PM Lee urges young Singaporeans to take heart in their future
'I hope young people - who are worried about the future, who are sometimes beset by angst, who are anxious that life has become harder - take heart. Chase that rainbow,' says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday (Jul 16) urged young Singaporeans to take heart in their future and chase their own rainbows.
He was speaking at the launch of the English edition of the book "Chasing Rainbows”, originally written in Chinese by veteran TV producer Choo Lian Liang.
Mr Lee said the book showed how earlier generations chased their dreams and left something lasting and valuable for their children, their country and the future.
He said he hopes that many more Singaporeans, especially the young, will read the English translation and be inspired to find out more about their family histories, and the efforts of earlier generations in building the Singapore of today.
Mr Lee said: "Knowing what our parents and grandparents went through puts our own lives in perspective. Young people I meet today sometimes tell me that they're anxious about their future. I find this worrying. Because if we look at Singapore today, we are at a much higher level than before.
“We have so much more than what our parents and grandparents had. So, I hope young people - who are worried about the future, who are sometimes beset by angst, who are anxious that life has become harder - take heart. Chase that rainbow. Be inspired by this book. Do well, and do us all proud."
The book begins with Mdm Choo’s great-grandfather in China in the late 1890s. It tells of the family's fortunes as they sought a better life in then-Malaya and Singapore.
It was translated by Mdm Choo's daughter, Minister of State for Education and Communications and Information, Sim Ann, to reach a wider audience.
Ms Sim said: "This is a story that would have resonance with many Singaporean families, because they may have experienced something similar, or heard of something similar. But I think it is a story that is seldom told in this form, and I hope that readers will enjoy it and find something familiar in it.
"The translation I did is actually more of a retelling of the original story in English because I feel that to appeal to English readers - in terms of pacing and clarity - quite a number of adjustments need to be made. I am very glad that my mother, who also happens to be the author of the original version, gave me full rein to make adjustments as I saw fit.”
'I hope young people - who are worried about the future, who are sometimes beset by angst, who are anxious that life has become harder - take heart. Chase that rainbow,' says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday (Jul 16) urged young Singaporeans to take heart in their future and chase their own rainbows.
He was speaking at the launch of the English edition of the book "Chasing Rainbows”, originally written in Chinese by veteran TV producer Choo Lian Liang.
Mr Lee said the book showed how earlier generations chased their dreams and left something lasting and valuable for their children, their country and the future.
He said he hopes that many more Singaporeans, especially the young, will read the English translation and be inspired to find out more about their family histories, and the efforts of earlier generations in building the Singapore of today.
Mr Lee said: "Knowing what our parents and grandparents went through puts our own lives in perspective. Young people I meet today sometimes tell me that they're anxious about their future. I find this worrying. Because if we look at Singapore today, we are at a much higher level than before.
“We have so much more than what our parents and grandparents had. So, I hope young people - who are worried about the future, who are sometimes beset by angst, who are anxious that life has become harder - take heart. Chase that rainbow. Be inspired by this book. Do well, and do us all proud."
The book begins with Mdm Choo’s great-grandfather in China in the late 1890s. It tells of the family's fortunes as they sought a better life in then-Malaya and Singapore.
It was translated by Mdm Choo's daughter, Minister of State for Education and Communications and Information, Sim Ann, to reach a wider audience.
Ms Sim said: "This is a story that would have resonance with many Singaporean families, because they may have experienced something similar, or heard of something similar. But I think it is a story that is seldom told in this form, and I hope that readers will enjoy it and find something familiar in it.
"The translation I did is actually more of a retelling of the original story in English because I feel that to appeal to English readers - in terms of pacing and clarity - quite a number of adjustments need to be made. I am very glad that my mother, who also happens to be the author of the original version, gave me full rein to make adjustments as I saw fit.”
