Tanjong Pagar ‘where it all began’ for Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore: Indranee Rajah

SINGAPORE – Tanjong Pagar is “where it all began” for Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah on March 29.

“Without Tanjong Pagar, there would be no Singapore as we know it,” she said.

“If Tanjong Pagar had not given Mr Lee that original mandate, he would not have become the MP for the area, and he would not have become our founding prime minister.”

Mr Lee died on March 23, 2015, at the age of 91. He was Tanjong Pagar’s first MP, after being elected in 1955 when it was a single-member constituency. He remained MP for the constituency for almost 60 years. Tanjong Pagar is now a five-member group representation constituency.

And people who live in Tanjong Pagar remember this, said Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development and an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC. She was speaking to reporters at the launch of Ramadan Festive Care 2025 at Tiong Bahru Community Centre.

“The journey started here, and I think Mr Lee and all successive MPs in this area have done their very best to build on that legacy and continue to take Singapore forward,” she added.

On whether there would be any movements in the GRC ahead of the upcoming general election, Ms Indranee said it is up to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to decide. The election is widely expected to be held by the first half of the year.

“He’s the man with the answers,” she said.

When asked what issues are on residents’ minds, Ms Indranee said the cost of living is “clearly” what people are worried about. For the 2025 Budget, the Government “has put in a lot of support”, she said.

Some 1.3 million Singaporean households will each get $800 in CDC vouchers and Housing Board households will get up to $760 in U-Save rebates in the 2025 financial year to help them cope with their utility bills. Families with children will also receive further support to defray expenses, as will lower-income families and individuals.

“So long as it’s needed, we will make sure that there is support for people,” Ms Indranee said.

“The key thing is for us to be sure that we continue to take care of residents, (their) concerns, their needs.”

Ramadan Festive Care 2025 is an annual initiative to help under-resourced families, and it has raised more than $21,000 this year, up from about $16,700 in 2024.

About 500 packages filled with essential food items were distributed to beneficiaries. The packages contained staples such as rice, dried and canned food, as well as basic essentials like sugar and salt, and Milo, mee siam and honey.

The initiative, now into its fourth year, was started by real estate firm OrangeTee, in partnership with non-profit organisations Ray of Hope and Roses of Peace.

Mr Justin Quek, chief executive of OrangeTee, said the initiative aims to “ensure everyone has a chance to celebrate with the essentials needed”. He thanked Roses of Peace and Ray of Hope for helping to “amplify our efforts and bring more joy to families during this Ramadan”.

Ms Indranee helped to put together one of the packages and flagged off a group of volunteers who set off from the community centre at about 12.30pm to distribute the packages to beneficiaries in the area.

“The Government does many things but, at the same time, the community plays a really important role as well,” she said. For the less fortunate, having (businesses) like OrangeTee come forward during Ramadan is a signal that the community cares about them, she added.

“Kampung spirit is an indefinable thing, but it’s very real. It is that feeling that the people around you, the community that you live in, care about you, and I think that that is extremely important.”