On the morning of Aug 9, full-time national serviceman Lim Yu Jie, 20, will be entrusted with a sacred duty: He will raise the state flag at the Padang at 10.30am.
At the same time, the flag will also be raised in ceremonies at several locations across the country as Singaporeans unite in singing the National Anthem as one.
The National Day Parade (NDP) organising committee yesterday released details of one of the cornerstones of this year's event, which it calls the "anthem moment".
The Public Warning System will be sounded to rally Singaporeans to take part in the moment from home.
Broadening NDP beyond its traditional association with defence, the moment at 10.30am will see concurrent flag ceremonies, in addition to the one at the Padang, at seven other spots selected to stand for Singapore's key sectors during the disruption caused by Covid-19.
The locations are: the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) representing healthcare; North Vista Secondary School representing education; Kampung Admiralty for housing and community; Changi Airport for transport; the Lifelong Learning Institute for employment and skills; the Enabling Village in Bukit Merah for social services; and FairPrice Hub in Joo Koon for trade and industry.
Each location will hold its own National Day event attended by the sector's respective ministers, unlike in previous years when top government officials were gathered at the main parade.
This year, President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, and Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam will be seated on the steps of the National Gallery Singapore overlooking the parade.
New Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung will be at Changi Airport, National Development Minister Desmond Lee at Kampung Admiralty, and Education Minister Lawrence Wong at North Vista Secondary, while Manpower Minister Josephine Teo will be at the Lifelong Learning Institute, Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli at the Enabling Village, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong at NCID, and Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing at FairPrice Hub in Joo Koon.
Around 40 representatives of each sector, such as teachers for education, will also be invited to each location in a show of appreciation for their efforts in recent months.
Colonel Cai Dexian, chairman of the home celebrations and engagement committee, said the National Anthem was chosen as one of the key moments of this year's transformed celebrations as it is a "musical expression of Singapore's collective ambition and hope".
He invited Singaporeans to tune in to the live broadcast from their homes and record themselves participating in the anthem moment.
"Locations are really just places without people bringing them to life," said Col Cai, 36, adding that videos of people singing the anthem can be sent to go.gov.sg/anthemmoment2020 for a chance to be featured in the NDP evening broadcast.
The NDP organising committee is also working with public agencies and major companies to organise other ceremonies at locations such as military camps, transport depots and Singapore missions overseas.
