National Day Message 2017

　　2017年新加坡国庆日致辞

　　Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

　　新加坡总理 李显龙

　　August 8, 2017

　　2017年8月8日

　　My fellow Singaporeans,

　　各位同胞：

　　I am at Bay East Gardens, the eastern section of Gardens by the Bay.

　　这里是滨海东花园。

　　When Singapore became independent, this spot was open sea. But looking out from the shore, our founding leaders didn’t just see water and the constraints of geography. They imagined a bustling commercial, residential and lifestyle hub, a vibrant new downtown for the city.

　　建国初期，这个地方曾经是一片大海。当时，我们的建国领袖从岸边看过去，看到的不是海水，也不是土地的局限。他们想象到的，是一个朝气蓬勃的城市，一个集合了商业、居住和休闲用途的生活天地。

　　So, decade by decade, we reclaimed and built Marina Central, Marina South and Marina East, and turned that vision into reality. Today, we have a new financial district in Marina South. We have the Marina Barrage and the Gardens by the Bay. We take pride in the Marina Bay skyline, which is recognised and admired around the world.

　　在接下来的几十年里，我们在滨海湾中心、滨海南和滨海东一带进行填土，将建国领袖的愿景化为现实。今天，我们在滨海南打造了一个崭新的金融中心，也建造了滨海堤坝和滨海湾花园。滨海湾迷人的风景线成了新加坡的新地标，深受世界各地游客的赞赏，让我们倍感骄傲。

　　During the years when Marina Bay was conceived and planned, Singapore had to deal with many pressing concerns. We had to build the SAF, attract investments, create jobs, house our population, and educate our young. But our leaders and people understood the need to look beyond these immediate problems and prepare for the more distant future. Now, we are enjoying the rewards of their foresight and vision.

　　当年，建国领袖们在构思和规划滨海湾的时候，我国正面对许多更为迫切的问题。这包括建立武装部队、吸引外资、创造就业机会、兴建房子、还有为下一代年轻人提供教育。尽管如此，建国领袖和人民都明白，除了解决眼前的问题以外，他们也必须放眼未来，做好长远规划。有了他们的远见和付出，新加坡才有今天的成就。

　　52 years on, we too are preoccupied with urgent issues, domestically and externally. The world is unsettled and the outlook uncertain. Terrorism is a major threat, with frequent attacks around the world and closer to home. International trade, a key engine of our growth, is at risk from protectionism. We are busy upgrading our economy. Our students and workers are mastering new skills and staying up to date with technology.

　　52年后的今天，新加坡同样有许多迫切的国内外事务需要解决。目前的国际局势复杂多变。世界各地有更多的恐怖事件发生，本区域也不能幸免，恐怖主义是个重大威胁。贸易保护主义的抬头，影响我们的对外贸易和经济增长。我们正致力于提升国家的经济实力。为此，我们的学生和工友们已经在加快学习步伐，掌握新技能和尖端科技。

　　The Government is working with you on these issues, and we are making progress on them. We are stepping up vigilance to protect ourselves against extremist terrorism; and one major task is to strengthen our racial harmony. We are working with businesses and workers to transform industries one by one, and to prepare for the future economy. This year, we expect growth of around 2.5%, higher than last year.

　　为了克服这些挑战，政府正同大家紧密合作，并取得一些进展。我们正加大力度，对抗极端恐怖主义的威胁，而当中一项重要的工作，就是加强种族和谐。在经济方面，劳资政三方正在携手合作，帮助各行各业转型和协助工友提升技能，为未来经济的需求做好准备。今年，我国经济有望取得2.5%左右的增长，比去年进步。

　　But even as we deal with these present issues, we must also look beyond the horizon, and prepare for the future. This year, I’d like to share with you three things that will benefit us in the long term: preschool, the war on diabetes, and a Smart Nation. These will enable us to start right, stay healthy, and work smart.

　　不过，在解决眼前问题时，我们也必须把眼光放远，为克服明天的挑战做好准备。今年，我想谈三个工作重点： 加强学前教育、对抗糖尿病和实现智慧国愿景。这三方面的相关措施将对国家和人民带来长远影响，为我们的下一代打下更好的基础，帮助国人保持健康和掌握数码时代的机遇。

　　First, we must prepare young Singaporeans for the new world. We want every child to have a good start in life, and a bright future. We have been investing in preschools, because the early childhood years make a big difference to children not just academically, but for life. We will create more preschool places, raise the quality of preschools, and upgrade the profession of preschool teachers.

　　首先，我们希望每个孩子都能打下扎实的基础，为未来做好准备。我们相信学前教育对孩子们的学习和人生，有着非常深远的影响。我们因此建造了更多的幼儿园和托儿所，并且会继续增加更多学额，加强教师的培训，提升学前教育的素质。

　　More and better preschools will also take a major load off parents. Parents will have peace of mind when they are working, knowing that their kids are in good hands. We want to support them and encourage them to start a family.

　　孩子们有了更好的学习环境和更好的照顾，家长们就能更加安心工作。我们希望通过这些措施，鼓励更多国人组织家庭和生儿育女。

　　Second, we want Singaporeans to live long and stay healthy. We have good doctors and hospitals. But actually, it is much better for us to stay healthy and not have to go to hospital at all! Singaporeans are living longer today. But our elderly experience an average of 8 years of poor health at the end of their lives. 8 years is a long time and can also be a burden for the families.

　　第二，我们希望新加坡人健康长寿。我们的医院设施完善，也有优秀的医疗团队。但是，保持健壮的体魄，不让疾病缠身，才是关键所在。虽然新加坡人现在的平均寿命更长，但是许多年长国人在他们人生的最后八年，往往会面对健康问题。对老人家来说，这是漫长的煎熬，对家属来说，也是沉重的负担。

　　One big reason for ill health in old age is diabetes. Almost a third of those over the age of 60 have diabetes. At first, diabetes is an invisible disease. But over time, its consequences are severe – blindness, heart disease, kidney failure, amputated limbs.

　　糖尿病是年长国人最常患上的一种疾病。60岁以上的国人，每三个人当中就有一个人患有糖尿病。糖尿病的初期症状不明显，但是日子久了，可能导致严重的并发症，例如失明、心脏疾病、肾衰竭，甚至必须截肢。

　　This is why we must go all out to fight diabetes. It is not just about more hospital facilities and better treatment. It also depends crucially on personal choices and lifestyles, to prevent diabetes in the first place. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own health. Each one of us must make the effort to watch our lifestyle and diet, to exercise regularly, to drink plain water instead of soft drinks. And this must start from young. That’s the way to reduce the risk of diabetes, stay healthy, and live well.

　　要全面有效对抗糖尿病，除了政府的相应政策和医疗服务，个人也必须调整生活方式，注意饮食习惯，多运动，多喝水，少喝汽水，最好从小就养成这些好习惯。

　　Third, we want to make full use of IT to create opportunities and jobs for ourselves, and make Singapore an outstanding place to live, work and play. And this is why we aim to be a Smart Nation. We have a natural advantage: we are a highly-connected and digitally literate society; we even have more smartphones than people. But we need to do much better.

　　第三，为了打造更宜居的生活空间和更理想的工作环境，我们要善用科技，把新加坡发展成智慧国。我们有自身的优势。我们的数码网络覆盖面广，衔接度高，人民的数码能力也强。我们拥有的手机数目甚至比人口还多!但是我们还有不足的地方，需要做得更好。

　　Other countries are using electronic payments to go cashless, building sensor networks to enhance public security, and analysing big data to improve public services. We must learn from them, catch up, and get ahead. By using IT for practical applications, big and small, we can improve our lives, and make this a fun and happening place.

　　比如，有些国家已经广泛使用电子付款，跑在“无现金社会”的前端。另外一些城市则普遍采用感应系统加强公共保安，还有一些城市则利用大数据来改善公共服务。我们必须向这些国家看齐，赶上他们的步伐，并设法超越他们。我们要把科技应用到生活的各个领域，为新加坡人创造更多机会，提高生活素质，为社会增添创新活力。

　　I will speak more on these three issues at the National Day Rally. We need to look ahead and build for the next generation, just as our forefathers looked ahead and built for us. Here at Bay East, we can see how well this has worked for Singapore, and how our generation can keep on doing this.

　　我会在国庆群众大会上，进一步谈这三个课题。建国初期，我们的领袖为今日的新加坡打下基础，我们也应该为下一代开拓未来;滨海湾的发展就是一个好例子。

　　When the Founders’ Memorial Committee sought views from the public on where to site the Founders’ Memorial, a clear majority of you supported Bay East. This is a wise choice, which the Government has accepted. Here, looking across the Bay and beyond, we can remember the values of our founding leaders, see what they have built, and commit ourselves to continue building Singapore.

　　建国元勋纪念堂指导委员会过去一年多来，就纪念堂应该建在哪里，多次向公众征询意见，多数人都支持把纪念堂建在滨海东花园，政府已经接纳了这个建议。从滨海湾的风景线，我们可以看到建国先辈的深谋远虑，为我们带来了今天的成就，而我们也会继续为新加坡的未来发展而努力。

　　Mr. Lee Kuan Yew once asked: “At the end of the day, whom do we owe our deepest obligation to as a government?”

　　已故建国总理李光耀先生曾经这么问过：“最终，作为政府，我们应该对谁负起最大的责任?”

　　And his own answer was: “To the future. Not just to the present; certainly, not to the past.”

　　而他的答案是：“最重要的是对未来的一代，而不仅仅是这一代，更不是过去的一代。”

　　This is the spirit of Singapore. Always looking ahead, planning ahead, and staying ahead, so that when the future arrives, we are prepared for it, to ride it and to grow with it. That is how we got here. That is what we must keep on doing together, to open up fresh opportunities for ourselves and our children.

　　这就是所谓的新加坡精神：我们不断地以前瞻性的思维规划未来，保持竞争优势。我们时时刻刻做好准备，迎接未来。这是我们的生存之道。让我们一起努力，为我们和我们的下一代开拓更多机遇。

　　Happy National Day.

　　祝大家国庆日快乐!