Staying united amidst myriad challenges

National Day today marks a recuperative moment in Singapore's recent history. The coronavirus pandemic has been contained, breaking a cycle of social restrictions and relaxations that interrupted the normal rhythm of national life over the past two years. President Halimah Yacob has warned rightly that the country is not out of the woods yet. Nevertheless, Singaporeans are learning to live with the virus, they are travelling once again, and families can now celebrate significant occasions together. Should this momentum of economic and social renewal be sustained, Singaporeans could hope to make the most of the new normal in the wake of Covid-19. The degree of national resilience achieved amidst the worst afflictions of Covid-19 has strengthened Singaporeans as a people, and it is on the back of this achievement that they can look to the future with deserved confidence. Covid-19 has taught citizens a lesson in how to preserve themselves in adversity, and they have acquitted themselves well.

Confidence is one thing, complacence another. Singaporeans cannot afford the latter. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Message is a down-to-earth assessment of the challenges that Singapore is facing. Russia's invasion of Ukraine violates irreducible principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that underpin Singapore's security and even its existence. The current European war will affect the Asia-Pacific as well, as seen in the straining of relations already between China, on the one hand, and the United States and its Asian allies, on the other.