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刚刚，李显龙总理发表了2018年的国庆献词。在今年的讲话中总理强调了我们过去一年取得的成就以及新的挑战，强调了公共服务的建设进展与规划。一起和新加坡眼围观一下吧。
亲爱的新加坡民众，
每年的8月9日，我们会聚在一起庆祝我们作为一个国家的进步，并重申我们作为一个团结群体的承诺。新加坡在短短53年间取得了长足的进步。今天，我们是一个充满活力的繁荣国家。我们的经济继续稳步增长 – 近年来增长率约为3％至3.5％。生产力与收入在保持增长。与世界上许多其它地区的人比，新加坡人享有较好的生活质量。
但是目前还有很多不尽如人意之处，在过去一年中，世界主要经济体之间的贸易紧张局势严重恶化。这正在影响国际贸易，投资和商业信心。新加坡自身的增长和繁荣也将受到影响。贸易冲突也会侵蚀大国之间的信任，阻碍他们在其他重要问题上的合作。因此，区域和国际安全面临风险。
朝鲜半岛局势是一个严峻的国际安全问题。两个月前，我们成功地主持了美国总统特朗普与朝鲜主席金正恩之间的峰会。峰会缓解了紧张局势，但在朝鲜半岛实现无核化与和平之前仍有许多挑战需要克服。
在离家不远的地方，东盟是一个处于未知世界的救生筏。作为今年的东盟主席，我们的目标是与东盟伙伴进一步合作，特别是与我们的邻国马来西亚和印度尼西亚。马来西亚在5月大选之后新政府上台。我们将在互惠互利和尊重的基础上与马来西亚建立良好关系。印尼将于明年举行总统选举。我们将继续与印度尼西亚合作，进一步加强与他们的合作。
政府正在密切关注这些外部发展。与此同时，我们也在加强新加坡的灵活性并创造新的机会。在过去几年中，政府一直在审视观察主要的教育，医疗保健和住房政策。我们正在进行改革，以求改善新加坡人的生活，加强社会安全网，并建立一个更具凝聚力的国家。无论外部环境如何，我们都希望尽我们所能去发展新加坡。
今天，我在Kampung Admiralty与您交谈。Kampung Admiralty是一项公共住房的创新：它是为老年人设计的综合住宅区。这里的公寓有这样的内部功能，如扶手和防滑瓷砖，这样老年人就可以舒适安全地生活。这里还有许多设施：超市，医疗中心，社区花园，儿童看护中心和小贩中心。
Kampung Admiralty的一天是什么样的？许多居民都是祖父母，他们的成年子女住在附近。每天早上，年轻的父母都会送孩子到这里的儿童保育中心，祖父母晚些时候会接走孩子。老人们在社区花园与他们的朋友一起打太极或进行园艺，或去医疗中心定期检查。放学后，祖父母将孩子带到小贩中心吃东西，或带到操场上玩耍。如果下雨，孩子们可以在社区广场玩耍，或者在祖父母的家中小睡一下。下班后，年轻的父母可以在FairPrice超市购买新鲜杂货，为全家准备晚餐。Kampung Admiralty是一个高层建筑，居民外出与家人、朋友和邻居交往从不离家太远。
在这里，我们的教育、医疗保健和住房政策将以切实和一体化的方式为居民聚集在一起。Kampung Admiralty的儿童保育中心是我们在新加坡各地开设的众多新中心之一，它可以增加学前学额，使所有儿童都能有一个良好的人生起点，学生可以有敬业的教师，享受良好的设施和高质量的娱乐时间。
这里的医疗中心是全岛即将开展的许多社区医疗机构之一，它使优质医疗保健离居民更近，并且这些服务让居民们负担得起。我们拥有MediShield Life，可以保护所有新加坡人的个人经济状况免受重大和意外的医院费用影响。我们有CHAS、社区健康协助计划，为门诊治疗提供慷慨的补贴，特别是针对高血压或糖尿病等慢性疾病患者。我们还很快将拥有CareShield Life，它会保护年轻的新加坡人。年纪较大的人也可以登录CareShield Life将获得补贴。
Kampung Admiralty也是未来公共住房的典范。它满足了社会老龄化需求，鼓励居民和他们的家人相聚团结，共同建立一个社区。建屋发展局将继续为年轻人和老年人开发其他创新住房理念，以便后代也可以拥有自己的住房，并在他们的社区中舒适愉快地生活。
现有的组屋怎么办？随着岁月的流逝，它们将得到维护和升级。虽然还有很多年的居住时间，但我们应该提前考虑如何让老屋保持良好的居住环境状态，并开始重建它们，以便为子孙后代建造新的住宅和城市。
Kampung Admiralty就是政府正在改变教育、医疗和住房以改善新加坡人生活的一个例子。当人们对生活费用表示担忧时，教育、医疗、住房是他们担心的三个重要问题。在新加坡，我们确保这些重要的公共服务高质量又惠及所有新加坡人，无论贫富。这就是我们为何帮助家庭管理他们的生活费用，并为需要帮助的人提供额外的帮助。五十多年来，这种方法运作良好。
我们尚未建设完新加坡。通过大胆创造性的规划，我们可以重新构想新加坡，重塑我们的心脏地带，让我们的社区重新焕发活力。未来50年建设新加坡的工作将是一项持续的超过一代人的大规模长期事业。为了维持这个项目，我们需要强大的经济和良好的政府财政。最重要的是，我们需要社会凝聚力，稳定的政治环境和良好的政府，以实现我们的愿景。
今天的新加坡是一个充满机遇的国家，因为每一代人都在他们之前的人们奠定的基础上建立了一个更好的家园。这就是为什么今天我们每个人都可以追求我们的激情，在不同的领域中都发挥所长，努力创造更美好的明天。现在，我们这一代人依靠我们继承的东西，为国家做出自己的贡献。
正如国庆节的歌曲所说，“海洋上有一颗宝石，是海上的宝石。未来是一本开放的书籍。命运之地。”
我的同胞们，新加坡最好的日子还未到来。
国庆日快乐！
附上英文原文：
My fellow Singaporeans,
On the 9th of August every year, we come together to celebrate our progress as a nation, and to renew our pledge to be one united people. Singapore has come a long way in just 53 years. Today, we are a vibrant and flourishing city-state. Our economy continues to grow steadily – around 3 to 3.5% in recent years. Productivity is improving, and incomes are rising. Singaporeans enjoy a good quality of life, better than many others in the world.
But there are some clouds on the horizon. Over the past year, trade tensions between the major economies have seriously worsened. This is affecting international trade, investments, and business confidence. Singapore’s own growth and prosperity will be affected too. Trade conflicts will also erode trust between the major powers, and hinder their cooperation on other important issues. And hence, regional and international security are at risk.
One international security issue is the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Two months ago, we successfully hosted the Summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un. The Summit has eased Korean tensions, but there are many challenges still to be overcome before denuclearisation and peace are achieved on the Korean Peninsula.
Nearer home, ASEAN is a life raft in an uncertain world. As ASEAN Chair this year, we aim to further cooperation with our ASEAN partners, and in particular with our two closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia has a new government following its General Election in May. We will strive for good relations with Malaysia, based on mutual benefit and respect. Indonesia will hold Presidential elections next year. We will continue to work with Indonesia to further our wide-ranging cooperation with them.
The Government is watching these external developments closely. In the meantime, we are strengthening Singapore’s resilience and creating new opportunities. In the last few years, the Government has been reviewing major education, healthcare and housing policies. We are making changes to improve the lives of Singaporeans, strengthen social safety nets, and build a more cohesive nation. We want Singapore to do the best we can, whatever the external circumstances.
Today, I am speaking to you from Kampung Admiralty. Kampung Admiralty is a public housing innovation: an integrated housing estate designed for senior citizens. The flats here have inbuilt features like grab bars and non-slip tiles, so that senior citizens can live in them comfortably and safely. There are also many amenities co-located here: a supermarket, a medical centre, a community garden, a childcare centre, and a hawker centre.
What does a day in Kampung Admiralty look like? Many residents are grandparents, with their adult children living nearby. Every morning, the young parents drop off their kids at the childcare centre here, to be picked up by the grandparents later in the day. The old folks meet their friends for taiji or gardening at the community garden, or go for their regular check-ups at the medical centre. After school, the grandparents bring the kids to the hawker centre for some food, or to the playground to run around. If it is raining, the children can play in the sheltered community plaza, or take a nap upstairs in their grandparents’ homes. In the evenings after work, the young parents can pick up fresh groceries from the FairPrice supermarket here to prepare dinner for the whole family. Kampung Admiralty is a high-rise kampung where residents are out and about, socialising with family, friends, and neighbours, and yet never too far from home.
Here, our education, healthcare, and housing policies come together for the residents in a tangible and holistic way. The childcare centre at Kampung Admiralty is one of many new centres we have opened all over Singapore, to increase the number of preschool places, so that all children can have a strong start in life, and benefit from dedicated teachers, good facilities, and quality play time.
The medical centre here is one of many new upcoming community healthcare facilities across the island, which will bring quality healthcare closer to residents. These services will always be affordable. We have MediShield Life, which protects all Singaporeans from major and unexpected hospital expenses. We have CHAS, the Community Health Assist Scheme, which provides generous subsidies for outpatient treatment, especially for chronic illnesses like high blood pressure or diabetes. We will soon have CareShield Life, which will protect younger Singaporeans as they age and one day need long term care. Older ones can sign on to CareShield Life too, and they will get subsidies if they do so.
Kampung Admiralty is also a model for future public housing. It meets a need as our society ages, encouraging the residents and their families to come together to build a community. HDB will continue to develop other innovative housing concepts, for the young as well as the old, so that future generations can also own their homes and live comfortably and happily in their neighbourhoods.
What about existing housing estates? They will be maintained and upgraded as the years pass. Though the leases still have many years to run, we should think ahead about how we can keep older estates in good living condition, and also start to redevelop them, in order to build new homes and towns for future generations.
Kampung Admiralty is an example of what the Government is doing to transform education, healthcare and housing to improve the lives of Singaporeans. When people express concern over the cost of living, these are three significant items they worry about. In Singapore, we ensure that these key public services are both of high quality and affordable for all Singaporeans, rich or poor. This is how we’ve helped families to manage their cost of living, and given an extra hand to those who need it. For more than five decades, this approach has worked well.
We are not done building Singapore yet. By planning boldly and creatively, we can reimagine Singapore, remake our heartlands and rejuvenate our communities. The work of building Singapore for the next 50 years will be a massive, long-term undertaking, lasting more than a generation. To sustain this project, we will need a strong economy and sound government finances. Most importantly, we need social cohesion, political stability, and good government for many years to come, in order to carry out and realise our vision.
Singapore today is a nation of opportunities because each generation has built a better home on the foundations laid by those who came before them. And this is why today every one of us can pursue our passions, excel in different fields of endeavour, and strive to create a better tomorrow. Now, it’s our generation’s turn to build on what we have inherited, and make our own contribution to the nation.
As a National Day song puts it,
“There’s a jewel on the ocean, a gem upon the sea Where the future is an open book A land of destiny.” (‘What Do You See?’ by Electrico, 2009)
My fellow citizens, Singapore’s best days are yet to come.
Happy National Day!
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