PM Lawrence Wong’s NDR 2024 Message Announced for 18 August

Our new Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, was sworn in on 15 May this year. He will be giving his first National Day Rally (NDR), announced for 18 August at ITE College Central.

Image: Facebook (@Lawrence Wong)

Major Policy Changes Usually Announced at NDR

What is Singapore’s National Day Rally? In case you are four years old, let me explain.

The NDR is an annual speech by Singapore’s PM, usually held on the first or second Sunday after National Day. Presumably, everyone will be in a patriotic mood after singing Home for the 20th time.

The Prime Minister will usually talk about the country’s status and, more importantly, major policy changes.

For example, at NDR 2022, then-PM Lee Hsien Loong announced the planned repeal of Singapore’s controversial Section 377A of the Penal Code.

He also gave the taxi driver uncles a whole laundry list worth of things to complain about to you for the next few months.

Here’s the thing, though. Lee Hsien Loong has been delivering the NDR for the past 19 years. He’s entrenched into our minds as the Prime Minister in living memory.

So, like with the manager analogy earlier, PM Lawrence Wong might be looking to make a big splash for his maiden NDR.

Why NDR 2024 Might Have Good News

Back when Lee Hsien Loong became PM and delivered his first NDR message in 2004, nobody was quite sure how big of a change he would announce. Maybe he would even be measured and keep things mostly the same.

Image: YouTube (@PMO Singapore)

But instead, he announced the five-day work week for civil servants, which then became the norm in nearly all jobs in Singapore.

With this in mind, there’s hope for PM Wong to give us a similar bombshell of good or maybe even daring policy changes.

Who can forget the looming giant that is the General Elections this year too? Obviously, the PAP winning is as sure as Yishun having some weird occurrence every day, but it’s the percentage of votes they get under a new PM that everyone will be keeping an eye on.

So, fingers crossed for the four-day work week.

Watch this video to know why NDR 2024 might have some good news (hopefully):