Director's Note

Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura

[Come, let us unite
In a new spirit
Let our voices soar as one
Onward Singapore]

— From “Majulah Singapura” by Zubir Said

Happy 46th Birthday, Singapore.

It seems like only yesterday you were born: under harsh lights, as murmurs of worry and concern erupted around you, as did tears and fears of uncertainty as to your future. You were born into a landscape still reeling from cataclysmic change, the status of previously drawn boundaries now irrevocably different, forever altered. But even more so, you were born from the hope for a better world for those who were there, for those who came from other shores (and still come today).

The world watched as you took your first steps, and our trepidation slowly melted away. We took pride in your maturity and self-belief, supported your growing ambitions, and were continually surprised and humbled by your persistence and willingness to learn from others, and from experience. Others clucked their tongues at the challenges you faced, at the difficult journeys anticipated when you would set out on some new endeavour. Not once, twice, but time and time again. You never stopped trying, you kept going, never gave in.

You're no stranger to difficult times, having seen plenty since coming into this world. Never have you been one to turn your back on those who sacrificed much for this country, always looking forward – past hard times, to the future. You embraced change, no matter how painful, difficult or challenging it was. Each day brings a new tough decision but you soldier on, heart intact, fiercely adaptable, your landscape shaped by the turning tides and changing climes in which you dwell.

And if there are indeed places where we would go to remember what life was like when you were young, know that it's simply because everything is changing so quickly. At times, we need to look in both directions in order to know where we are, and where we should go from here; not just for ourselves, but our children – the future of our nation.

Singapore, it's difficult not to be sentimental when you've grown up so fast. And yet, this is only the beginning. Happy 46th Birthday, Singapore.

And a great many more to come!

Ngian Lek Choh
Director
National Library