Singapore’s 60th anniversary a significant milestone, opportunity for us to renew our commitment to nation: PM Wong

SINGAPORE: The 60th anniversary of Singapore’s independence is and should be an opportunity for Singaporeans to reflect on their shared values and build a shared future together, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (Nov 4).
“Next year we will mark 60 years of Singapore’s independence. It will be Singapore’s 60th birthday,” he said, at the People’s Association (PA) Community Club Management Committees (CCMC) 60th anniversary dinner at One Punggol.
Calling it a “significant milestone”, Mr Wong said that a series of programmes and events are being planned to mark the occasion.
“But SG60 should not just be about celebration. It is and should be an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our shared values, who we are as Singaporeans and what we stand for,” said Mr Wong, who is also finance minister.
“It should be an opportunity for us to renew our commitment to Singapore, to do our part to build our shared future together.”
Mr Wong said there will be more opportunities and platforms next year for Singaporeans to connect with one another from all walks of life, and to contribute to their community and nation.
The year-long series of activities will build around the theme “Building Our Singapore Together”, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said in a media release.
It builds on the Forward Singapore exercise, which was led by Mr Wong and fellow fourth-generation leaders, to review and refresh the country’s social compact. The exercise began in 2022, with the final report released in October last year.
Some highlights include Chingay, Exercise SG Ready, Singapore World Water Day, Racial and Religious Harmony Month, the Singapore Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka and the World Aquatics Championships.
The SG60 celebrations mark Singapore’s nation-building journey and “shared values of multiculturalism, boldness, resilience and openness”, said MCCY.
The celebrations will involve Singaporeans across various age groups.
The National Youth Council (NYC) and PA will engage youths through the SG60 Youth Engagements, from January.
Youths can participate in in-person conversations, roadshows and digital engagements, to share their aspirations for the future and how they can contribute to Singapore.
There will also be a FutureYOUth Movement covering mental health, racial and religious harmony and sustainability and environment.
From April next year to March 2026, an initiative by the Founders’ Memorial called “Project Citizens – The First Million” will also be launched to capture stories by Singapore’s founding generation, reflecting on the country’s values from its early years and into the future.
It will be a permanent feature of the Founders’ Memorial when it opens in 2028.
The project will involve three parts: Gathering stories from seniors, organising pop-up installations across the island, and an exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore called “Not Mere Spectators: The Makings of Multicultural Singapore”.
Singapore’s Aug 9 birthday extravaganza, the National Day Parade (NDP), will be held at the Padang, featuring crowd favourites such as the mobile column, aerial display and fireworks.
To let more Singaporeans take part in the historic celebrations, NDP festivities will be extended to the Marina Bay area, and the heartlands. Schools and Institutes of Higher Learning will also hold events, along with overseas Singapore communities.
At Monday’s event, the PA marked the 60th anniversary of the CCMCs, which were set up in October 1964.
In attendance were about 700 CCMC chairpersons and grassroots leaders, along with PA deputy chairman and Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong.
CCMCs manage and maintain all community clubs across Singapore, and organise programmes to bring residents together.
Mr Wong, who is chairman of the PA, said CCs have brought together people from different ethnicities and cultures.
“During COVID, CCs served as collection points for masks, for TraceTogether tokens (and) ART kits, and later became vaccination centres,” he said. Mr Wong had co-chaired the multi-ministry task force during the pandemic.
He urged CCMCs to find ways to refresh and reimagine CCs so as to continue mobilising the community.
Mr Wong announced that over the next 12 months, 10 CCs across the country will have Community Innovation Spaces for residents, volunteers and corporate organisations to create and test innovative solutions to address community needs.
A Community Innovation Hackathon will also be held in the first quarter of next year, for participants to solve pertinent community issues with innovative solutions.