Singapore at 60: Home truly is an idea that never stands still

There are many new stories to embrace but also quiet distances between us that we must bridge.

- Lily Kong

On one of my evening walks last week, I took a different path to the one I usually do. I spotted a playground I hadn't visited in years. The sand pit is now rubber flooring, the wooden see-saws replaced with sleek, safe climbing nets. The children were different too — more diverse in accent and, in the light of dusk, there appeared to be more varieties in skin tone too. Still laughing, still tumbling. That was nice, given how so many children today seem more familiar with their electronic devices than with playground equipment.

Something about the moment made me pause. Perhaps I had been reflecting on what it means personally and nationally to turn 60, pondering over both individual and collective pasts and futures as I clocked my steps. Looking at the changed playground and the children of 2025, I wondered how much they would grow up appreciating where Singapore had come from. Will they, more than Lady Gaga, say: "You, Singapore, are so special to me"? Will they bring out the Singapore flag with pride? Will they appreciate what has been built; what has been kept; value what has been lost, and acknowledge what we have outgrown?

This time last year, I wondered in these pages: "Is this home, truly?" This year, I wonder how these young children will respond to the same question in time to come. The question feels even more pressing now, for, in the space of a single year, our country has shifted in quiet but significant ways, in the midst of significant global turmoil.

A NEW LEADERSHIP, A DIFFERENT TIMBRE We welcomed a new Prime Minister in May 2024 — the first leadership handover in 20 years. It was peaceful, measured, even unremarkable in its smoothness, which is perhaps the most remarkable quality. With it has nevertheless come a discernible shift.