NDP 09 TO FOCUS ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SINGAPOREAN

"We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people..."

For every Singaporean, reciting this familiar line of the pledge daily for at least ten years during their early school days can be seen as a routine activity, but "we need to stop to ask ourselves if we say what we mean, and mean what we say".

This point was made by Brigadier-General (BG) Tan Chuan-Jin, Chairman of the National Day Parade (NDP) 09 Executive Committee, at the first NDP 09 media briefing on 29 Apr, in a function room below the floating platform at Marina Bay.

Rather than simply wowing Singaporeans with spectacular performances, this year's celebrations aims to get them to reflect more on what Singapore means to them, and what it means to be Singaporean.

With the theme Come together - Reaching out, Reaching up, the 44th National Day will echo the Singapore pledge.

First, it is about Singaporeans coming together as "one united people". This is represented in this year's logo by a hand that connects Singaporeans of different backgrounds.

Second, it will reach out to all Singaporeans "regardless of race, language or religion", including the less privileged ones, which is represented by a heart motif within the palm of the hand, symbolising compassion and care for all citizens. NDP 09 will work with charity organisations and have less privileged individuals contribute in packing the NDP fun packs and personalising them with their names and greetings.

Third, NDP 09 will also reach up towards Singaporeans' aspirations "to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation". In the logo, this is represented by five fingers and the shooting stars at their ends, which symbolise the ideas represented by the five stars on the Singapore flag: Democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.

While Singapore continues to fight an economic slump, which has been exacerbated by growing fears of a swine flu pandemic, National Day will be "an important opportunity for us to rally our people" in overcoming the crisis and aspiring towards a better future, said BG Tan.

New media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr will be employed this year to involve more Singaporeans, to hear their voices and capture their expressions as they share their thoughts and photos about the nation.

Other new features at this year's NDP include a display of 25 years of Total Defence and a presidential gun salute which will be executed in a new manner.