摘要：独立并非我们的意愿。因为我们没有成为独立国家的先天条件。当时，建国领袖和先辈们都坚信，新加坡必须继续留在马来西亚。因为我们地小力薄、面对重重风险，实在难以独立生存。
昨天（8月8 日）新加坡总理黄循财，在政府大厦前的大草场录制国庆献词，副总理颜金勇宣读了华语国庆献词。
60年前，新加坡共和国诞生了。在建国总理李光耀先生宣读的《新加坡独立宣言》中，他说，新加坡将永远是一个自主、民主与独立的国家。
独立并非我们的意愿。因为我们没有成为独立国家的先天条件。当时，建国领袖和先辈们都坚信，新加坡必须继续留在马来西亚。因为我们地小力薄、面对重重风险，实在难以独立生存。
然而，形势迫使我们独立。所以我们建国只许成功，不许失败。
回首一甲子的建国历程，我们可以体会到，新加坡当时的处境是多么岌岌可危。在许多关键时刻，我们都可能陷入更加凶险的困境。但尽管道路坎坷，我们仍然刻苦奋斗，辛勤耕耘，建立了今天的家园。
新加坡建国60周年意义非凡。因为在建国的道路上，几乎无人看好，而我们不仅坚持了下来，还取得亮眼的成绩。
虽然我们多次担心无法突破重围，但我们从不退缩，克服了种族冲突、英军撤退、经济危机、恐怖主义威胁和全球疫情等种种挑战。
每一次挫折，我们都能够振作起来，从中吸取经验，以坚定的意志，继续前进。
更重要的是，即使有强大的力量试图分化我们，我们始终团结一心。我们奋斗过，悲痛过，也磨练过。在这个过程中，我们建立了一个强盛、自由的国家；一个无论种族、言语或宗教，国人都能安居乐业的家园。
世界的变局
在新加坡60岁之际，我们又到了另一个分岔路口。
三个月前，我提到了世界的剧变。如今，情况更加严峻了。新的冲突不断爆发。地缘政治的紧张局势持续升温，贸易限制正在加深，而保护主义情绪也日益恶化。
在过去数十年的发展道路上，我们所熟悉且依赖的全球秩序，正逐渐瓦解。 如今，我们必须应对的是一个竞争加剧，比以往更加动荡分裂的世界。
尽管前方的路布满荆棘，但我们不会坐以待毙。我们会沉着应对眼前的挑战，并且用自己的方式和具体的行动，来打造一个属于我们的未来。
在最近的大选中，国人经过深思熟虑，明确地选择了大家认为最有能力的团队，来带领新加坡渡过动荡的局势。感谢大家对我们团队的信任，让我们有信心能够果断决策，坚定前行。
这也正是我们目前努力的方向。
全球经济仍将面临剧烈的挑战。各地企业都在延后发展和投资计划。
目前，我国经济展现出了韧性，但前景依然非常不明朗。
因此，政府成立了由副总理颜金勇领导的新加坡经济韧性小组。我们正在积极采取行动，协助企业应对当前的挑战，帮助国人稳定就业，并继续评估风险和制定策略，把握发展机遇。
但是，我们除了应对眼前的挑战，还要着眼未来，预测前方可能出现的变数。我们要未雨绸缪，随机应变。
其他国家已经在采取行动。他们拥有更多的资源、更大的人口，并且渴望取得成功。大国也会尽其所能，动用手头上所有的资源，不论是经济、科技还是地缘政治条件，来争取对自己有利的形势。这将让像新加坡这样的小国在竞争中面临更大的压力，更难持续发展。
因此，我们必须调整经济策略，来巩固我国的竞争力、深化我们的优势，让新加坡在这个剧变的世界中站稳脚跟，取得成功。
新加坡必须出类拔萃，才能保持领先的地位。我们要巩固凝聚力、秉持坚定的信念、并继续追求卓越。我们要有更敏捷的反应、更灵活的适应力，也要更精明地求新求变。
这包括积极采纳新科技，如人工智能和机器人技术等，并有效地运用在经济的各层面。我们要协助国人、工友和企业充分利用这些技术，来加强我们的竞争优势。 改革的步伐是迅速的，甚至会让人担忧和难以适应。我们将经历颠覆性的改变，不是每个人都能应付自如。
不过，没有人需要独自面对这些挑战。因为，政府会一如既往与您并肩同行。我们将为国人提供更多培训和提升的机会。我们也会加强社会安全网，帮助每一个遭遇挫折的国人重新站起来，自信地面对未来。
这也是我推出“新加坡携手前进”运动的初衷，来更新我们的社会契约，帮助每一个国人坚定地向前迈进。
我们已经落实了新措施，如“技能创前程求职援助计划”，来帮助失去工作的国人重新出发。接下来，政府会更努力地帮助低收入的工友和家庭，并且提供更多途径，让每一个国人，无论起点，都有出人头地的机会。
在前进的道路上，我们需要全国人民上下一心，共同努力。我们同社会团体、企业、工会和许多的热心人士携手合作，制定解决方案、落实新点子，带来切实的影响。
这种互爱互助、同甘共苦的精神至关重要。因为，新加坡的未来需要我们每一个人的实际行动、同理心、相互扶持，来共同创造。
新加坡精神
而这一切的核心，正是我们的新加坡精神：全民一心，同负使命，并肩前行。
小国经不起分裂。一直以来，新加坡凭借着国人的团结力量，同舟共济，排除万难。
尽管我们来自不同的族群、说着不同的语言，也拥有不同的信仰，但联结我们的，是一份更深厚的情感，是对彼此的承诺、对国家的忠诚。
过去的60年，一路走来，我们秉持坚定的信念。我们相信自己，相信彼此，相信新加坡的无限可能。也正是这样的信念，推动着我们一步一脚印地建设我们的家园。而随着变化的步伐加快，世界局势更加风云莫测，这份团结精神将更弥足珍贵。
我现在就在政府大厦前的大草场。这是新加坡历史上一个意义非凡的地方。在1959年，当新加坡成为自治邦后，尤索夫·伊萨先生（Mr Yusof Ishak）就是在这里宣誓为新加坡的第一任元首。在1966年，我们也是在这里举行新加坡独立后的首个国庆庆典。
在我们纪念建国60周年的时刻，除了要回首建国历程，我们也要展望未来。为此，我们在乌节图书馆举办一个特展，邀请国人回顾过去，一同分享大家对新加坡未来的憧憬和期望。
目前，已有学生前来参观。而在这个月底，公众将能免费参观特展。
到时，你可以看到大家对未来的期许。在这里，这些梦想汇聚成国人对新加坡的愿景。
让我们同心协力，在家庭、学校、社区内尽一份力，携手打造理想中的新加坡。
新加坡仅用了60年，从第三世界国家发展成为了第一世界国家。这靠的不是运气，而是我们永不言弃的意志和坚韧的团结精神。
如今，一个新的篇章即将开始。让我们承前启后，满怀信心地继续谱写我们的新加坡故事。
为了你我、为了我们的子子孙孙，也为了世世代代的新加坡人，让我们齐心协力，共同创造更美好的未来。
祝大家国庆日快乐！Majulah Singapura！
在国庆献词中，黄循财总理特别提到建国总理李光耀宣读《新加坡独立宣言》的历史时刻，而这段充满挑战的建国历程，正是《李光耀回忆录》中详尽记录的核心篇章。
该书以李光耀的亲身经历，还原了新加坡从被迫独立到站稳脚跟的关键抉择，包括如何化解种族矛盾、推动经济发展，以及在小国生存的夹缝中寻找机遇，可点击下方链接购买。
以下是英文版全文：
My fellow Singaporeans
SG60Sixty years ago, Singapore became “forever a sovereign democratic and independent nation,” as you just heard Mr Lee Kuan Yew declare in the Proclamation of Singapore.
We didn’t intend to become independent. We were not meant to exist as a country. Up to that fateful moment, the prevailing conviction – amongst our founding leaders and pioneer generation alike – was that Singapore had to be part of Malaysia. We were simply too small, too exposed, too vulnerable to stand on our own.
But circumstances forced our hand. We had to summon the resolve and will to survive as an independent nation.
Looking back, we can see just how precarious our position was. At many points, history could have easily taken a darker turn. Yet against all odds, we made it.
This is what makes SG60 so significant – not just that we endured, but that we prevailed and prospered when few believed we would even survive.
More than once, we ourselves feared we might not pull through. But we did not falter. We overcame every challenge – from racial strife and the British pullout, to economic crises, terrorism and global pandemics.
Each time, we picked ourselves up, learnt from our setbacks, and found the strength and will to carry on.
Above all, we stood together – even when powerful forces tried to pull us apart. Through trials, tears and tribulations, we built a nation – strong and free. We built a home for all – regardless of race, language or religion.
Now at 60, Singapore stands at another fork in the road.
Three months ago, I spoke about a changed world. Since then, the situation has grown graver. New conflicts have broken out. Geopolitical tensions have deepened. Barriers to trade are hardening. And protectionist sentiments are worsening.
To put it bluntly: The global order that enabled Singapore to thrive for decades is unravelling before our eyes.
This is the world we must now navigate – one that is more contested, more fragmented and more volatile than before.
Difficult times lie ahead. But we are not going to throw up our hands in despair. We will overcome our new challenges. And we will do so in our own way. We will shape the future we want with our own actions.
In the recent General Election, Singaporeans made a considered and clear choice. You chose the team you believe can best steer Singapore through this turbulence. Your wisdom and trust give my government the political assurance to act boldly, and the confidence to lead with conviction.
And that is exactly what we are doing.
We expect the global economy to remain troubled for some time. Businesses everywhere are holding back on expansion and new investments.
So far, our economy has been resilient. But the outlook remains highly uncertain.
The Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, chaired by DPM Gan Kim Yong, has been hard at work – rolling out targeted measures to support businesses and help Singaporeans stay employed. The Taskforce will continue to assess the risks, identify new opportunities and prepare our firms and workers for what lies ahead.
But we must do more than respond to the immediate headwinds. We must also look ahead – anticipate what is on the horizon, and prepare to ride the next wave of change.
Other countries are not standing still. They have more resources, larger populations and are hungry to succeed. The bigger powers are also now more willing to use every tool at their disposal – economic, technological and geopolitical – to tilt the playing field in their favour. That will make it harder for small states like Singapore to hold our own.
We are therefore refreshing our economic strategy – to strengthen our competitiveness, deepen our capabilities, and secure our future in a very different world.
To stay ahead, Singapore must remain exceptional – in our cohesion, in our resolve, in our performance. We must move faster, adapt quicker and innovate smarter.
That means embracing new technologies like Artificial Intelligence and robotics – and applying them meaningfully across our economy. We must enable our people, workers and businesses to make full use of these tools, and sharpen our competitive edge.
The pace of change will be rapid and not always comfortable. There will be disruption. Not everyone will find the transition easy.
But no one will face these challenges alone. This Government will walk this journey with you – just as we have done for 60 years now. We will expand opportunities for learning and skills upgrading, strengthen social safety nets, and help every Singaporean who faces setbacks to bounce back and press on.
That is why I launched Forward Singapore – to refresh our social compact, and give every Singaporean the support and confidence to travel the road ahead.
We have already introduced new policies like the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme – to help those who lose their jobs get back on their feet. We will do more to uplift lower-income workers and families, and create more pathways for every Singaporean to succeed, regardless of their starting point in life.
This is a shared effort, involving all in “Team Singapore”. We are partnering community groups, businesses, unions and many passionate individuals – all working together to shape solutions, put ideas into action, and make a difference on the ground.
This ethos of mutual support and shared responsibility is crucial. Because Singapore’s future must be built by all of us together – through our actions, our compassion, and our willingness to lift up one another.
And at the heart of all this is our Singapore Spirit – our deep sense of solidarity and shared purpose.
As a small nation, we cannot afford to be divided. Our unity has always been our source of strength. When we stand together, there is nothing we cannot overcome.
We may come from different races, speak different languages, and hold different beliefs. But we are bound by something deeper: a shared commitment to one another, and to Singapore.
This is the faith that has sustained us these past 60 years: faith in ourselves, in one another, and in the promise of Singapore. It gave us the strength to build a nation from scratch. And this same spirit will be even more vital in the years ahead, as the pace of change quickens and the world becomes more uncertain.
I am speaking to you from the Padang, a place rich in history and meaning for Singapore. It was here in 1959 that our first Head of State, Encik Yusof Ishak, was inaugurated when Singapore became a self-governing state. It was here again in 1966 that we held our first National Day Parade as an independent nation.
As we mark SG60, we honour these memories. But we also look ahead, and that’s why we will be holding a special exhibition at the Orchard Library – to invite Singaporeans to reflect on our journey, and to share our hopes and dreams for our future.
The exhibition has started welcoming students. Later this month, it will open to the public.
In the exhibition, you will see a collection of ground-up aspirations and wishes – each one reflecting a vision of what Singapore can be.
Let us turn these dreams into reality, and bring our hopes to life – in our homes, in our schools, and in our communities.
In 60 years, we have gone from third world to first. Not through luck, but through sheer determination, resilience and unity.
Now, as we stand on the threshold of a new chapter, we must draw strength from our past, and press forward with confidence.
Together, we will secure a brighter future for ourselves, our children, and generations to come.
Happy National Day. Majulah Singapura!
来源：新加坡眼一点号
