1          A very good afternoon to all the families, friends and fans of Singapore. Before I commence my speech, I will like to invite all the graduates to stand to acknowledge all the people behind you because the people behind you are the reasons why you are here today. They are your families, your loved ones and the people who have supported you throughout so let’s give them a round of applause for being here, with you and for you.

2          I have always enjoyed visiting LASALLE. The last time I did so was about two years back in a slightly different capacity when I was the Secretary-General of NTUC. I was concerned about your job prospects and the skills that you learnt here. I walked away feeling very confident that you will get a good education in LASALLE. You will have a good foundation that will let you conquer the opportunities, not just in Singapore, but the world.

3          Perhaps today, as you graduate from LASALLE, it is a good opportunity for us to reflect on what are some of the most important things that LASALLE has given and equipped you for the life journey ahead. I am very excited to see the type of skillsets that you have, because even as I am now the Minister for Trade and Industry, I’ve always asked myself this question - how will we as Singapore, as a small country, without a natural hinterland and access to resources and markets, continue to survive? And in the history of mankind, it has never been easy for a small city-state without a conventional hinterland to survive.

4          To survive and thrive, Singapore cannot depend on our size nor can we compete on our price. This is why your success will be very much Singapore’s success, because going into the future, we will not compete on size nor price. But you exemplify how Singapore can and will survive and thrive in the new economy- that you will have the skillsets to compete based on your creativity, your ability to think out of the box, your ability to break the conventional constraints for us to compete on the quality of our ideas, the innovation of our sprit rather than on the size of our nation, or on the price that we charge other people. So if one day, when you succeed, Singapore will succeed too, because the way you go about competing with the rest of the world to earn your living, will be exactly how Singapore will need to compete going forward.

5          Beyond that, I hope that you will also take away two other important skillsets that LASALLE has equipped you with. First, whenever I visit LASALLE, I always see cross-cultural teams working together. You have a high proportion of people from beyond Singapore coming to learn, live and play with you. This is an important foundation in the new economy as well. The ability to appreciate cross-cultural talents, the diversity and the strengths of each other. In today’s world, in tomorrow’s world, we can almost certainly say that very few of us will continue to work in industries where we are all from the same country or the same stock. So this is an important skill for all of you to acquire in LASALLE. But that is not all.

6          The friendships that you have made in LASALLE will last you a lifetime, and these friendships across borders will be even more important in the future economy as our country continues to globalise and create linkages and connect with the rest of the world. Never lose such connectivity with your friends from abroad. At the same time, for those of you who are with us today who are not Singaporeans, we also hope that you maintain ties with Singapore. That while you may not yet be a family of Singapore, you will always be friends and fans of Singapore. That no matter where you go in the world, Singapore will have a special place in your heart because this is where you’ve spent your formative years. Because of all these reasons, I am confident that the LASALLE graduates will continue to shine.

7          You have an illustrious alumni. I was just reminded that Boo Junfeng is an alumnus of LASALLE and he was the creative director for this year’s National Day Parade, where there was also the video that tugged at our heartstrings. Besides Boo Junfeng, you have many other illustrious alumni and perhaps one day, you too would be one of them. I hope that regardless of your station in life, one day, you will return to LASALLE and pay it forward for the next generation because what you have achieved today in LASALLE is due to the inspiration, perspiration and contribution of the previous generations.

8          Many years ago, very few people in Singapore and beyond, would have believed in LASALLE, very few people would have that vision, and because of that, very few would want to contribute to the success of LASALLE. But that is all history now. Today, LASALLE stands tall and proud in the Singapore education landscape, providing generations after generations of young people with the skillsets – not only to survive but to also thrive in tomorrow’s economy. Today, many of you will continue to be successful as you go forth, and I hope that in your success you will remember how it all started in LASALLE and that one day, you too will lend your shoulders for the next generation to stand taller and see further. Just as you are now standing on the shoulders of giants who have come before you, who created the name, built the school and contributed so much to the foundation that we all stand on. I wish all of you the very best in your future, and I am very confident that the education that you have gotten from LASALLE will put you in good stead-not just in Singapore but beyond Singapore.

9.         Remember that in Singapore, we don’t compete on size, nor price. We compete on the creativity of our ideas, the quality of our products, and the brand of trust that we speak to others. Throughout these few years in LASALLE, you have had the chance to work in cross-cultural teams and that is the most important foundation in your field going forward, working with other people beyond Singapore. I hope that everyone here has built up their network that will put you in good stead, to collaborate, to bring your arts to the next higher level and to bring our country to the next higher level.

10       On that note, I wish all of you the best in your onward journey and may you continue to strive for yourself, for your families and most certainly for our country. Thank you very much.