136-521: The National Day Rally ( Malay : Rapat Umum Hari Kebangsaan ; Chinese : 国庆群众大会 ; pinyin : Guóqìng Qúnzhòng Dàhuì ; Tamil : தேசிய தின பேரணி ) is an annual message delivered by the Prime Minister of Singapore to the entire nation, on the first or second Sunday after National Day on 9 August. Started in 1966, the national day rally is Singapore's equivalent of the President of
272-633: A Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard Kennedy School in 1980. Lee resigned from the SAF in 1984 to enter politics and was elected the MP for Teck Ghee SMC . Since its dissolution in 1991, he has represented the Teck Ghee ward of Ang Mo Kio GRC. Lee has served as Deputy Prime Minister , Minister for Finance , Minister for Trade and Industry , and Second Minister for Defence under two Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong before assuming
408-645: A chef . His mother has ancestry from Tong'an District and Longhu while his father has ancestry from Dabu County in China. Lee was educated at Nanyang Primary School and Catholic High School —where he played clarinet in the school band, and National Junior College before he was awarded the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1971 by the Public Service Commission (PSC) to study mathematics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge . He became
544-530: A break at 7:30pm, before commencing his English address at 8:00pm. Prior to 2005, the rally was a continuous speech from 8:00pm. In 2007, opposition and Nominated Members of Parliament were invited to the National Day Rally for the first time. In 2008, the English language telecast of the rally, initially scheduled for live broadcast at 8:00pm on 17 August, was postponed to the next day. The move
680-513: A culture of fear and arrested the risky global environment, the PAP also knows that the transactional basis on which its authority is built has become fragile and therefore needs to be strengthened by moral authority. Malay language Malay ( / m ə ˈ l eɪ / mə- LAY ; Malay: Bahasa Melayu , Jawi : بهاس ملايو ) is an Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia , and Singapore . It
816-793: A diplomatic breakthrough, which raised tensions with the PRC. The Singapore government later published the full records of the discussion with the Chinese embassy in Singapore's local media. On 28 August 2004, in his first National Day Rally speech and as prime minister, Lee criticised the Taiwanese leadership and populace over their pro-independence stance. He reiterated the reasons for the visit and said that Singapore's decision to stand firm on its vital interests had earned it international respect. Relations were eventually mended when Lee met Hu Jintao at
952-481: A fourth child. In November 2004, Lee sparked a national debate when he proposed to build two Integrated Resorts (IRs), or hotel-casinos. Despite the longstanding stance against gambling in Singapore, with the exception of regulated industries such as the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools , the government was concerned its stance was hurting the economic competitiveness of the country, risking
1088-473: A government notification to users". In the leadup to the 2020 general election, Lee's own brother Lee Hsien Yang accused him of reneging on promises made in his 2004 National Day Rally speech about promising increased civil liberties and the freedom to express diverse views without interference. Lee and his ministers actively rebutted allegations by overseas media that POFMA is a tool for censorship, saying that "no information or view has been suppressed" as
1224-555: A mid vowel [e, o] . Orthographic note : both /e/ and /ə/ are written with ⟨e⟩ . Orthographic /e, o/ are relatively rare, so the letter ⟨e⟩ usually represents /ə/ . There are some homographs; for example, perang is used for both /pəraŋ/ "war" and /peraŋ ~ piraŋ/ "blond". (In Indonesia, "blond" may be written perang or pirang .) Some analyses regard /ai, au, oi/ as diphthongs. However, [ai] and [au] can only occur in open syllables, such as cukai ("tax") and pulau ("island"). Words with
1360-420: A new 18,000-seat indoor stadium, pedestrianised roads, a community boulevard, and the consolidation of sport facilities, such as the integration of Singapore Sports School and training centres for national athletes. The programme used to be aired as a single slot programme from 8 pm onwards. Since 2005, the rally is usually broadcast live from 6.45pm till 10pm (SST), with a break between 7:30 and 8 pm (the break
1496-509: A new Majulah Package for Young Seniors who were above 50 or early 60s, born in 1973 or earlier. The package comprised three components - Earn and save Bonus , Retirement Saving Bonus and MediSave Bonus . Lee also spoke about ageing, making homes more senior-friendly under the EASE Programme (Enhancement for Active Seniors) as well as upgrading infrastructure and building more shelters as well more assisted living facilities as part of
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#17327902886561632-434: A phonetic diphthong in a closed syllable, such as baik ("good") and laut ("sea"), are actually two syllables. An alternative analysis therefore treats the phonetic diphthongs [ai] , [au] and [oi] as a sequence of a monophthong plus an approximant: /aj/ , /aw/ and /oj/ respectively. There is a rule of vowel harmony : the non-open vowels /i, e, u, o/ in bisyllabic words must agree in height, so hidung ("nose")
1768-401: A prelude to Heng succeeding Lee as Singapore's fourth prime minister after the next general election. Lee noted that the cabinet reshuffle "was more extensive than usual", with younger, fourth-generation ministers being prioritised and now heading two-thirds of the ministries. Speaking at his party convention on 19 November 2017, Lee said that raising taxes was a necessity to fund investment in
1904-834: A result of the Act and that the government "has not restricted free debate". In an interview with The Straits Times , Lee noted that fake news could disrupt society, and that the United States and Europe were struggling to manage the situation, especially in light of alleged Russian interference in recent elections . He cited Germany as a country that has enacted a similar law . In response to concerns that POFMA could curb free speech, Lee said that free speech exists within appropriate boundaries, with no society having absolute freedom of speech, and that defamatory or threatening speech should be banned to facilitate meaningful exchange of information and ideals. The first COVID-19 case in Singapore
2040-431: A root word ( affixation ), formation of a compound word (composition), or repetition of words or portions of words ( reduplication ). Nouns and verbs may be basic roots, but frequently they are derived from other words by means of prefixes , suffixes and circumfixes . Malay does not make use of grammatical gender , and there are only a few words that use natural gender; the same word is used for 'he' and 'she' which
2176-498: A second inscription on UNESCO 's World Heritage List of her hawker culture , and that Senior Minister of State and Mayor Maliki Osman would be leading an improvement project for Geylang Serai . The 2019 rally was held on 18 August 2019 at ITE College Central . In Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong 's speech, he highlighted education bursaries and subsidies, along with the mention of successful bursary holders who were invited along, Pulau Brani 's redevelopment plan as "Downtown South",
2312-472: A short and formal televised National Day message from the prime minister, observance ceremonies held at organisations in the public and private sectors, constituency dinners and ministerial speeches, regularly televised music videos of patriotic songs composed for the celebrations, and—most spectacular of all—a National Day parade that since the mid-1980s has included not only a traditional ceremonial segment, but also high-tech mass performances and re-enactments of
2448-474: A shortened five-day work week for the Civil Service , and most controversially, mooted the idea of casinos in Singapore. In 1970, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's response to casinos in Singapore had been "no, not over my dead body", though the elder Lee had since changed his mind. In 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong adopted the current format of delivering his Malay and Chinese remarks at 6:45pm, with
2584-538: A tribunal for workplace disputes. He also highlighted measures on racial issues; like a proposed Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act to consolidate existing laws and put softer approaches, and allowing tudungs in public healthcare settings from November 2021 especially for nurses. The 2022 rally was held on 21 August 2022, returning to ITE College Central after 3 years being the previous time back in 2019. On Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong 's speech, he announced special awards for frontliners who help fought COVID-19 , being
2720-454: Is dia or for 'his' and 'her' which is dia punya . There is no grammatical plural in Malay either; thus orang may mean either 'person' or 'people'. Verbs are not inflected for person or number, and they are not marked for tense; tense is instead denoted by time adverbs (such as 'yesterday') or by other tense indicators, such as sudah 'already' and belum 'not yet'. On the other hand, there
2856-427: Is a little red dot . If we don't defend our interests, who will?" Lee in his National Day Rally speech The PRC later retaliated by cancelling several visits by high-ranking PRC officials to Singapore and delaying planned signing ceremonies , hinting that free trade negotiations would also be pushed back. The matter was further complicated and magnified when Taiwanese media headlined the visit and portrayed it as
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#17327902886562992-600: Is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been the senior minister of Singapore since 2024. He previously served as the third prime minister of Singapore and secretary-general of the People's Action Party (PAP) from 2004 to 2024. He has been a member of parliament (MP) for Teck Ghee since 1984, initially as Teck Ghee SMC from 1984 to 1991 and as a division of Ang Mo Kio GRC since 1991. Born and raised in Singapore during British colonial rule , Lee
3128-456: Is a complex system of verb affixes to render nuances of meaning and to denote voice or intentional and accidental moods . Malay does not have a grammatical subject in the sense that English does. In intransitive clauses, the noun comes before the verb. When there is both an agent and an object , these are separated by the verb (OVA or AVO), with the difference encoded in the voice of the verb. OVA, commonly but inaccurately called "passive",
3264-439: Is a very well-endowed place... Oh, just natural course of events.' It wasn't, you know. We made it so..." The 1981 rally marked the first time where Cabinet ministers delivered their speeches. At the 1983 rally, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew "trotted out facts and figures to show that the more highly educated a woman was, the less likely she was to reproduce" , before concluding, "[W]e are really discarding our able parents in
3400-430: Is allowed but * hedung is not. Pronunciation Pronunciation Pronunciation Study by Uri Tadmor which was published in 2003 shows that mutation of ⟨a⟩ in final open syllable is an areal feature. Specifically, it is an areal feature of Western Austronesia. Uri Tadmor classify those types into four groups as below. Malay is an agglutinative language , and new words are formed by three methods: attaching affixes onto
3536-646: Is also spoken in East Timor and parts of Thailand . Altogether, it is spoken by 290 million people (around 260 million in Indonesia alone in its own literary standard named " Indonesian ") across Maritime Southeast Asia . The language is pluricentric and a macrolanguage , i.e., several varieties of it are standardized as the national language ( bahasa kebangsaan or bahasa nasional ) of several nation states with various official names: in Malaysia, it
3672-433: Is available from its English broadcast. The rally began in 1966 as a "private meeting" between the prime minister and grassroots leaders. The transcript was released to the media only two weeks later. Only in 1971 did first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew decide "at the last minute" to televise the speech, which has since been annually broadcast live. The first rally in 1966 was held on the eve of National Day. Since 1967,
3808-422: Is designated as either Bahasa Malaysia (" Malaysian ") or also Bahasa Melayu ("Malay language"); in Singapore and Brunei, it is called Bahasa Melayu ("Malay language"); in Indonesia, an autonomous normative variety called Bahasa Indonesia (" Indonesian language ") is designated the bahasa persatuan/pemersatu ("unifying language" or lingua franca ) whereas the term "Malay" ( bahasa Melayu )
3944-482: Is divided into Bornean and Sumatran Malay; some of the most widely spoken Sumatran Malay dialects are Riau Malay , Langkat , Palembang Malay and Jambi Malay . Minangkabau , Kerinci and Bengkulu are believed to be Sumatran Malay descendants. Meanwhile, the Jakarta dialect (known as Betawi ) also belongs to the western Malay group. The eastern varieties, classified either as dialects or creoles , are spoken in
4080-477: Is domestically restricted to vernacular varieties of Malay indigenous to areas of Central to Southern Sumatra and West Kalimantan . Classical Malay , also called Court Malay, was the literary standard of the pre-colonial Malacca and Johor Sultanates and so the language is sometimes called Malacca, Johor or Riau Malay (or various combinations of those names) to distinguish it from the various other Malayic languages . According to Ethnologue 16, several of
4216-447: Is fine and he did not have a stroke." At 10:40pm, he returned to speak for another 15 minutes. By then, he looked well and thanked the audience for waiting for him, who gave him a standing ovation. The 2017 rally was held on 20 August 2017 at ITE College Central . Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong 's speech mainly focused on the obstacles which Singapore was currently facing, namely Diabetes , Pre-school and Technology . The 2018 rally
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4352-623: Is not a tonal language . The consonants of Malaysian and also Indonesian are shown below. Non-native consonants that only occur in borrowed words, principally from Arabic, Dutch and English, are shown in brackets. Orthographic note : The sounds are represented orthographically by their symbols as above, except: Loans from Arabic : Malay originally had four vowels, but in many dialects today, including Standard Malay, it has six, with /i/ split into /i, e/ and /u/ split into /u, o/ . Many words are commonly pronounced variably, with either [i, u] or [e, o] , and relatively few words require
4488-569: Is not readily intelligible with the standard language , and the same is true with some lects on the Malay Peninsula such as Kedah Malay . However, both Brunei and Kedah are quite close. Malay is now written using the Latin script , known as Rumi in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore or Latin in Indonesia, although an Arabic script called Arab Melayu or Jawi also exists. Latin script
4624-595: Is official in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Malay uses Hindu-Arabic numerals . Rumi (Latin) and Jawi are co-official in Brunei only. Names of institutions and organisations have to use Jawi and Rumi (Latin) scripts. Jawi is used fully in schools, especially the religious school, sekolah agama , which is compulsory during the afternoon for Muslim students aged from around 6–7 up to 12–14. Efforts are currently being undertaken to preserve Jawi in Malaysia, and students taking Malay language examinations in Malaysia have
4760-521: Is similar to Kelantanese Malay, but the language has no official status or recognition. Owing to earlier contact with the Philippines , Malay words—such as dalam hati (sympathy), luwalhati (glory), tengah hari (midday), sedap (delicious)—have evolved and been integrated into Tagalog and other Philippine languages . By contrast, Indonesian has successfully become the lingua franca for its disparate islands and ethnic groups, in part because
4896-624: Is the basic and most common word order. The Malay language has many words borrowed from Arabic (in particular religious terms), Sanskrit , Tamil , certain Sinitic languages , Persian (due to historical status of Malay Archipelago as a trading hub), and more recently, Portuguese , Dutch and English (in particular many scientific and technological terms). There is a group of closely related languages spoken by Malays and related peoples across Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia , Singapore , Southern Thailand , Kampung Alor in East Timor , and
5032-547: Is the eldest son of Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew . He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge , in 1974 with first class honours in mathematics and a Diploma in Computer Science with distinction (equivalent to a first-class master's in computer science). He served in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) between 1971 and 1984, and attained the rank Brigadier-General , completing
5168-525: Is the lack of possessive pronouns (and suffixes) in eastern dialects. Manado uses the verb pe and Ambon pu (from Malay punya 'to have') to mark possession. So 'my name' and 'our house" are translated in western Malay as namaku and rumah kita but kita pe nama and torang pe rumah in Manado and beta pu nama , katong pu rumah in Ambon dialect. The pronunciation may vary in western dialects, especially
5304-566: The lingua franca of the region during the Malacca Sultanate era (1402–1511). It was the period the Malay language developed rapidly under the influence of Islamic literature. The development changed the nature of the language with massive infusion of Arabic , Sanskrit , and Tamil vocabularies, called Classical Malay . Under the Sultanate of Malacca the language evolved into a form recognisable to speakers of modern Malay. When
5440-586: The 1984 general election , all of the old Central Executive Committee members except Lee Kuan Yew resigned on 1 January 1985. Lee was first elected Member of Parliament for the Teck Ghee SMC in 1984, at the age of 32. He was subsequently appointed Minister of State for Trade and Industry , and Minister of State for Defence . In 1985, Lee chaired the government's economic committee, which recommended changes to established government policies to reduce business costs, foster longer-term growth and revive
5576-437: The 2011 Singapore general election , the PAP saw a 6.46% swing downwards to 60.14%, its lowest since independence. The result, while a landslide victory for the PAP by international standards, was seen as a rebuke to the ruling party as a result of massive immigration of low-skilled workers, high-profile rail transport breakdowns and the rising cost of living in the intervening years. During the campaigning period, Lee has sensed
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5712-701: The APEC Economics Leaders' Meeting on 19 November 2004, which signified the end of the dispute. On 12 August 2004, Lee succeeded Goh Chok Tong as prime minister and relinquished his chairmanship of the Monetary Authority of Singapore to Goh. Chief Justice Yong Pung How had Lee sworn in at the Istana . As prime minister, Lee also became chairman of the People's Association . In his maiden National Day Rally speech on 22 August 2004, Lee announced several new initiatives, among them
5848-624: The Cham alphabet are used by the Chams of Vietnam and Cambodia . Old Malay was written using Pallava and Kawi script, as evident from several inscription stones in the Malay region. Starting from the era of kingdom of Pasai and throughout the golden age of the Malacca Sultanate, Jawi gradually replaced these scripts as the most commonly used script in the Malay region. Starting from the 17th century, under Dutch and British influence, Jawi
5984-650: The Great Recession ; the downturn was attributed to the city's trade-dependent economy. To counteract the ailing economy, the government announced a S$ 2.8 billion stimulus fund in November 2008 for SMEs and local firms and further pledged a S$ 20.5 billion Resilience Package in January 2009. These measures were intended to keep the unemployment rate low, having risen to 2.6% in December 2008 and 3.3% by
6120-721: The Remaking Singapore Committee . On 10 July 2004, Lee visited Taiwan , an island claimed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) that has been ruled by the Republic of China (ROC) since 1945. The Singapore government maintains a policy of neutrality in the Cross-Strait relations between the two sides despite having severed diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on 3 October 1990 in favour of
6256-471: The Senior Wrangler at Cambridge in 1973, and graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts with first class honours degree (later promoted to Master of Arts by seniority) in mathematics and a diploma in computer science (now equivalent to a master's degree in computer science) with distinction. His college tutor, Denis Marrian, later described Lee as "the brightest mathematician he had admitted to
6392-553: The COVID-19 Resilience Medal and state awards that indicate the special circumstance of COVID, along with impending relaxations of indoor masking for most areas except on public transport and in healthcare facilities. Lee also announced the impending repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code while protecting the definition of marriages from future legal challenges by spelling out Parliament's right to do so in
6528-538: The Constitution. Existing policies on media standards—particularly in films and advertising, education, public housing and adoption rules will remain unchanged. Other policies announced include future schemes to attract talent to Singapore, along with infrastructural enhancements to Singapore. They are Tuas Port; which will run in an automated and digitalised manner, Changi Airport Terminal 5; which will go ahead with measures to boost resilience during pandemics and make
6664-530: The GST to be suspended entirely or for the exemption of essential goods from the tax. Lee's government introduced the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) in 2018, colloquially known as the "fake news law", which was first mooted by Minister of Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam . Despite concerns by activists and opposition Members of Parliament that the Act would limit free speech under
6800-733: The Joint Operations and Plans Directorate, and Chief of Staff of the General Staff. He also attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1978. Lee rose quickly through the ranks in the Singapore Army , becoming the youngest brigadier-general in Singapore's history after his promotion in July 1983 at the age of 32. Notably, he was put in command of
6936-690: The Lee government's effort to promote Singapore as an international center for arbitration, the city hosted the leaders of Mainland China and Taiwan for the Ma-Xi meeting on 7 November 2015 and the North Korea–United States summit on 12 June 2018. Singapore hosted the signing of the Singapore Convention on Mediation on 7 August 2019, the first United Nations treaty named after it, and ratified it on 25 February 2020. On 20 July 2018, it
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#17327902886567072-1112: The Malayic languages spoken by the Orang Asli ( Proto-Malay ) in Malaya . They are Jakun , Orang Kanaq , Orang Seletar , and Temuan . The other Malayic languages, included in neither of these groups, are associated with the expansion of the Malays across the archipelago. They include Riau-Johor Malay ( Malaysian and Indonesian ), Kedah Malay , Kedayan/Brunei Malay , Berau Malay , Bangka Malay , Jambi Malay , Kutai Malay , Natuna Malay, Riau Malay , Loncong , Pattani Malay , and Banjarese . Menterap may belong here. There are also several Malay-based creole languages , such as Betawi , Cocos Malay , Makassar Malay , Ambonese Malay , Dili Malay , Kupang Malay , Manado Malay , Papuan Malay , Pattani Malay , Satun Malay , Songkhla Malay , Bangkok Malay , and Sabah Malay , which may be more or less distinct from standard (Malaccan) Malay. Due to
7208-504: The Malayic varieties they currently list as separate languages, including the Orang Asli varieties of Peninsular Malay , are so closely related to standard Malay that they may prove to be dialects. There are also several Malay trade and creole languages (e.g. Ambonese Malay ) based on a lingua franca derived from Classical Malay as well as Makassar Malay , which appears to be a mixed language . Malay historical linguists agree on
7344-436: The National Day Rally. He "spoke with a self-deprecating humour that heralded a new, gentler style of governance", which he underscored by remarking, "I am not going to follow [Lee Kuan Yew's] act. I am going to walk my own way." At the 2002 rally, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong remarked, "Fair-weather Singaporeans will run away whenever the country runs into stormy weather. I call them 'quitters'. Fortunately, 'quitters' are in
7480-947: The Old Malay language was found in Sumatra , Indonesia, written in the Pallava variety of the Grantha alphabet and is dated 1 May 683. Known as the Kedukan Bukit inscription , it was discovered by the Dutchman M. Batenburg on 29 November 1920 at Kedukan Bukit, South Sumatra , on the banks of the Tatang, a tributary of the Musi River . It is a small stone of 45 by 80 centimetres (18 by 31 in). For centuries, Srivijaya , through its expansion, economic power and military prowess,
7616-433: The PAP's pioneer leaders—Lee Kuan Yew and his "lieutenants". The PAP knows that its authority will be secure as long as it remains able to make Singaporeans believe that it can continue to deliver material prosperity and security for all, regardless of race. Therefore, the PAP has had to reassert its relevance constantly by insisting on Singapore's fundamentally vulnerable nature and condition, an insistence that has sustained
7752-461: The People's Republic. To continue facilitating this policy when Lee becomes Prime Minister, Lee believed it to be important for him to "personally feel for the situation" in Taiwan and made the trip going to Taiwan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials advised that any visit to Taiwan by an incumbent prime minister would be diplomatically impossible, hence the trip was planned a month before Lee assumed
7888-510: The Singapore economy, which was experiencing a recession at the time. The committee's recommendations included reductions in corporate and personal taxes and the introduction of a consumption tax . In 1986, Lee was appointed Acting Minister for Trade and Industry . In 1987, he became a full member of the Cabinet as Minister for Trade and Industry and Second Minister for Defence. In March 1986, First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong discussed
8024-565: The Singaporean masses—the lower income voters in particular—as a way of reinforcing the image of government as benevolent provider" . As an annual injection of patriotism, the National Day celebrations help to inoculate Singaporeans against the disenchantment that accompanies advanced industrial societies, whether they are formally classified as capitalist or socialist, democratic or authoritarian. Singaporeans are reminded every year of
8160-468: The United States ’ State of the Union address. The prime minister uses the rally to review the country’s status, its key challenges, as well as to set the country's direction, major policy changes, the economy, future plans and achievements. Currently, the prime minister does the rally speech in all of its official languages, English, Mandarin and Malay (national language), except for Tamil, where only dubbing
8296-474: The affair between former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui have not affected his plans for succession and that it was still on track. The 2024 National Day Rally was delivered by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on 18 August 2024 at ITE College Central . This rally marked Wong's first rally as PM, following his succession of Lee Hsien Loong in May 2024. During his speeches,
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#17327902886568432-451: The age criteria to those 30 years old compared to 35 years old now, expanding Progressive Wage Model to more sectors such as the retail, food and waste management sectors, as well as general careers like administrative assistants and drivers, a local qualifying salary and a PW Mark to acknowledge companies which pay workers fairly, studying concerns of delivery riders, controls on S-Passes and Employment Passes, legislating TAFEP guidelines and
8568-698: The age of seventy, noting the need for someone to be in tune with the public. In the 2015 Singapore general election , Lee was re-elected in Ang Mo Kio GRC, with the PAP winning 83 of 89 seats in Parliament and 69.9% of the national vote. Lee's fourth term as prime minister was marked by events such as the China–United States trade war , which adversely affected the nation's economy, being highly reliant on free markets and trade. Increased cyberattacks on Singapore-related services and websites led to
8704-456: The announcement came three months before the 2006 Singaporean general election , it drew criticism that the ruling party was involved in "vote buying". In that election, the PAP won 82 of the 84 seats, including 37 walkovers. The Ang Mo Kio GRC was contested for the first time in 15 years. The Workers' Party (WP) claimed that they wanted to give Ang Mo Kio residents a chance to exercise their vote. Lee and his six-member GRC team won 60.42% of
8840-509: The building more environmentally-friendly, building 150,000 housing units at the current Paya Lebar Air Base area and future plans from "Long Term Plan Review" by the Urban Redevelopment Authority . The 2023 rally was held on 20 August 2023 at ITE College Central . It was the final rally for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who subsequently handed over the premiership to Lawrence Wong on 15 May 2024. Lee announced
8976-532: The cabinet as part of a rejuvenation process in the government and to provide a clean slate for Lee. Lee was sworn in to a third term on 21 May 2011. On 1 June 2011, Lee was named chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation , which manages more than S$ 100 billion in assets. He succeeded his father, Lee Kuan Yew, who remained as senior advisor to the fund until his death. In 2012, Lee indicated that he hoped not to be prime minister beyond
9112-444: The college". Béla Bollobás said that Lee "would have been a world-class research mathematician", but his father did not realise this and persuaded Lee to leave the field. In an interview prior to Lee's resignation as prime minister in 2024, Lee said he did not feel regret pursuing the path of politics over mathematics, saying that he "had the responsibility to come back to Singapore, be part of Singapore, and do what [he] could to help
9248-555: The colonial language, Dutch, is no longer commonly spoken. (In East Timor , which was governed as a province of Indonesia from 1976 to 1999, Indonesian is widely spoken and recognized under its Constitution as a 'working language'.) Besides Indonesian , which developed from the Riau Malay dialect, there are many Malay varieties spoken in Indonesia; they are divided into western and eastern groups. Western Malay dialects are predominantly spoken in Sumatra and Borneo , which itself
9384-747: The constitution as one of two working languages (the other being English ), alongside the official languages of Tetum and Portuguese . The extent to which Malay is used in these countries varies depending on historical and cultural circumstances. Malay is the national language in Malaysia by Article 152 of the Constitution of Malaysia , and became the sole official language in Peninsular Malaysia in 1968 and in East Malaysia gradually from 1974. English continues, however, to be widely used in professional and commercial fields and in
9520-478: The contradictions between nation-building and the tensions between the liberal and reactionary tendencies of the global city. According to Kenneth Paul Tan of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy , he stated that "the rally speech has also been a part of larger celebrations surrounding the commemoration of Singapore's independence gained on 9th August 1965. These celebrations have come to include
9656-436: The country to succeed", and added saying it was "the right thing to do". He subsequently went on to complete a Master of Public Administration degree, becoming a Mason Fellow at Harvard University 's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1980. Lee joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1971, and served as a commissioned officer between 1974 and 1984, and held various staff and command posts, including Director of
9792-516: The court moved to establish the Johor Sultanate, it continued using the classical language; it has become so associated with Dutch Riau and British Johor that it is often assumed that the Malay of Riau is close to the classical language. However, there is no closer connection between Malaccan Malay as used on Riau and the Riau vernacular. Among the oldest surviving letters written in Malay are
9928-566: The discontent in public sentiment and made a public apology. While the PAP swept into power, winning 81 out of 87 seats, it lost Aljunied GRC to the Workers' Party (WP), a historic win by an opposition party. Foreign Minister George Yeo and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua of the GRC were defeated. Following the election, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong resigned from
10064-420: The earliest evidence of Jawi writing in the Malay world of Southeast Asia, and was one of the oldest testimonies to the advent of Islam as a state religion in the region. It contains the proclamation issued by a ruler of Terengganu known as Seri Paduka Tuan, urging his subjects to extend and uphold Islam and providing 10 basic Sharia laws for their guidance. The classical Malay language came into widespread use as
10200-486: The early settlement of a Cape Malay community in Cape Town , who are now known as Coloureds , numerous Classical Malay words were brought into Afrikaans . The extent to which Malay and related Malayan languages are used in the countries where it is spoken varies depending on historical and cultural circumstances. Malay is the national language in Malaysia by Article 152 of the Constitution of Malaysia , and became
10336-474: The eastern part of the Malay or Nusantara archipelago and include Makassar Malay , Manado Malay , Ambonese Malay , North Moluccan Malay , Kupang Malay , Dili Malay , and Papuan Malay . The differences among both groups are quite observable. For example, the word kita means 'we, us' in western, but means 'I, me' in Manado, whereas 'we, us" in Manado is torang and Ambon katong (originally abbreviated from Malay kita orang 'we people'). Another difference
10472-650: The end of Srivijayan rule in Sumatra . The laws were for the Minangkabau people , who today still live in the highlands of Sumatra , Indonesia . Terengganu Inscription Stone (Malay: Batu Bersurat Terengganu ; Jawi: باتو برسورت ترڠݢانو) is a granite stele carrying inscription in Jawi script that was found in Terengganu, Malaysia is the earliest evidence of classical Malay inscription. The inscription, dated possibly to 702 AH (corresponds to 1303 CE), constituted
10608-446: The end of Q2 2009. In August 2009, Lee declared that "the worst [was] over" and that Singapore was in a stronger position due to better-than-forecast growth in the manufacturing and services industries. The Ministry of Trade and Industry announced an end to the recession in November 2009 and forecast a 3–5% growth for 2010. Singapore subsequently saw a record-high economic recovery of 14.53%, defying predictions of moderate growth, with
10744-590: The far southern parts of the Philippines . They have traditionally been classified as Malay, Para-Malay, and Aboriginal Malay, but this reflects geography and ethnicity rather than a proper linguistic classification. The Malayic languages are mutually intelligible to varying extents, though the distinction between language and dialect is unclear in many cases. Para-Malay includes the Malayic languages of Sumatra . They are: Minangkabau , Central Malay (Bengkulu), Pekal , Talang Mamak , Musi (Palembang), Negeri Sembilan (Malaysia), and Duano’ . Aboriginal Malay are
10880-758: The form of the GST , which is expected to rise from 7% to 9% by 2025. Lee's government said that it was necessary to plan ahead for increasing annual recurrent expenses, with Heng Swee Keat saying that the "hike cannot be put off or scrapped" to pay for critical future needs, especially in the healthcare sector. In his Budget 2020 speech in February, Heng announced amendments to the GST Voucher Fund Act that would allow grants-in-aid to be given to parents or guardians for infants and children to mitigate their expenses. Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong said
11016-481: The growing sophistication of the economy and the financial markets' increasing volatility, Lee "may not have the full-time attention" due to his concurrent duties as prime minister. The economy grew for the first two years of Lee's tenure but plunged 12.5% during the Great Recession . Singapore became the first Asian country to slip into a recession during the fourth quarter of 2008, with the financial, construction and manufacturing sectors being particularly affected by
11152-470: The guise of preventing disinformation, the bill passed by a 72–9 vote on 8 May 2019 after two days' debate. Reporters Without Borders called the bill "terrible", "totalitarian", and a tool for censorship. Reuters wrote that the act "ensnares" government critics. Social media firms like Facebook expressed concern that the law would grant "broad powers to the Singapore executive branch to compel us to remove content they deem to be false and pro-actively push
11288-466: The independence of Taiwan , with the PRC claiming that Singapore was making a "historical error" for the trip. Then-Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar replied to the PRC counterpart of him Li Zhaoxing that the ROC government had been asked to keep the visit low-profile and that it would proceed as planned. "When our vital interests are at stake, we must quietly stand our ground. As Dr Habibie said, Singapore
11424-506: The intent was to expand the range of people who qualify for the fund. With the amendment, the Act would allow for the funding of the $ 6 billion Assurance Package, which was intended to delay the impact of the impending hike for five years. The proposed hike met with broad disapproval from the opposition, with the Workers' Party and Progress Singapore Party calling for the GST to be retained at its present rate of 7% and others calling for
11560-831: The introduction of the Cybersecurity Act in 2018 and the establishment of the Cyber Security Agency . The defeat of the Barisan Nasional government in the 2018 Malaysian general election , which saw the return of Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister, led to a chill in relations as the new Pakatan Harapan government sought to overturn previously signed agreements on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail and Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System , and also disputed with Singapore on airspace and maritime rights. As part of
11696-565: The island of Taiwan . The history of the Malay language can be divided into five periods: Old Malay, the Transitional Period, the Classical Malay, Late Modern Malay and Modern Malay. Old Malay is believed to be the actual ancestor of Classical Malay. Old Malay was influenced by Sanskrit, the classical language of India . Sanskrit loan words can be found in Old Malay vocabulary. The earliest known stone inscription in
11832-763: The languages' words for kinship, health, body parts and common animals. Numbers, especially, show remarkable similarities. Within Austronesian, Malay is part of a cluster of numerous closely related forms of speech known as the Malayic languages , which were spread across Malaya and the Indonesian archipelago by Malay traders from Sumatra. There is disagreement as to which varieties of speech popularly called "Malay" should be considered dialects of this language, and which should be classified as distinct Malay languages. The vernacular of Brunei— Brunei Malay —for example,
11968-559: The leadership that the lack of an official channel to engage with the younger generation might lead them to vote for opposition parties and potentially bring the PAP government down. The youth wing was an official "tailor-made" mechanism to allow dissenting opinions to be heard. Lee was the first chairman of the PAP Youth Committee upon its establishment, the predecessor to Young PAP . On 28 November 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister. Lee Hsien Loong
12104-460: The letters from Sultan Abu Hayat of Ternate , Maluku Islands in present-day Indonesia , dated around 1521–1522. The text is addressed to the king of Portugal , following contact with Portuguese explorer Francisco Serrão . The letters show sign of non-native usage; the Ternateans used (and still use) the unrelated Ternate language , a West Papuan language , as their first language . Malay
12240-589: The likelihood of the Malayic homeland being in western Borneo . A form known as Proto-Malayic was spoken in Borneo at least by 1000 BCE, it has been argued to be the ancestral language of all subsequent Malayic languages . Its ancestor, Proto-Malayo-Polynesian , a descendant of the Proto-Austronesian language , began to break up by at least 2000 BCE, possibly as a result of the southward expansion of Austronesian peoples into Maritime Southeast Asia from
12376-475: The loss of tourism revenue to other cities. In April 2005, despite some public opposition, the government approved the proposal. The IRs were built in Marina Bay and Sentosa . To limit the negative social impact of casino gambling, Lee suggested safeguards such as prohibiting minors from the casinos and charging an entrance fee for Singaporeans of S$ 100 (or S$ 2000 for a yearly pass). The Casino Control Act
12512-476: The minority. The majority of Singaporeans are 'stayers'... As we say in Hokkien, 'pah see buay zao'." His labels generated "much discussion". In 2004, third Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made his maiden address at the National Day Rally. However, rather than deliver a "cautious speech", he "surprised many by slaughtering a few sacred cows". He promoted a new "teach less, learn more" education policy, introduced
12648-525: The move was "for a serious purpose - to underscore my longstanding commitment to investing in…every Singaporean". In his 2015 speech, "set within the context of... an impending general election ", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong "asked for a strong mandate" without being "baldly partisan". PM Lee also mentioned two ministers, Vivian Balakrishnan and Lim Swee Say , who would respectively be standing in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC and East Coast GRC ,
12784-514: The new Prime Minister announced several policy initiatives. These include Singapore's first-ever unemployment support scheme, a revamp of the Gifted Education Programme , enhanced shared parental leave entitlements, and increased support for build-to-order flat applicants - with more priority given to singles and additional grants for low-income households. He also unveiled plans for Sports Hub 's future development, featuring
12920-447: The new national programme Age Well SG which complements 'Healthier SG'. Lee also announced a new framework for the purchase of HDBs - Standard, Plus and Prime Flats. Under the new framework, it was also announced that Singles would be able to purchase new 2-room flats across all three types of flats under the new framework. Ending off the rally, Lee spoke about the recent PAP scandals such as Minister S. Iswaran 's investigation as well as
13056-458: The next generation and doubling the less able" . The resulting controversy eroded electoral support for his People's Action Party for several years to come. In 1988, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew delivered "one of his most quoted lines": "And even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave, and I feel that something is going wrong, I'll get up." In 1991, second Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong delivered his maiden speech at
13192-555: The number of Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) in Parliament. In between 2020 and 2021, Lee oversaw the government response to COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent recession and recovery . In 2022, he also oversaw the government response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine , making Singapore the only Southeast Asian country to impose sanctions on Russia. That same year, his government de jure and de facto legalised same-sex sexual activity between men by repealing
13328-406: The number of group representation constituencies (GRC) and increasing the number of non-constituency members of parliament (NCMP) and nominated members of parliament (NMP) to a maximum of nine each (inclusive of the number of elected opposition members). A cooling-off day on the day before the election was instituted, where campaigning is prohibited except for party political broadcasts. In
13464-614: The office of prime minister in August 2004. In his first two years, his government enacted a five-day work week and extended maternity leave days. His proposal to build two integrated resorts in Singapore to increase tourism revenue led to the development of the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa . Following the Great Recession of 2008, he oversaw the country's economic recovery within two years. Further political reforms in 2010 saw increased online activism, as well as
13600-425: The official "Singapore Story" that end on a climax of fireworks" . He added that "Clearly the symbolic and formal aspects of the speech are just as important as its contents, taking Singaporeans collectively to an emotional high. This is especially so during general election years, when the prime minister announces the PAP's "report card" of achievements in government as well as the distribution of election "goodies" to
13736-494: The ongoing China–United States trade war , and how Singapore was involved in, climate change; its seriousness and their measures, and changes to the re-employment and retirement ages which will take effect by 2022. Lee also announced that SG Bicentennial Experience , an exhibit held at Fort Canning in commemoration of the bicentennial anniversary of modern foundation of Singapore was extended from mid-September to 31 December due to overwhelming responses and success. The 2020 rally
13872-431: The option of answering questions using Jawi. The Latin script, however, is the most commonly used in Brunei and Malaysia, both for official and informal purposes. Historically, Malay has been written using various scripts. Before the introduction of Arabic script in the Malay region, Malay was written using the Pallava , Kawi and Rencong scripts; these scripts are no longer frequently used, but similar scripts such as
14008-469: The pandemic pushing Singapore into a recession, the government unveiled four successive stimulus packages intended to keep the economy afloat, the Unity , Resilience , Solidarity and Fortitude budgets. Following the 2020 Singapore general election , Lee was re-elected in Ang Mo Kio GRC, with the PAP securing 61.23% of the national vote, beginning his fifth successive term as prime minister. The election
14144-462: The policy of the "five-day work week" which removed the half-working day on Saturday. The plan took effect on 1 January 2005. In response to public feedback, maternity leave was also extended from eight to twelve weeks after consultation with employers and unions. To encourage the growth of the birthrate in Singapore, the Baby Bonus scheme was expanded to provide financial support to women who bear
14280-489: The premiership and in his capacity as a private citizen, not as a government minister or as the head of government, with the PRC embassy informed on 9 July 2004. On the same day's afternoon, the PRC government summoned the Singapore ambassador in Beijing and urged the cancellation of Lee's trip, citing the likelihood of Chen Shui Bian 's administration in Taiwan exploiting the trip as a diplomatic coup and using it to promote
14416-640: The pronunciation of words ending in the vowel 'a'. For example, in some parts of Malaysia and in Singapore, kita (inclusive 'we, us, our') is pronounced as /kitə/ , in Kelantan and Southern Thailand as /kitɔ/ , in Riau as /kita/ , in Palembang as /kito/ , in Betawi and Perak as /kitɛ/ and in Kedah and Perlis as /kitɑ/. Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong PPA(E) SPMJ DK (born 10 February 1952)
14552-429: The question with Lee on encouraging younger Singaporeans to join the party. Goh was firm that the proposed committee should attract only the right kinds of members, ruling out material rewards as an incentive. The proposed youth wing was to encourage the improvement of the system from within, which would give new members a stake in the country's future. Lee later said the establishment of the youth wing reflected concerns by
14688-667: The rally has been held at least a week after National Day. The rally was delivered at the former National Theatre between 1966 and 1983. With the theatre's closure and demolition in 1984, the rally was held at the Singapore Conference Hall for two years before being shifted to Kallang Theatre between 1986 and 2000. In 2001, the rally moved to the University Cultural Centre at the National University of Singapore . Since 2013,
14824-826: The rally is held at the ITE College Central , with the exception in 2021, when the Rally was held in Mediacorp campus. The first National Day Rally was held on 8 August 1966 at the National Theatre . A closed-door event before National Day, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew told grassroots leaders, "Every year, on this 9th August for many years ahead—how many, I do not know—we will dedicate ourselves anew to consolidate ourselves to survive; and, most important of all, to find an enduring future for what we have built and what our forebears will build up" . The 1971 rally
14960-607: The rescue operations following the Sentosa cable car disaster . Lee served as commanding officer of the 23rd Battalion Singapore Artillery in the Singapore Army before he left the SAF in 1984 for politics. During the 1980s, Lee was regarded as the core member of the next batch of new leaders in the People's Action Party (PAP) leadership transition that was taking place in the mid-1980s, as Lee Kuan Yew had declared that he would step down as prime minister in 1984. Following
15096-438: The second time where Cabinet ministers delivered their speeches at 6:45pm, before the prime minister's remarks at 8:00pm. It was also the first to feature sign-language translation in real time. It was held on the last Sunday of August to facilitate Ramadan festivities. The 2013 rally was the first to be held at ITE College Central after 12 years at the National University of Singapore 's University Cultural Centre. Lee said
15232-440: The social, healthcare, economic and infrastructure sectors. Annual expenses on preschools is expected to reach $ 1.7 billion by 2022, while the growth in the ageing population is predicted to create a larger demand for affordable healthcare. Construction and refurbishment of new port and rail infrastructure, coupled with economic restructuring and training of workers, also necessitated tax increases. The taxes raised would be in
15368-590: The sole official language in West Malaysia in 1968, and in East Malaysia gradually from 1974. English continues, however, to be widely used in professional and commercial fields and in the superior courts. Other minority languages are also commonly used by the country's large ethnic minorities. The situation in Brunei is similar to that of Malaysia. In Singapore, Malay was historically the lingua franca among people of different nationalities. Although this has largely given way to English, Malay still retains
15504-539: The speeches will usually be reported by Singapore newspapers in the following days. An article titled " Singapore's National Day Rally Speech: A Site of Ideological Negotiation " analyses the inaugural National Day Rally speeches of three Singapore prime ministers. It locates these speeches in the continuous ideological work that the PAP government has to do to maintain consensus and forge new alliances among classes and social forces that are being transformed by globalisation. Increasingly, these speeches have had to deal with
15640-435: The status of national language and the national anthem , Majulah Singapura , is entirely in Malay. In addition, parade commands in the military, police and civil defence are given only in Malay. Most residents of the five southernmost provinces of Thailand —a region that, for the most part, used to be part of an ancient Malay kingdom called Pattani —speak a dialect of Malay called Yawi (not to be confused with Jawi), which
15776-608: The superior courts. Other minority languages are also commonly used by the country's large ethnic minorities. The situation in Brunei is similar to that in Malaysia. In the Philippines , Indonesian is spoken by the overseas Indonesian community concentrated in Davao City . Functional phrases are taught to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as local students. Malay, like most Austronesian languages,
15912-478: The then already unenforced colonial-era Section 377A . Lee is frequently noted by the international media as the world's highest-paid state leader . His libel suits against journalists and political opponents have been frequently covered by international news outlets. In April 2024, Lee announced that he would not seek a sixth term as prime minister in the forthcoming general election and resigned from his position as prime minister in May alongside his cabinet; he
16048-432: The two most contested PAP-held constituencies. An hour and 20 minutes into his English remarks at the 2016 rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong suddenly took ill at 9:20pm. Half an hour later, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced that Lee would resume his speech. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) also said that PM Lee had felt "unsteady because of prolonged standing, heat and dehydration", adding, "His heart
16184-460: The unemployment rate falling to 1.8% by September 2010. On 27 May 2009, Lee gave a speech in Parliament validating the roles of nonpartisan Nominated members of parliament (NMP) and praising the NMP scheme as having improved "quality of debate" in the-PAP dominated parliament. He proposed to make the scheme permanent. In May 2010, Lee instituted electoral reforms to the electoral system by reducing
16320-463: The votes against WP's inexperienced team. On 29 November 2007, Lee announced that he would relinquish his finance ministerial portfolio to Tharman Shanmugaratnam on 1 December of that year. The handover was largely supported by business analysts, who felt that the importance of the position necessitated the dedication of a full-time minister for Singapore to entrench and promote its role as a financial hub. Regional economist Song Seng Wun said that with
16456-401: Was also broadcast on the now-defunct SPH MediaWorks ' channels, and from 2009 to 2018 (except for 2016) on Mediacorp Okto . Transcripts of the rally speech are usually available for viewing after the event at Mediacorp news portals, Singapore Press Holdings news portals, the website of the Prime Minister's Office and the online press centre of the Government of Singapore . Highlights of
16592-403: Was announced that sophisticated state-linked actors had hacked Lee's health data along with that of 1.5 million other residents. The hack was intended to access Lee's data in particular. On 23 April 2019, Lee reshuffled his cabinet and promoted Heng Swee Keat to deputy prime minister , effective 1 May 2019. As part of the party's leadership succession, the move was widely interpreted as
16728-711: Was appointed chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in January 1998, and in 2001 he was made the finance minister . To ease the growing budget deficit due to falling tax revenues from cuts in corporate and personal income taxes and other factors such as the Iraq War and SARS outbreak, Lee proposed on 29 August 2003 to raise the GST from three per cent to five per cent, a change that took place in January 2004. Lee initiated several amendments to render requirements for Singapore citizenship less restrictive, notably for foreign-born children of Singaporean women. The changes were made after repeated pleas from MPs and
16864-471: Was confirmed on 23 January 2020. Early cases were primarily imported until local transmission began to develop. By late March, clusters were detected at multiple dormitories for foreign workers, which soon contributed to an overwhelming number of new cases in the country. In response, Lee announced on 3 April 2020 that Singapore would enter a limited lockdown with restrictions on movement. The policy, officially called " circuit breaker " in governmental parlance,
17000-511: Was enacted into law on 1 June 2006, which regulated the operations of the casino operators and provided social safeguards intended to deter problem gambling. In February 2006, Lee announced a S$ 2.6 billion Progress Package to distribute budget surpluses in the form of cash, top-ups to the Central Provident Fund , rental and utilities rebates, and educational funds. The cash bonuses were distributed in early May 2006. As
17136-406: Was extended to 8.15 pm from 2017 onwards), across Mediacorp channels. However, most English rallies were over-run and most programmes on Mediacorp had postponed to the following week but some programmes were shown immediately after the English rally. Most programmes on MediaCorp would resume earlier at 9:30pm or later at 11:00pm if the rally over-ran the scheduled time. From 2001 to 2004, the rally
17272-456: Was gradually replaced by the Rumi script. Malay is spoken in Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia , East Timor , Singapore and southern Thailand . Indonesia regulates its own normative variety of Malay, while Malaysia and Singapore use a common standard. Brunei, in addition to Standard Malay, uses a distinct vernacular dialect called Brunei Malay . In East Timor , Indonesian is recognised by
17408-667: Was held at ITE College Central on 19 August 2018, with the rally focused on trending issues such as housing, healthcare and cost of living. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong introduced, among other policies, the Merdeka Generation Package—a spin-off from the Pioneer Generation Package , the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme and a revamped Home Improvement Programme. He also announced that Singapore would be seeking
17544-515: Was intended to halt the disease's spread in the wider community. Workplaces were shut and all schools switched to home-based learning from 7 April to 1 June. Lee served as advisor to a multi-ministry level task force that had been set up in January, chaired by Minister for Education Lawrence Wong and Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong . Lee's government also contributed US$ 500,000 to support the World Health Organization . With
17680-435: Was made one of two deputy prime ministers, along with Ong Teng Cheong . He continued to serve as the minister for trade and industry until 1992, when he was diagnosed with lymphoma . He subsequently relinquished his ministerial position and underwent three months of chemotherapy , though he continued to be a deputy prime minister during his illness. The chemotherapy was successful, and his cancer has gone into remission. Lee
17816-661: Was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Instead, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a speech in Parliament on 2 September. The 2021 rally was held at the Mediacorp Campus on 29 August 2021. Originally scheduled for 22 August 2021, the rally was postponed due to the introduction of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures to cope with an increase in COVID-19 community cases. In his speech he highlighted several employment measures, including Workfare enhancements like more top-ups to $ 1.1 billion in two years and lowering
17952-607: Was responsible for the widespread of Old Malay throughout the Malay Archipelago . It was the working language of traders and it was used in various ports, and marketplaces in the region. Other evidence is the Tanjung Tanah Law in post-Pallava letters. This 14th-century pre-Islamic legal text was produced in the Adityawarman era (1345–1377) of Dharmasraya , a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that arose after
18088-517: Was succeeded by Lawrence Wong , who formed a new cabinet and subsequently appointed Lee as a Senior Minister . Lee Hsien Loong was born at KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore on 10 February 1952, during the time when Singapore was a British colony . He is the eldest child of Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo and the patriline grandson of a retired storekeeper-turned- salesman , Lee Chin Koon (1903–1995) and Chua Jim Neo (1905–1980),
18224-403: Was the first to be televised, at Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's "last minute" decision. Since then, the rally has become "a fixture on the political calendar". Lee delivered his "cautiously optimistic" speech "off the cuff", remarking, "You have done well—six superb years, a magnificent performance against all the odds, so much so that everybody says, 'But, of course, everybody knows that Singapore
18360-652: Was to allow Singaporeans to watch Singapore take on China in the women's table tennis finals at the Beijing Olympics . The rally itself proceeded as usual at the University Cultural Centre, but was only broadcast the next day. In 2009, Singaporeans used the Twitter hashtag #ndrsg to tweet about the rally. The 2010 rally was held on the last Sunday of August to avoid clashing with the Youth Olympic Games earlier that month. The 2012 rally marked
18496-928: Was used solely as a lingua franca for inter-ethnic communications. Malay is a member of the Austronesian family of languages, which includes languages from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean , with a smaller number in continental Asia . Malagasy , a geographic outlier spoken in Madagascar in the Indian Ocean , is also a member of this language family. Although these languages are not necessarily mutually intelligible to any extent, their similarities are often quite apparent. In more conservative languages like Malay, many roots have come with relatively little change from their common ancestor, Proto-Austronesian language . There are many cognates found in
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