Dear Members and Friends

Singapore will celebrate 57 years as a sovereign republic on 9 August.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the economic collapse of Sri Lanka this year have important lessons for all of us.

Lesson 1 is to cherish our independence and to defend it, protect it and secure it. #TotalDefence

Lesson 2 is good governance matters. We must not take it for granted just because it is consistently practised in Singapore.

When Singapore became independent, Sri Lanka was one of our role models. It has wasted its many advantages by a succession of ideologically driven governments happy to exploit racial and religious diversity for selfish gain. Worse, successive, corrupt governments have mismanaged the economy and poisoned political life at the expense of the country and its citizens they swore to serve. Good governance matters. People suffer when it is not practised.

This National Day let us celebrate our independence and the good governance which enables our lives. Let us do so with humility. Singapore is not perfect. No country is. Like each of us and our businesses, Singapore is a work in progress but Singapore’s fundamentals are sound and serve as a good foundation on which to build. This is the point of the Forward SG initiative.

It is a pleasure to wish all fellow Singaporeans and residents a Happy National Day!

Majulah Singapura!

Yours faithfully
Victor Mills
Chief Executive