Singapore turns 60 today — the journey is as inspiring now as it was improbable six decades ago. Looking back at the fledgling nation’s “precarious” position in 1965, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said in his 2025 National Day Message, “This is what makes SG60 so significant — not just that we endured, but that we prevailed and prospered when few believed we would even survive.”
PM Wong delivered his National Day Message from the Padang, a historic site that saw the very first National Day Parade of Singapore in 1966. He shared an image on X, stating: “60 years on, we are at another important turning point. We must now adapt to a very different world.”
In the speech, PM Wong said, “We didn’t intend to become independent. We were not meant to exist as a country. Up to that fateful moment, the prevailing conviction — amongst our founding leaders and pioneer generation alike — was that Singapore had to be part of Malaysia. We were simply too small, too exposed, too vulnerable to stand on our own.
“But circumstances forced our hand. We had to summon the resolve and will to survive as an independent nation.”
PM Wong said, “Looking back, we can see just how precarious our position was. At many points, history could have easily taken a darker turn. Yet against all odds, we made it. This is what makes SG60 so significant — not just that we endured, but that we prevailed and prospered when few believed we would even survive.”
There was no easy road to building a sovereign identity. “More than once, we ourselves feared we might not pull through. But we did not falter. We overcame every challenge — from racial strife and the British pullout, to economic crises, terrorism and global pandemics,” said the Singapore premier. “Each time, we picked ourselves up, learnt from our setbacks, and found the strength and will to carry on.”
He emphasised on the unity of Singapore, saying, “Above all, we stood together, even when powerful forces tried to pull us apart. Through trials, tears and tribulations, we built a nation — strong and free. We built a home for all, regardless of race, language or religion.”
Present-day Singapore has to strengthen itself still more in a global economy getting more and more chaotic every day, because of military conflicts and tariff wars.
PM Wong said, “Now at 60, Singapore stands at another fork in the road. Three months ago, I spoke about a changed world. Since then, the situation has grown graver. New conflicts have broken out. Geopolitical tensions have deepened. Barriers to trade are hardening. And protectionist sentiments are worsening.”
Without mincing words, PM Wong said, “To put it bluntly: the global order that enabled Singapore to thrive for decades is unravelling before our eyes.” The country must now navigate a world “more contested, more fragmented and more volatile than before”.
This warning was followed by a promise: “Difficult times lie ahead. But we are not going to throw up our hands in despair. We will overcome our new challenges. And we will do so in our own way. We will shape the future we want with our own actions.”
Touching upon the global economic outlook and its impact on Singapore, the prime minister said that the international economy will “remain troubled” for some time, as “businesses everywhere are holding back on expansion and new investments”.
He said that the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, chaired by DPM Gan Kim Yong, “has been hard at work, rolling out targeted measures to support businesses and help Singaporeans stay employed”.
Beyond the immediate measures, Singapore had to “also look ahead — anticipate what is on the horizon, and prepare to ride the next wave of change”, said PM Wong.
“Other countries are not standing still. They have more resources, larger populations and are hungry to succeed. The bigger powers are also now more willing to use every tool at their disposal — economic, technological and geopolitical — to tilt the playing field in their favour. That will make it harder for small states like Singapore to hold our own,” he said.
In this context, a refreshed economic strategy would strengthen Singapore’s competitiveness, deepen its capabilities, and secure its future in a very different world. “To stay ahead, Singapore must remain exceptional — in our cohesion, in our resolve, in our performance. We must move faster, adapt quicker and innovate smarter,” said the prime minister.
Artificial Intelligence and robotics would play a part in sharpening the competitive edge. PM Wong said, “The pace of change will be rapid and not always comfortable. There will be disruption. Not everyone will find the transition easy.”
But he also emphasised on the one thing that defines Singapore — “no one will face these challenges alone”. Every Singaporean, he said, would get the help they need “to bounce back and press on”.
“That is why I launched Forward Singapore — to refresh our social compact, and give every Singaporean the support and confidence to travel the road ahead,” he said.
