Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Message
新加坡總理李顯龍國慶致辭

August 8 2013
2013年8月8日

My fellow Singaporeans,
親愛的同胞：

I am speaking to you from the new SAFRA clubhouse in Toa Payoh. This is where SAFRA built its very first clubhouse in 1975. We have just rebuilt it with better facilities for NSmen and your families. It is a small gesture to thank you for your many contributions and sacrifices. It is also an example of how we are upgrading our amenities and environment as Singapore develops, year by year.
我是在戰(zhàn)備軍人協(xié)會嶄新的大巴窯俱樂部和大家講話。1975年，戰(zhàn)備軍協(xié)的第一個俱樂部就設(shè)在這里。不久前，大巴窯俱樂部經(jīng)過重建后重新開放，為戰(zhàn)備軍人和家屬提供更好的設(shè)施，這是感謝大家為國家做出貢獻(xiàn)和犧牲的一點(diǎn)心意。隨著國家的發(fā)展，我們也一步步改善我們的環(huán)境和設(shè)施，翻新戰(zhàn)備軍協(xié)俱樂部是其中一個例子。

We have made steady progress this past year. We have cleared the queue for HDB flats, stabilised BTO prices and tightened up on property speculation and excessive borrowing. We have added more buses and increased the number of bus routes. We are trying out free early morning MRT rides into the city. We will add more trains to the existing lines. Phase One of the Downtown Line will open in December, and more MRT lines after that. We also celebrated several successes in the arts and sports, including our LionsXII team winning the Malaysian Super League.
過去一年，我們的努力取得了成績。在房屋方面，我們縮短了申購新組屋的等候時間，首次申請者不再需要等候多年才買得到新組屋。我們也穩(wěn)住預(yù)購組屋價格，并采取措施抑制房地產(chǎn)投機(jī)活動和過度借貸的問題。在交通方面，我們擴(kuò)大巴士車隊和增加新巴士路線。為了舒緩早上繁忙時段的人潮，我們試驗推行（在限定時間）免費(fèi)乘搭地鐵進(jìn)市區(qū)的計劃。接下來，我們還會為現(xiàn)有地鐵線添置更多列車。地鐵市區(qū)線的第一階段路線將在今年12月通車。之后，還會有更多地鐵線陸續(xù)通車。另外，我們在藝術(shù)和體育方面也獲得成就，包括我國12獅足球隊贏得馬來西亞超級足球聯(lián)賽冠軍。

We are tackling longer term issues too, especially marriage and parenthood, as well as population. The White Paper on Population in January provoked strong reactions, but the debate helped us to understand the issues better. We face difficult choices: We need foreign workers to serve our economy and Singaporeans’ needs, and immigrants to make up for our shortfall of babies. But we also worry about crowding and congestion, and maintaining our Singaporean identity. So we are feeling our way forward carefully, conscious both of our needs and our limits, and seeking the best outcome for Singaporeans.
我們也正在著手處理一些長期課題，尤其是國人結(jié)婚生子和國家人口的課題。今年一月發(fā)布的人口白皮書引起了激烈的反應(yīng)，不過這些討論確實(shí)讓我們更加了解有關(guān)課題。我們面對困難的抉擇：一方面，我們需要引進(jìn)外國勞工從事經(jīng)濟(jì)活動和應(yīng)付國人的需要，也需要外來移民填補(bǔ)低生育率造成的人口不足；可是另一方面，我們又擔(dān)心移民涌入造成擁擠問題，以及如何維系新加坡人對國家的認(rèn)同感和歸屬感。所以，我們很小心地探索前方的路，我們知道我們的需要和我們面對的挑戰(zhàn)，并希望為新加坡人尋求最好的結(jié)果。

Our economy is holding steady amidst global uncertainties. We are attracting more quality investments. Unemployment remains low. We grew by 2.0% in the first half of 2013, and expect to grow by 2.5-3.5% this year, higher than previously expected. Even as we tighten up on foreign workers and immigration, we must maintain investor confidence and keep Singapore open for business.
在全球經(jīng)濟(jì)不明朗的情況下，我國經(jīng)濟(jì)保持穩(wěn)定。我們吸引到更多優(yōu)質(zhì)的投資項目，失業(yè)率也保持在低水平。今年上半年，我國經(jīng)濟(jì)增長2%，全年很可能達(dá)到2.5%到3.5%的增長。在緊縮外勞和移民政策的同時，我們必須讓投資者對我們保有信心，確保新加坡仍然是具有吸引力的經(jīng)商之地。

The world is changing rapidly and unpredictably. Technology is transforming our lives. Societies everywhere feel under pressure: Jobs have become less secure, wages are rising more slowly or even stagnating, families are working harder, and parents worry whether their children will do better than themselves.
世界變得很快，也難以預(yù)測。科技給我們的生活帶來巨大變化。在很多國家，社會壓力正在加劇，工作少了保障, 工資增長緩慢甚至停滯下來，人們更賣力工作、為人父母者擔(dān)心下一代的前景不如自己這一代。

Singapore is changing too. The economy is maturing and our population is ageing. Different groups in society now have more diverse and even conflicting interests. Older Singaporeans worry about healthcare and costs of living. Younger ones aspire to wider education opportunities and more affordable homes.
新加坡也在改變中。我國經(jīng)濟(jì)已趨向成熟，人口日漸老化，而社會各群體的訴求也更加多樣化，甚至?xí)ハ嗟钟|。年長國人擔(dān)心醫(yī)藥保健和生活費(fèi)的問題，年輕國人則渴望有更多更廣的升學(xué)途徑，以及價格更大眾化的房子。

Our road ahead will be different from the road we have travelled. So we must reassess our position, review our direction, and refresh our strategies to thrive in this new world.
前方的路跟我們走過的路將會是不同的。因此，我們必須重新思考我們的定位、檢討我們的方向、和更新我們的策略，改善我們在這個新世界里的生活。

In my Message last year, I said that Singapore should always be our best Home, with Heart and Hope. We launched Our Singapore Conversation to define our shared future together. Many have participated actively and passionately. We heard many valuable suggestions. Thank you for taking part in this effort.
我在去年的國慶獻(xiàn)詞中曾說，新加坡是我們共有的家園，我們必須努力把她建設(shè)成一個富有愛心、充滿希望，永遠(yuǎn)最美好的家。為此，我們開展了“我們的新加坡全國對話”，一起勾畫我們共同的未來。許多國人積極熱烈地參與討論，我們聽到了很多寶貴的意見。非常感謝你們的參與。