SINGAPORE: During one National Day speech, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on the city-state to “reinvent itself” over the next 20 years to continue to show promise and progress. He again reiterated his belief that immigrants coming to the country must assimilate into society quicker in order to not curtail the social norms that have been established. He was speaking in Mandarin during the rally on Sunday as part of Singapore's National Day celebrations this month. He argued that like Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea, Singapore had entered an era when rapid economic growth was a thing of the past. The PM did argue that Singapore was “better off” than other countries in the region. Lee said many experts from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are coming to the city “to look at Singapore's social and economic policies.” At the same time, and in relation to the rally being given in Mandarin, he urged Chinese Singaporeans to not “neglect” their culture. Lee said he supported recent proposals to set up a Chinese Cultural Center and a Singaporean Hokkien Huay Kuan Cultural Academy to boost cultural enterprises. “Our Chinese community has always been concerned about the preservation and promotion of culture and tradition,” the PM said. “Chinese culture is an important pillar of Singapore culture. It is an emotional anchor and moral compass for many Singaporeans. We should preserve our cultural roots, lest we lose ourselves in this ever-changing world.” He said traditions and culture help strengthen the sense of identity, and the Chinese language here has local characteristics. “Recently, a National Day documentary shown on our local TV channel had some translation errors. For example, National Servicemen was translated as ‘national soldiers,' and HDB flats became ‘national housing',” Lee added. “This drew many criticisms. The mistakes were clearly made by foreign translators. The translators were competent in Chinese, but they did not know our local context or terms.” But some Chinese Singaporeans said Lee was speaking at them, instead of with them, which they told Bikyamasr.com was part of the growing frustration. “We want to feel as though we are part of society and creating something unique, instead of just going through the motions to boost the economy,” said Lin Xiang, who added that “the PM is trying, we know that, but we want Singapore to also be a cultural hub for the region.”
