PM Lee’s National Day Rally 2023 speech simplified for you.
It’s the time of the year again when Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong addresses the nation and tells us the plans for Singapore and Singaporeans!
But in case you karh ch’ng si tang (backside got worm) cannot sit still through the entire National Day Rally 2023 speech, here’s everything you need to know from PM Lee’s speech in simple Singlish.
1. The Majulah Package
When you see a package with a fancy name being announced, you know confirm is Gahmen giving out goodies to Singaporeans again liao.
National Day Rally 2023: Will PM Lee have good news for us Singaporeans?
But before you arm-chio or arm-song (ownself inside happy) at this announcement, this Majulah Package is only for Singaporeans who are 50 and above this year. That means if you are born later than 1973 this year hor, you are not eligible for it liao.
This package, which cost the Gahmen about $7 billion will consist of 3 components:
1. The “Earn and Save” Bonus
2. CPF Retirement Savings Bonus (RSB)
3. MediSave Bonus
The Majulah Package hor, which is aimed at helping these “Young Seniors” to save up so that they will have enough money to support themselves when they retire, really is jin ho (quite good) sia.
Under this “Earn and Save” Bonus hor, lower- and middle-income workers will get a CPF bonus of up to $1,000 a year, as long as they are working. Don’t care is part-time or full-time leh. Then hor for those Young Seniors who haven’t reached the CPF Basic Retirement Sum ah, they will receive a one-time CPF top-up, of up to $1,500 from the Gahmen.
And finally, the Majulah Package will include a modest one-time MediSave top-up of up to $1,000 to help Young Seniors to cover their medical expenses and insurance premiums.
Wah piangz so good lah?! Gahmen is literally giving out free money to help all these Young Seniors sia!
This retirement-money-not-enough problem has been brought up by NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How, who has been advocating for older workers many many times liao. So it is good that the Gahmen is giving out free money to support the older workers lah hor.
But if you are not eligible, also don’t need to be sad hor. It means you are still young lah still got the engine to work harder and earn more money!
2. Caring for the lao langs (old people)
Singapore is one of the fastest-ageing nations in the world. By 2030, nearly one in four Singaporeans will be a lao lang. So you imagine a country infested with a lot of old and sickly lao langs 😅😅😅 Not I suey kuan (horrible) ok. If lao niang is an investor lao niang also will think thrice if lao niang want to invest in a country like this.
So ah, to make sure all the lao langs can live healthily and happily, the Ministry of Health (MOH) already launched the Healthy SG last month to encourage and empower the lao langs to keep healthy and go see the doctor if they pua peh (fall sick).
To encourage the lao langs, especially those staying alone one to make more friends and stay socially active, PM Lee also encourage the lao langs to go to the Active Ageing Centres (AACs) that are set up all over Singapore and don’t 自闭 (self-isolate) at home.
Besides encouraging active ageing, in his speech, PM Lee also said that the Gahmen will also make the physical environment of HDB homes and precincts more senior-friendly aka safe.
3. Housing: New “Plus” Model HDB Flats
To keep our HDB flats affordable and to prevent people from making use of HDB flats to flip ah flip and make a profit out of it, PM Lee said that the Gahmen will introduce a new “Plus” model for selling HDB flats at choicer locations, with moderated prices, but stricter sale conditions.
For HDB flats in the sibei tok kong (good) locations, like near MRT lah, near shopping centres lah, you know the kind that everyone will want to stay in that kind, the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) will no longer be 5 years liao, but it will be a longer MOP of 10 years.
Because hor remember or not? The objective of HDB flats is to give you a roof over your head, not for you to flip and flip to make a profit until your head also become big. You know which head or not? 🤭🤭🤭 Hehe 🤭🤭🤭
Then hor the Gahmen will also implement tighter restrictions when the home-owners want to resell their flats later on. Like subsidy recovery, to take back part of the extra subsidies, to be fair to other buyers who did not get these subsidies, and also an income ceiling on resale buyers. Hopefully lah, this will moderate resale prices and help to maintain a better social mix in the long term.
4. Enhancing housing access to Single people
For the single Singaporeans who keep kpkb non-stop about Gahmen not being fair to you all, don’t let you all buy HDB flats in the prime location, NJHL (Ni Jiu Hao Lo), how nice for you, got good news for you this National Day Rally liao.
PM Lee said that they will be doing something about this, and the details will be announced later.
Don’t say Gahmen never listen to your whinings – you see you asked for it, and they are doing something about it.
5. Integrity and incorruptibility die-die will be the way to go for Singapore
Because a clean and effective Gahmen is what keeps Singapore successful today.
In his National Day Rally 2023 speech, PM Lee shared that during Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s 90th birthday celebration, the late Mr Lee reminded everyone present (the PAP MPs and ministers, the opposition MPs, and even the NMPs) that Singapore must always remain clean and incorruptible, and MPs and Ministers have to set the example if not Singapore will be FINISHED.
PM Lee concluded his National Day Rally 2023 speech that he will do everything he can to keep faith with Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s hope, and no matter the price, no matter how malu it is, no matter the political cost, PM Lee assured that he will do his utmost to keep the system clean. Like Marie Kondo ah.
He also added that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his 4G team will also carry the same values and core convictions when they take over. Ai zai ok.
Huat ah! Majulah Singapura! 🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬
