Standing Together in Total Defence

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen (centre) with participants of N.E.mation! 7 after the prize presentation ceremony at Republic Polytechnic.

This year's Total Defence (TD) Day Commemoration Event was held at the Republic Polytechnic, the finishing point of the TD Challenge which started at the Singapore Discovery Centre. Demonstrating the campaign theme "Will You Stand With Me?", 26 teams comprising Singaporeans from different walks of life worked together to complete a series of physical and mental challenges along the route. In doing so, a total of $223,838.47 was raised for Community Chest, through donations by charity partners, HSBC and Lee Foundation. 

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, the Guest of Honour at the TD Day Commemoration Event, stressed in his speech that a nation's ability to overcome a crisis depended on "the mettle and unity of its people". Citing how Singapore overcame the SARS epidemic in 2003 and the global financial crisis in 2008, Dr Ng encouraged Singaporeans to "strengthen our resolve as a people and a community bonded by a spirit of giving, to look out for others and rally together, to defend our nation and build a strong home." He said that "despite the many demands of work and family, we must make time to strengthen the spirit of community and civic-mindedness". 

Dr Ng also presented prizes to the winning teams of N.E.mation! 7. We Want To Go To USA from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School was awarded the top prize - a visit to DreamWorks Animation Studio in the United States where they would have the opportunity to learn more about animation. Madeforsam from Duman High School and All These Ships from Methodist Girls' School were the first and second runners-up respectively. These students competed with more than 2,200 others in developing stories around the theme "Together We Overcome". The stories centred on how Singaporeans rallied to overcome the national crises in Singapore's history, as well as challenges we currently face. 

Members of the public had the opportunity to view the TD Challenge and support the teams using the TD Challenge application on Facebook. They can also take part in the "Let's Stand Together" online human chain by submitting their photos on the official website www.standwithme.sg, and share their stories of how someone has stood together with them to achieve a remarkable feat or to overcome a challenge through the "My Friend In Deed" online contest. 

The TD Day Commemoration Event was held from 9am to 6pm. Exhibitions, a mini adventure challenge and interactive displays of civil defence and SAF equipment were part of the programme. 

TD Day takes place on 15 February every year, the day Singapore fell to the Japanese during World War II in 1942. This is to remind ourselves that we cannot take our security for granted, and that we are responsible for our own 

More Resources

Speech by Minister For Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Total Defence Day Commemoration Event

Fact Sheet: Total Defence Day Commemoration Event

Fact Sheet: TD 2013 Partnerships

Fact Sheet: The TD Challenge

Fact Sheet: N.E.mation! 7

Fact Sheet: Online Engagement for TD 2013