2025 marks the sixtieth year of Singapore’s nationhood and independence.

Singapore was never meant to be a stand alone island nation but when the circumstances called for it on 9th August 1965, the leadership at that time, tightened their belts, encouraged the people and actions were taken.

The no-nonsense resolve (debatable at times, I’d agree) has brought us to a be nation of about 6.1-ish million people, on a piece of land about 770 sq km with global reach and air and sea connectivity and with a economy that is just over US$565 billion (adjusted to PPP at US$827 billion – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Singapore), by all accounts, we have done well.

This year, I had the privilege to participate in the Singapore General Elections, as a candidate from the Progress Singapore Party running in the Bukit Gombak constituency. Although I did not win the seat, I am grateful to all those who helped me and the team and more importantly, the citizens of Bt Gombak who voted for me – including the overseas voters. The contest is over, one person has to win and let’s come together so that we can all do better for Singapore.

Singapore navigated, somehow, from the post WW2/cold war and various other upheavals and we thrived. We are now facing multiple challenges as the “order” we have known is rapidly being torn apart by actions and small-mindedness of the key players who helped build the “order” in the first place.

But this time around, we have many other structures, relationships and capabilities to navigate the boorish behaviours and tantrums of the “big players”. We have skills, we have the patience and we have the insights to succeed.

I am therefore, more than convinced that the change that we are seeing in the world “order”, is necessarily a good one. It shows that we’ve been living with a SPOF (single point of failure) and we can step up and take over.

Here’s to the next 60 years. Together we will go far.

Majulah Singapura!