Singapore’s newly minted Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is giving his first National Day Rally in the city state on Sunday.
The speech, which will see Wong address Singapore in Malay, Mandarin and English, is one of the key political speeches in the city state and the first major one Wong has given since his swearing-in speech in May.
In his Mandarin speech, Wong acknowledged that the Chinese community in Singapore was very concerned about the standard of Mandarin in Singapore, since many, like him, spoke mainly English at home.
“Although English is our working language, we are fundamentally an Asian society, not a Western one. We want to retain our Asian heritage and preserve our traditional values,” Wong said.
“Our bilingual and bicultural edge has enabled us to draw the best from the East and the West. It has also allowed us to connect with other countries. This is why we have been able to maintain our unique competitiveness over the years.”
Wong announced changes to the education system that would allow more students to take a more advanced Chinese language subject regardless of their overall grade.
Currently, students wishing to take this advanced subject, called Higher Chinese Language, must ensure their overall grades for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) – which children take when they are 12 years old – meet a certain standard.
Students who want to take higher Malay and Tamil will also benefit and the education ministry will reveal more details at a later date, according to Wong.
He added that the government would continue to support the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, the clan and trade associations, Chinese media and cultural groups to actively promote Chinese culture in Singapore.
More to follow …