the next chapter of the Singapore Story that contains three broad themes -- Hope, Heart and Home. It was a rallying call by the prime minister, in a National Day Rally on Sunday, which took on a different format this year. Three other speakers -- Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, Senior Minister of State Lawrence Wong and Minister of State Halimah Yacob -- also spoke ahead of the prime minister. Mr Lee said Singapore is in a new phase of development and the next 20 years will be full of opportunities as well as challenges. To progress, Singapore needs to renew itself continually, and when necessary, re-invent itself boldly. He invited Singaporeans to join in the national conversation to map the next chapter of the Singapore Story. Singapore's journey from Third World to First World is well known. But the days of rapid growth are over, not just for Singapore but for the three "Asian Dragons" -- Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. Mr Lee said all of them are at a critical juncture, searching for a stable new path forward, and no country can say for now that it has found the formula. What Singapore needs are new strategies and new formulas. The prime minister said: "To survive, we must be resilient -- tough as individuals, close as families, cohesive as a society, strong as a nation. And we have to be prepared to compete and to hold our own -- the competition is there, there's no place to hide. "And when we encounter setbacks, we must have the spunk to pick ourselves up, dust off whatever's stuck to us, and press on." Mr Lee called on Singaporeans to pitch in -- to define what sort of country they want, and how it can be achieved -- through a national conversation. "Please join in this national effort! Think seriously about our future, contribute your ideas and work together to make it happen. What should the next chapter of the Singapore Story be about? Three words: Hope, Heart, and Home," he added. The next 20 years will see many changes in the world, but the prime minister is confident that Asian countries, especially China and India, will continue to rise, posing competition and offering opportunities for Singapore. Citing global competition and fast evolving technologies, Mr Lee warned of a rough ride ahead. He said the future is what Singaporeans make of it. So the country needs to set a clear direction, rather than set sail off course or drift with the tides. Singapore, he said, must always offer hope for a better future. Mr Lee said: "I know that our people sometimes worry about the future -- can our children really do better than us? But if you take a step back and look at where we are objectively, and see our situation in perspective, I think the answer is, 'we are in much better shape than we give ourselves credit for'. "We have strong fundamentals. What do we mean? -- A world class workforce, sound finances, a system that system works. It's not perfect -- every now and then something goes wrong, and every time an MRT malfunctions, we are reminded of this. But, we can fix these imperfections, and we can keep on making it better. "We may be very conscious of our shortcomings, but others have a high regard for what we have achieved." Key in providing hope is the investment in Singapore's future generation -- thus, the emphasis on education and providing different pathways to meet aspirations. In the area of higher education, more university places will be set aside, focusing on applied, practice-oriented degrees -- such as those for engineers, physiotherapists and social workers. Two institutions, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM) will be Singapore's fifth and sixth universities. Come 2020, 40 per cent of each cohort will get a place in a local university, compared to just 27 per cent currently. www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1222260/1/.html