Oral Reply by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Questions on the National Day Parade 2020

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Prime Minister how will Singapore's National Day commemoration and celebrations differ at the national and local levels in view of the COVID-19 measures.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what is the projected total cost of producing, packing and distributing the NDP funpacks to each citizen and PR household for NDP 2020; and (b) whether the Government will consider creating an option for those who would like to donate the expense required for their funpack back to the state or to charities.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether essential and care items can be included in the NDP funpacks to enhance the relevance and usefulness of the funpacks during this challenging period; (b) what items in the NDP funpacks have already been produced for distribution; and (c) what happens to excess items not distributed or when households opt out of the funpacks.

Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen:

In Singapore's relatively short history as a nation, the National Day Parade (NDP) has always taken centre stage as we celebrate each year of Independence. Members in this House have attended these NDPs, and many of you kindly have told me after each parade, some of you, that it was well done - the mood was lifted, there was a sense of togetherness as Singapore and Singaporeans. So I think in turn, the NDP has served our nation well, both as a rallying call for all Singaporeans to stay united but also a clear statement of our confidence and determination to succeed collectively, no matter the odds. Through thick and thin, good times or bad, it showed Singaporeans celebrating and standing firm as one people, regardless of race, language or religion. I am so used to the mask that I have spoken with it and forgot to take it off. That is what COVID has done to us.

How did it come about? Not all countries celebrate their national day like we have, or put the NDP as centre stage. There is a history to the NDP. The first NDP in 1966, was held amidst the most testing of times, but that inaugural NDP would set the example for the subsequent 54 years. On the morning of August 9, 1966, 500,000 school children assembled in schools and sang the new national anthem, Majulah Singapura - Onward Singapore. That first NDP was held at the Padang with a 21-gun salute as the President reviewed various contingents that we have become accustomed to - the SAF, the Police, the NTUC, Uniformed Youth Organisations, and so forth. The military units then marched from the Padang into Chinatown, to waving crowds. Fireworks at the time took place at Padang and Fort Canning; it followed the parade and it adorned the skies. At night, there was an illuminated sea dragon, 150m long, 12m tall, lit up by 12,500 bulbs - it may be prosaic to us today, but at that time, it was quite spectacular. It sailed across what is today's Marina Bay. By all accounts, it was an extraordinary event, especially for a nation that was barely a year old. Could Singapore afford it in 1966? Could the money have been put to better use? Remember that our fledgling nation had a host of unsolved problems - high unemployment, few could afford to own homes, high dropout rates even at Primary 6, inadequate medical care - I am just naming a few. Why did the first NDP proceed that way? Because the unity and collective confidence for the future that it engendered among Singaporeans was priceless. It showed to the rest of the world that despite great difficulties, ours was a country that would not be beaten down - ours was a people that will rise and overcome. Without that unity and confidence, Singapore could not have survived, let alone thrived against the challenges that our founding generation faced.

Members of this House will readily recognise that subsequent NDPs take reference from and pay homage to that seminal NDP of 1966, both in spirit and form. At each National Day, as we did during the first, we are making a conscious act of the will, it is a wilful event that we have said we will celebrate, whether individually and as one people, to celebrate each National Day with the same indomitable spirit, never mind the prevailing difficulties, and never mind the differences among people. As Singapore prospered over the years, that focus on survival, overcoming difficulties, even unity, may have inadvertently diminished. We've had a good run, so over the years, the NDP has now evolved into softer tones and become more individualistic - more of an affirmation of what Singapore is and what being Singaporean means to each citizen. So you remember the videos that we play at previous NDPs - it had resonance, Singaporeans liked it because it focused on individuals, differences among our people and yet, the unity that we could form from it. That may be today's zeitgeist, but we should never forget that the first NDP and the origin of that spirit which remains essential for our nationhood.

When the NDP EXCO revealed some details for NDP2020, some Singaporeans felt that these celebrations were wasteful and that the same resources ought to be spent elsewhere, especially in light of the impact that COVID-19 had on our economy and jobs. We have had four budgets and each time, we dig into our reserves to make sure that we protect lives and protect livelihoods and jobs. I appreciate their point of view and agree fully with them that we ought to be prudent. The final cost figures are not yet in but at the very least, this year's NDP should be able to reduce the usual budget by a third, with savings from the cost of infrastructure that would have been built if we had held it in the usual was at the Padang or The Float @ Marina Bay.

I am all for prudence - I think Members of Parliament know me - but we should guard against a mood of despondency overcoming us or allow individual preferences to divide us. If we allow despair to prevail in our national psyche particularly in this COVID-19 pandemic, then I say that will be the greatest harm to the future of Singapore - much more devastating than the economic impact, the loss of jobs and businesses. Indeed, through every troubled period of Singapore's history, whether it was the British withdrawal in 1971, the recession of 1985, the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998, SARS in 2003, the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the H1N1 epidemic in 2009 - the drumbeat of the NDP that Singaporeans marched to, neither faltered nor reduced in intensity. Even through those difficult years, Singaporeans chose to celebrate NDP as we have always done and rallied together. Because of that hope and optimism, Singapore emerged stronger.

It has been five months since COVID-19 struck our nation. It is by any account, the most severe disruption globally for at least a century. In fact, experts have to go very far back to find events that match the equivalent magnitude of the impact, and events like World War I, the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, World War II, are cited. For tiny Singapore alone, the infections will last many more months but the impact of disrupted lives and livelihoods will last even longer. If, at this early stage, Singaporeans lose their mettle, their inner strength and equanimity, lose their resolve, weaken their resilience, sharpen their differences, then we are already in trouble. This is not the Singapore that you and I know. This is not the Singapore spirit that has ensured our survival and progress through many previous hardships. So I say, despite the difficulties, and indeed because of the more challenging times that are ahead, we should celebrate this year's NDP, as we have done before, and just as our founding generation did during the first NDP. That, for us, is the most important aspect for this year's NDP.

The EXCO for NDP2020 has stayed true to its roots but has adapted the format to reduce the risk of infection, in the face of an imminent threat from COVID-19. Their concept, which Ms Denise Phua asked about, is a simple one. Not being able to hold the NDP at a central location with large crowds should not prevent Singaporeans from expressing their pride and love for Singapore and the call for unity. NDP2020 will be celebrated in the safety and comfort of every household in Singapore. We may be physically apart but we want to join in spirit as one people, with that same confidence and optimism, and unity that the founding generation fostered despite harsher and grim circumstances.

Most elements will follow the traditions of past NDPs, but some items will be new. The morning segment will begin with the Prime Minister's National Day Message. To remind us of that founding Singapore spirit of that first NDP and to gear Singapore up to face difficulties ahead, it is only right that a parade be held at the Padang. The President will be the reviewing officer, but for a much smaller scale parade comprising only SAF and Home Team contingents. This will be telecast live and SAF helicopters carrying the Singapore Flag will fly over the Padang and also make their way across the housing estates through Singapore. When the anthem is played at the Padang, flag raising ceremonies around the island will take place concurrently so that Singaporeans across the island, whether in their constituencies, camps, workplaces or elsewhere, will be singing Majulah Singapura in unison. In past NDPs that Members of this House have enjoyed, the SAF aircraft could only fly over the NDP site, whether at the Padang or The Float. Now, with Changi Airport being one of the busiest in the world, that was all the airspace and the airtime that could be allocated for NDP. We expect air travel to pick up in the months ahead, and I know that MOT and CAAS is working very hard, but this year, let's turn this into an opportunity so that the SAF aircraft can fly in formation over the heartlands of Singapore so that Singaporeans can watch it from their homes. Mobile Columns from the SAF and Home Team will also travel through various parts of the island. With them will be the frontline heroes and heroines who have shown exemplary sacrifice and courage in fighting this COVID-19 pandemic. I know that Singaporeans want to thank them personally - the NDP will be a good occasion from a safe distance that Singaporeans can cheer them on and show them their much deserved appreciation.

Instead of an NDP show with thousands of participants, there will be a boutique studio show at night with performances by some local artistes and talents which will be broadcasted live. There will be interactive elements, for Singaporeans to sing along and join in the Pledge during the show. And as we do each year, there will be fireworks across a few sites in Singapore to cap the day and night's events over Singapore's skyline, both in the central business district and the HDB heartlands. The fireworks will not be as long or spectacular as recent centralised NDPs but I hope that it will lift the spirits of Singaporeans all across the island.

To facilitate Singaporeans joining in as one people and one nation, the NDP EXCO will provide what they call a Singapore Together Pack - I think Mr Leon Perera and Ms Cheng Li Hui asked about this. The EXCO had engaged various groups in designing this pack and has also taken in public feedback.

Full details are still being worked out but let me share what I can. Singaporeans will find the bag for the pack useful as a reusable grocery bag. It is practical, foldable into a small pouch. The designs on the bag are by local artists with disabilities and some of our Primary 5 pupils - each design an expression of their feelings for their country and fellow citizens, and their hopes for the future. As families will be at home, there is no need for single-use water bottles, neither plastic clappers nor packaging, and these have been done away with to reduce waste. There will be items that express our collective love and wishes for Singapore like the national flag - a full-sized cloth flag and a handheld one - as well as iron-on patches for your masks, a pledge card, and face tattoos. Well-wishing corporations have asked to add to the pack items to express their gratitude for what Singapore has given them, by giving back to Singaporeans. The EXCO has decided to include hand sanitisers, thermometers, face masks - I think Miss Cheng asked about this - and a snack and drink from a local F&B company. Companies are also offering vouchers, and we have decided to put them as an e-discount booklet. Mr Leon Perera asked about cost - the cost of each Singapore Together Pack will be around $2.40.

For every NDP, the EXCO aims to be inclusive and they take in views and accommodate different interests where possible. I think this is good, and forward-leaning. But let me just say this as a gentle caution - if every interest group pushes for its own agenda, especially during the NDP, then our common ground to celebrate this national event shrinks. Because the EXCO simply will never be able to satisfy every request adequately. What the EXCO can do this year is to produce less Singapore Together Packs, taking into account those who have said that they do not need one. It will therefore produce packs for about 80% of households, from which prior experience should be adequate. All those who want them to celebrate our NDP together can collect them from the CCs.

Mr Deputy Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic will define this generation of Singaporeans just as the first NDP. Those who attended the first NDP, the Merdeka Generation, were defined by the difficulties we had as a newly formed Singapore. For this generation, our response will determine whether Singapore continues to thrive in the post-COVID world. And as with every crisis, people have a choice to make -to overcome or to be overwhelmed. As we did at the very first NDP, I urge all members of this House and all Singaporeans to reaffirm our unity, to reaffirm our resilience, bonded by the same vision and optimism that Singapore will prevail and overcome the challenges that this COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon us. The months ahead will be trying and the difficulties ahead will test our resolve and cohesion. Despite all of this, Singapore can - Singaporeans can - and Singapore will, celebrate NDP2020 with confidence and hope for a brighter future.