Keynote Address by Coordinating Minister for Public Services, Minister for Defence and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, Mr Chan Chun Sing at The Public Service Commission Scholarships Award Ceremony on 25 July 2025

Chairman and members of the Public Service Commission,

Head, Civil Service and colleagues from the Public Service,

Scholarship recipients,

Family members, teachers, principals.

1     A very good afternoon to all of you.

2     Every year, when I come to give out the awards, I always wonder what I should tell you. And it is always a moment for me to also reflect on my own journey. Thirty-seven years ago, I was in your position. The difference was, 37 years ago, we did not have such a ceremony. We also did not need to put up a song and dance item.

3     In fact, my only memory of the time before I left for university was this — that I had to get two guarantors, and go to an office at City Hall to sign a bond. Then, I went to collect my air ticket, and off I went.

4     At that point in time, if you asked those of us who took a scholarship – what do you want to do for the Public Service in years to come? There were a few possible reasons why we took the scholarship.

5     One, which would still be true, was that some saw this as a recognition of their achievements — because they had worked hard, they were intelligent, they were committed, and so on and so forth. It was a reward for all their hard work. The second possible reason for some of us was, well, this was our ticket to an overseas education, and for many of us, this was also the first plane ticket overseas. Then, there were some of us who were even more practical. This was a promise of a job, because at that point in time we were not talking about what job we wanted to do. We were just talking about a job, any job, because once we finished school, we had to get a job. Or if we could not continue to progress in our education journey, we would have to get a job.

6     When I took the scholarship, on reflection, our country was only 23 years old. This year, we commemorate 60 years of nation building. Maybe in about 40 years’ time, if we are lucky, if we work hard, you will be the generation that will help Singapore cross SG100. The questions are: Will we get there? How will we get there? And what are our responsibilities to get everyone in Singapore there?

7     If I look back on the last 60 years, it was quite a daunting journey. When I took the scholarship, we were 23. Today, after 37 years, we are 60, and I would say this — there is nothing eternal about our success. It is not natural that we will get there effortlessly.

8     For students of history, if you look at the history of this part of the world, you will know that not many countries of our size and shape have survived more than a hundred years. I am known as the post-1965 generation, when our borders were drawn. Today, you are the post-2000 generation.

9     In your entire life, and mine, we have only sung Majulah Singapura as our national anthem. But my mother's life always reminds me of our realities. She is 87 years old this year. She has sung four national anthems in her lifetime without changing the place she lives in.

10     This is not to scare you. This is to encourage you, to stretch you. Always remember that there is nothing in Singapore that will come effortlessly. Our success will not just naturally continue — every day of success in Singapore, every day that we can tell fellow Singaporeans that we have enjoyed another day of peace, another day of progress that comes from the hard work of everyone in Singapore. This includes the hard work of the Public Service which must lead, which must anticipate the challenges, which must find the answers, hopefully even before the challenges emerge.

11 We are looking to you, not just to do well in your studies to answer yesterday's questions with yesterday's answers. We are looking to you to anticipate tomorrow's challenges, and find those answers ahead of time so that Singapore can continue to defy the odds of history for us to survive a hundred years from now.

12     Many of you, as Tzu Yang said, will be going overseas. And if we were to be stringent, I would ask, why do we send you overseas? Arguably, the quality of education in our own universities are amongst the best in the world.

13     The reason we send you overseas – and even for those of you who are not studying overseas, you will get the overseas exposure – is not just for the academic rigour or the content. For this, you can study in Singapore or anywhere else in the world. We hope that when you spread your wings and soar overseas, you will always appreciate the diversity and the complexity of this world, that you will build the ties that will perhaps help us one day. You will also gather fresh perspectives that challenge our own assumptions, keep us on our toes, and always remind ourselves that the last 60 years – if we are not careful – can easily be an aberration in the history of mankind.

14     Our mission in the Singapore Public Service is to keep this dream of ours – to be called Singaporeans forevermore – going. But it is not an easy task. It is not something that I would want any one of us here in this room or beyond to take for granted.

15     Many countries with much longer histories can have that buffer of historical strength, that cultural identity. For us, we are still a young nation in the making. Our people come from diverse shores. Some of the scholarship holders today were not born in Singapore, but you have joined the ranks of fellow Singaporeans. I hope that every one of us, whether we were born here or not, want to join the ranks of fellow Singaporeans because we are Singaporeans out of conviction and not out of convenience.

16     When Singapore is successful, it is easy for many to choose to be Singaporeans, but the real test of a Singaporean comes when Singapore is no longer as successful.

17     Will we be like the 1965 generation with our backs to the wall? Saying that even if this place were to fall, we will be here to build it all up again. This will also be a question that will confront many of you in time to come.

18     In time to come, I have every confidence that you will be successful in your studies and careers. I have every confidence that you will also be offered many opportunities by many people from other countries, MNCs, conglomerates. The question is: will you join the ranks of those who will take us to SG100 and beyond? To me, that is the most important question that you will have to ask yourselves as you continue in your journey of learning. The technical details, the academic subjects — that you can master easily. But what you must dig deep as you take the scholarship today is to ask ourselves, how will you – how will we as a team – work together, lead Singapore, serve Singapore, and make sure that by the time we get to SG100, that we will all be in a better place. That we are all even more proud of our identity as Singaporeans, notwithstanding our material success or lack of. That, even in the toughest of times, we will be Singaporeans out of conviction, and you are the leaders of this generation who will lead Singapore with conviction.

19     Perhaps it is unfair for me to put this all on you, because 37 years ago, nobody spoke to me this way. So what did I do? I never learnt the big lessons of taking care of Singapore, changing the world, and so on and so forth. I just learnt one very important life lesson when I came back and started my internship, and that was to take care of my fellow men and women under my charge. We did not aspire to change the world. We did not aspire to do great things, but we were imbued with the values that if we took care of the men and women under our charge, the men and women would take care of the mission. If we inspired two, two inspired four, and four inspired eight, soon we would inspire the whole nation and more.

20     So while we have big dreams, while you have heavy responsibilities, never be fearful, because we all start small. We all start local. We all start by making sure that we put the country, the mission and the people whom we are responsible for, before ourselves. If we can do that, then I have every confidence that in 40 years’ time, if we are so fortunate to get to SG100, then you will be the generation that will help us get there.

21     On that note, I wish you all the very best. I look forward to your contributions, that one day, you too in your respective capacities will inspire another generation to come forth and serve.