Founders’ Memorial: Govt accepts Bay East Garden site recommendation

SINGAPORE — Peering beyond what was just an open sea, Singapore’s founding fathers had the foresight and vision to reclaim land at Marina Bay because they envisaged the potential for a bustling new downtown for commerce, residences and recreation.

In time to come, the same spot — now Bay East Garden at Gardens by the Bay — will be the site of the Founders’ Memorial, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Aug 8). He added that the Government had accepted the “wise choice” recommended by a committee which had canvassed views from the public. 

In his National Day message recorded at Bay East Garden, Mr Lee said the Republic’s founding leaders did not simply see water and geographical constraints at the spot. Instead, they imagined a bustling commercial, residential and lifestyle hub, “a vibrant new downtown for the city”. 

To turn their vision into reality, decades of work followed to reclaim and build Marina Central, Marina South and Marina East. 

Standing in the area now is a new financial district in Marina South, as well as the Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay, Mr Lee said. “We take pride in the Marina Bay skyline, which is recognised and admired around the world,” he added. 

In the years when Marina Bay was planned, the country had been staring down a string of pressing concerns, from building its armed forces and attracting investment to creating jobs, housing its people and educating the 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,” Mr Lee said.

On Monday, the Founders’ Memorial Committee said in a statement it had recommended Bay East Garden as the preferred site for the memorial. KENNETH CHENG