As Singapore prepares to mark the 60th year (Diamond Jubilee) of its independence in 2025, the government has “a special gift” for the country’s “SG60 babies”. This has been revealed by minister Indranee Rajah in an Instagram post.
Indian-origin minister Rajah, who is Minister, Prime Minister’s Office; Second Minister for Finance; and Second Minister for National Development, said in the social media post yesterday that the “gift” was meant to encourage the family bond and parenthood, because the nation would need “more Singaporean babies to write the next chapter of our Singapore story”.
Keeping the Singapore population stable — not too much, not too little — and retaining the right demographics are among the key priorities for the nation.
A 2013 white paper titled ‘A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore’, had listed three important pillars to achieve this goal. It said: “First, Singaporeans form the core of our society and the heart of our nation. To be a strong and cohesive society, we must have a strong Singaporean core. Strong families are the bedrock of our society, through which we pass on our values and sense of belonging from one generation to the next.”
The role of the family, therefore, is very important in keeping the national character strong and the economy growing.
Indranee Rajah said in her Instagram post: “2025 will be our 60th year of independence. To mark this, yesterday evening PM Lawrence Wong shared that we will be commemorating 60 years of nation building – or #SG60 – next year.”
The post continued: “#SG60 will be a celebration of the shared values that make us Singaporean, including multiculturalism, resilience, boldness, openness and that indefinable sense of family, despite our diverse races, religions and backgrounds.
“Within that broader context, our own families are an important part of our society – our parents, siblings and relatives, the ones we hold close and dear.”
Rajah wrote: “For Singapore to remain strong and [to] thrive in the years to come, we will need more Singaporean families and, of course, more Singaporean babies to write the next chapter of our Singapore story.”
She added: “As a signal of the importance of marriage and parenthood to our future as we cross into our 60th year of nationhood, we are planning a special gift for our SG60 babies next year. More details in due course. So do keep a look out!”
The minister ended her post with the hashtags: #WeAreMadeForFamilies, #MadeForFamilies.
In a related report, The Straits Times said that Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong “had a day earlier soft-launched the SG60 celebrations at a People’s Association event, where he said he hoped ‘SG60 will be a time for all of us to renew our commitment to Singapore and to take our nation forward towards a better and brighter shared future’”.
