李顯龍總理新春獻詞
農曆新年將至，本地華族家庭喜迎鼠年。但放眼全球，世界局勢卻令不少人感到不安。雅加達豪雨成災、泰國乾旱情況嚴重、澳大利亞林火延燒、中東地區波瀾再起、香港和法國示威不斷、中國則出現引發新冠病毒的新型冠狀病毒。這些國家和地區正面對嚴峻挑戰，讓我們祝願他們， 早日走出困境，渡過難關。同時，這些新聞頭條也提醒我們，每逢農曆新年和家人及親友團聚時，要格外珍惜眼前的和平與穩定。
的確，在這個紛紛擾擾的世界裡，家人是我們生活的重心也是最堅強的後盾。當喜事降臨時，我們會在第一時間和他們分享喜悅。在遇到挫折時，我們更需要父母、伴侶、兄弟姐妹和子女的鼓勵和安慰。即便不住在同個屋檐下，我們多數也會和爺爺奶奶、外公外婆，叔叔舅舅、姑姑阿姨、堂表兄弟姐妹、侄兒女、外甥男女、兒孫等相聚，保持緊密聯繫。
正所謂「天下之本在國、國之本在家、家之本在身」，家庭是國家重要的基石。因此，我們致力讓新加坡成為親家庭的社會，竭盡所能幫助年輕一代成家，養兒育女。政府近期推出的許多措施都朝這個目標前進，包括增加學前教育津貼，減輕養育孩子的經濟負擔，同時也鼓勵僱主推行靈活工作制，為需要照顧兒女或父母的員工提供更多支持。我們也在中學試行科目編班制，以減少學生和家長所面對的壓力。因此在新加坡，只要你勤奮工作，就能讓自己和家人生活得更好。
我希望這些舉措能鼓勵更多年輕男女組織家庭，多生孩子。當然， 選擇和誰共度一生，以及婚後要不要生育，始終都是個人的選擇。但以我個人的經驗來說，在農曆新年這樣的佳節時刻，能夠和全家大小團聚共享天倫，是最幸福美滿的事了。
不巧的是，這個除夕夜，我還在從達沃斯回國的途中，趕不及和家人一起吃年夜飯。所幸的是，我此行到瑞士出席世界經濟論壇峰會的其中一個亮點，就是有機會和旅居蘇黎世的國人提前慶祝農曆新年。每次出遠門，我總是期待能在異鄉看見熟悉的面孔，聽到熟悉的口音。無論大家是在世界的哪一個角落，總會有一種特殊而溫暖的力量將新加坡人凝聚在一起，讓我們心繫家園。
我在國外期間一直密切留意本地預防新冠病毒的準備工作。我國剛出現首起確診病例。我們有大量國際訪客，這是意料之中的。不過我們已做好應對措施，因為在 2003 年抗衡沙斯疫情後，我們就對類似情況做好準備。衛生部目前已啟動預防新冠病毒擴散的措施。目前為止，這個病毒看來不像沙斯那樣致命。在我們落實各項措施，保護大家安全和健康的當兒，國人應保持冷靜，同時要維持警惕。
希望大家也不要忘了那些在新年期間照常上班的同胞。他們包括執法人員、醫療人員、清潔工人以及維持公共運輸系統、海港和機場運作的工作人員等等。他們犧牲了和親友相聚同歡的時光，以確保我國仍能如常運作。我們身邊也有許多馬來族、印族和歐亞裔同事會在這段時間為華族同事代班。我們要衷心感謝他們的幫忙。
在和親友歡聚時，希望大家也為需要關懷的人送出溫暖。請為他們敞開大門，邀請他們到家中感受過節的氣氛。我們都是新加坡這個大家庭的一員，而家人就是要同甘共苦，相互扶持。
今年是金鼠年，鼠是十二生肖之首，代表著新的起點。因此，我們要把握機會，讓自己煥然一新，在新的一年裡有一個好的開始。希望大家也可以像老鼠一樣機靈聰慧、善於應變，無論未來面對什麼難題，我們都能迎刃而解，為自己和下一代建設更美好的新加坡。
最後，我祝大家新年快樂，身體健康，萬事如意！
CHINESE NEW YEAR MESSAGE
Chinese New Year this year comes amidst anxiety around the world. The headlines are sobering: floods in Jakarta, drought in Thailand, bushfires in Australia, turbulence in the Middle East, protests in Hong Kong and France, and the new coronavirus in China. We wish these societies well as they heal and recover. We also give thanks that Singapore enjoys peace and stability that lets us to gather, as we do every year, to celebrate Chinese New Year in the warm company of friends and family.
Our families are the most important people in our lives. They are the first ones whom we share good news with. When times are hard, we turn for comfort and support to our parents, spouses, siblings, and later our children. Even if our extended families do not all live together, most of us still keep close ties with uncles and aunts, cousins and nephews, and of course grandparents and grandchildren.
Strong families make for a strong nation. Singapore should be a society where families are celebrated and supported, especially young families starting out. Many recent initiatives have this aim in mind. Thus we are increasing preschool subsidies to lighten the financial load of raising a child, promoting flexible work arrangements to support parents and caregivers, and introducing full subject-based banding in secondary schools, to reduce stress on students and parents. In Singapore, as long as you work hard, you can be confident of a better life for yourselves and your children.
I hope these moves will encourage more young couples to start new families, or add to their growing families. Choosing a life partner or having a child is a deeply personal decision. But from my own experience, there is no greater joy than hearing the laughter of our children and grandchildren, especially on festive occasions like Chinese New Year.
Unfortunately, this year, I will miss my usual New Year’s Eve reunion dinner, as I shall be on my way home from Davos. One of the highlights of my trip is the chance to celebrate Chinese New Year with the Singaporean community in Zurich. I look forward to seeing familiar faces and hearing familiar accents, thousands of miles away from home. No matter where in the world we may be, there is something special and heart-warming that bonds Singaporeans together, and a special place in our hearts for Singapore.
While I am away, I have also been closely tracking our preparations against the new coronavirus from Wuhan. We have just had our first cases in Singapore. This was to be expected, given the high volume of international travel here. But we are well prepared, because we have been gearing up for such a situation ever since we dealt with SARS in 2003. MOH has now activated plans to counter the spread of the virus, which so far does not appear to be as deadly as SARs was. Singaporeans should be calm but watchful as we implement measures to keep everybody safe and healthy.
Let us also remember those making personal sacrifices to keep our city humming during the public holiday: law enforcement personnel, hospital staff, cleaners, transport, port and airport workers, and many others. Many of our Malay, Indian and Eurasian friends will be working, covering for their Chinese colleagues. We owe them our thanks.
The Year of the Rat begins a new cycle of the Chinese zodiac. We look forward to the opportunity to refresh ourselves and start anew. Let us learn something from the proverbial nimbleness, creativity and wit of the rat. These qualities will help us to overcome future challenges, and build a better Singapore for ourselves and our children.
I wish all Singaporeans a very happy and healthy Chinese New Year.
