Preschool, war on diabetes and Smart Nation will benefit Singapore in long term: PM Lee

SINGAPORE — Ensuring children have a good start in life, nudging Singaporeans to stay healthy, and tapping technology to create opportunities and jobs are three ways in which the Government is preparing for the future, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Aug 8).

In his National Day message recorded at Bay East Garden — the eastern section of Gardens by the Bay — PM Lee said he would speak more on the three issues at the National Day Rally on Aug 20.

Having more and better pre-schools will prepare young Singaporeans for the “new world”. The Government will create more pre-school spaces, bump up the quality of pre-schools and upgrade the pre-school teaching profession, said PM Lee.

The early-childhood years make a big difference to children academically and for life, and the Government has been investing in pre-schools. “We want every child to have a good start in life and a bright future,” he said. 

More and better pre-schools will take “a major load” off parents, according to PM Lee. 

“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.”

Singling out diabetes in the national drive to promote health, PM Lee said the population must go “all out” to fight the chronic disease, which can lead to blindness, amputated limbs, heart disease and kidney failure.

Diabetes affects nearly a third of those aged above 60. 

The fight against the disease goes beyond having more hospital facilities and better treatment, hinging instead on personal choices and lifestyles to prevent its onset, he said.

“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,” he noted. 

The Government declared war on diabetes last April and programmes targeting healthier diets and regular health screening were announced this year by the Ministry of Health. 

Singaporeans are living longer but the elderly here experience, on average, eight years of poor health at the end of their lives, said PM Lee. 

“Eight years is a long time and can also be a burden for the families,” he said. “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.”

Singapore will also need to “do much better” in its push to be a Smart Nation, said the prime minister.

Other countries are going cashless through electronic payments, building sensor networks to beef up public security and analysing big data to improve public services. Singapore must “learn from them, catch up and get ahead”.

PM Lee said: “By using IT for practical applications, big and small, we can improve our lives, and make this a fun and happening place.”

Singapore has to look ahead and build for the next generation while dealing with present issues such as the threat of terrorism and trade protectionism, he said. “We need to look ahead and build for the next generation, just as our forefathers looked ahead and built for us.”

PM Lee quoted Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as once saying that a government’s deepest obligation was to the future. “Not just to the present; certainly not to the past,” Mr Lee Kuan Yew had said. 

PM Lee said the spirit of Singapore is to always look, plan and stay 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,” he added.