Singapore – Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has called on Singaporeans to strengthen the nation’s social fabric by embracing a “we first” mindset, underscoring the need for collective action in navigating an increasingly troubled world. Speaking at the National Day Rally on Aug 17, Mr Wong urged citizens to look beyond individual self-interest and to nurture a society built on care, contribution, and mutual trust.
“To keep Singapore going, we must be a ‘we first’ society, because if everyone only thinks about ‘me’, then we are finished,” Mr Wong said at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central in Ang Mo Kio. “But if each of us does our part for the ‘we’, then the ‘me’ will thrive too. Because when the whole is strong, each of us becomes stronger.”
This year’s rally, his second as Prime Minister and first since the 2025 General Election, outlined wide-ranging priorities for Singapore—from strengthening the economy and urban planning, to harnessing artificial intelligence, supporting youth and seniors, and building climate resilience. Yet at its core, the message was about cultivating trust and ownership across society.
Mr Wong highlighted that ground-up initiatives must complement government policies. “We certainly don’t want to end up as a society where people rely solely on the government,” he said, stressing that the role of leadership was not only to do things for Singaporeans, but to do things with them. To this end, he pledged more avenues for citizen participation, citing Citizens’ Panels and Youth Panels as platforms for Singaporeans to partner government and civil society in shaping policy.
The prime minister acknowledged that while Singapore’s pioneers had forged unity through hardship, later generations must find their own ways to keep the national spirit alive. He recalled the COVID-19 pandemic as a defining challenge of recent years, noting that Singaporeans overcame it not only through government measures but also through solidarity. “That spirit should not only emerge during crises,” he said. “We must keep it alive in good times and bad.”
Mr Wong also pointed to examples of citizen-led initiatives—from environmental clean-ups to social enterprises—that exemplify how ordinary Singaporeans contribute to collective progress. He admitted the process of collaboration could be “messy, iterative, and slower than we would like,” but argued that it would lead to stronger trust and deeper ownership in the long run.
Closing his speech, the Prime Minister reminded Singaporeans that “staying exceptional” requires both national ambition and individual perseverance. He cited the achievements of swimmer Gan Ching Hwee on the world stage as a reflection of the spirit Singapore must embody—small in size, but capable of great things when united.
“Greatness is not just found in big projects. It is in the aspirations and hopes of every Singaporean,” he said. “We take pride in whatever we do, we never give up, and we never let each other down. That is how we will continue to stay exceptional, as a people and as a country.”
