Happy New Year
2022
新年献词
12月31日，新加坡总理李显龙发表新年献词，新年伊始，全球与冠病的斗争还未结束。奥密克戎变种毒株的出现，为疫情增添了新的变数，所幸比起两年前，新加坡的抗疫能力已增强许多。
李显龙总理新年献词（华文）
2021年12月31日
展望未来
转眼间，我们对抗2019冠状病毒疾病已经有两年了。在这场漫长且艰辛的战役中，政府曾为了保护人民的健康和生计，被迫采取严厉的防疫措施。这包括自建国以来首次关闭边境，以及动用大量储备金，扶持受影响的员工和商家。我们也不断创新和变通，迅速适应了新的生活、工作和学习方式。
正因为此，我国才确保了医疗体系的有效运作，避免付出巨大的生命代价。政府的多个预算案保住了国人的工作，同时让受创的经济逐渐复苏。新加坡人也携手同心，不畏困难，在崎岖的抗疫道路上坚毅向前。许多人的付出甚至超出了自己的职责范围。尤其是我们的前线和医疗人员，更是日以继夜、争分夺秒与病毒对抗。还有不少商家和无名英雄也挺身而出，为保护大家的安全和维持国家的运作尽一份力，在逆境中展现了勇气和奉献社会的精神。
在过去的一年，本地体坛也屡传捷报，振奋人心。出征奥运会和残奥会的我国健儿，让小红点在国际舞台上发光发亮。他们包括在东京残奥会夺下两面金牌的泳将叶品秀，以及在国际赛事中夺冠的台球选手叶浚惟和保龄球选手黄琳芷。在我们即将告别2021年之际，雄狮队也在铃木杯东盟足球锦标赛中展现了过人的斗志与毅力。更让国人喜悦的是，羽毛球健将骆建佑过关斩将成为了我国史上首个羽毛球世界冠军。这些健儿的拼搏精神，让国人在这个艰难的时期受到启发，也为他们感到骄傲。
新年伊始，全球与冠病的斗争还未结束。奥密克戎变种毒株的出现，为疫情增添了新的变数。所幸，我国的抗疫能力已比两年前强了许多。我们正紧锣密鼓地为人们施打追加剂，并开始为12岁以下儿童接种疫苗。我们也学会了如何更好地应付公共卫生挑战，同时把疫情对经济的冲击降到最低。目前，我国正在做准备面对奥密克戎疫情所带来的冲击，但无论局势如何发展，我们都有信心沉着应对。
我们的当务之急不仅是与病毒对抗，而是要在后疫情时代，继续促进新的经济增长、创造新的就业机会，让国家繁荣发展。不过，要取得成功，很大程度上将取决于全球和区域局势的稳定，而中美关系是其中的关键。尽管中美之间仍有许多根深蒂固的分歧，但两国近期的高层互动和在气候变化课题上的务实合作，还是令人感到鼓舞的。
另一方面，新加坡将继续与各国建立伙伴关系，并持续推动自由贸易和区域经济一体化，以让人民受益。这包括在2022年1月1日生效的区域全面经济伙伴关系协定。
接下来的一年将会是一个过渡时期。我国经济正在稳步复苏，只要没有意想不到的情况出现，我国就能跟上全球经济复苏的步伐。国内生产总值预计在2022年可取得3%到5%的增长。随着各领域复苏，政府会逐步取消紧急援助措施，但也会考虑到少数行业也许需要更多时间重振旗鼓。只要奥密克戎疫情受到控制，我们就会继续以安全的方式和更多地方恢复跨境旅游，与世界各地重建联系。我们也会持续引进我们急需的客工，并确保我国仍旧欢迎国际人才，也让他们与新加坡人形成互补。
除了立足眼前，我们也要着眼未来，做好长远规划。我们会继续推动产业转型，在巩固现有优势的前提下，协助企业重组，以及让员工提升技能。政府将与企业及工运合作，不断在员工身上投资，让他们在职业生涯中与时俱进，保持就业能力。政府也会着重开拓数码经济和绿色经济等新增长领域，进一步落实智慧国计划和2030年新加坡绿色发展蓝图。
冠病疫情让这一代国人接受了历练，也让我们意识到全民一心的重要性。这不会是我们需要克服的最后一次危机，今后在国家建设进程中，我们还会经历更多的考验。我们必须顽强抵抗试图撕裂我国社会的外力，不让这些势力将我们分化。此外，由于在不同年代成长的国人会有不同的观点和诉求，我们的社会规范也会随时代改变。我们必须谨慎地顺应改变，并捍卫我们的核心价值观，巩固新加坡人的国家认同。
为此，我们必须不断加强社会共识和共有的身份认同，同时确保政府和人民，以及不同背景的国人，能彼此信任和谅解。即使是在疫情期间，政府也没有忽略这项重要的工作。我们允许在公共医院工作的回教徒护士戴头巾、致力让职场变得更加公平、为妇女提供更多的支持，以及改善自雇人士的工作保障和退休条件。接下来，我们还需要加强我们的社会契约，消除因疫情而加深的分歧、继续扶持弱势群体，以及为有需要的人士强化社会安全网。我们也要关注人们的心理健康，以及应付因人口老龄化而产生的需求。这样我们才能打造一个更公平、更具包容性和更团结的社会。
我们需要一个充满活力的经济，才有足够的资源实现这些重要的目标。政府需要充足可靠的收入来推行各项社会发展项目，也必须增加收入来扩大医疗体系和各项援助计划，让年长国人受惠。大家都要略尽绵力，一起承担，但经济条件更好的人士必须贡献更多。
所以，政府必须从消费税这样一个税基广阔的税项着手，但也会在调高它的同时推出一套全面措施，来缓和税率上调对低收入家庭的影响。消费税是我国税收和转移支付制度的重要组成部分。这个制度还包括个人所得税和财富税，而它总体上会保持公平和累进的原则。
我们在好几年前就意识到有必要提高消费税。随着我国经济走出低迷，政府现在必须推动调整的工作了。有鉴于此，2022年的财政预算案将为我国下一阶段的发展，奠定可靠和可持续的财政基础。
疫情无情，人间有情。这两年来，大家风雨同舟，积极配合政府的严厉措施，并做出牺牲，共同渡过难关。在面对危机时，国人都意识到有必要做出困难的选择，并为了保障大家的利益，接受政府推行艰难的决策。这体现了我们上下一心的可贵精神。未来，我们仍需要保持团结一致，继续以坚定不移的意志面对更长远的挑战。全民也要能够接受“良药苦口”的政策，才能让新加坡克服万难，不断前进。这样一来，人人才能安居乐业，没有人会掉队。
让我们举国同心，不断放眼未来，确保新加坡在世界上保有一席之地，同时成为一个具包容性的社会和一个让人民引以为豪的家园。
在此，我祝全体国人新年快乐！
李显龙总理新年献词（英文版）
Looking Ahead
We have been grappling with COVID-19 for two years now. It has been a long and hard fight. We undertook drastic measures to protect lives and livelihoods. We closed our borders for the first time in our history. We drew heavily on our past reserves to support workers and businesses. We innovated and adapted quickly to new ways of living, working and learning.
As a result, we kept our healthcare system resilient and prevented significant loss of lives. Government Budgets saved jobs and nursed the economy back to health. At every step of the way, Singaporeans mustered strength and resolve to support one another. Many went above and beyond the call of duty. Our frontline and healthcare workers especially, have worked tirelessly round the clock. Businesses and everyday heroes, often in less visible places, have displayed courage and public spirit, and kept Singapore going and everyone safe.
In sports, we celebrated Yip Pin Xiu’s two swimming golds in Tokyo, and cheered all our Paralympians and Olympians for flying the Singapore flag high. Aloysius Yapp in pool-billiards, and Shayna Ng in bowling, reached the top in global competitions. And the year ended on a high note – the Lions showed grit and determination in their Suzuki Cup run, and Loh Kean Yew became our first ever world badminton champion. In these challenging times, Team Singapore has inspired us with their tremendous spirit, and done us proud.
Entering the new year, the fight against COVID-19 is not over. The Omicron variant has brought new uncertainties. Thankfully, our position is now greatly strengthened compared to two years ago. We have rolled out booster jabs and started vaccinating children below 12. We have also learnt to better manage the public health challenges while minimising the hit on our economy. As we brace ourselves for the impact of Omicron, we can be quietly confident that we will cope with whatever lies ahead.
Our immediate tasks go beyond managing COVID-19. We must continue to generate new growth, new jobs, and prosperity in a post-pandemic economy. Much will depend on a stable global and regional environment, central to which is relations between the US and China. The differences between the two powers remain many and deep, but their recent high-level engagements and practical cooperation on climate change are encouraging.
For our part, Singapore will continue engaging partners near and far. We will continue to pursue trade liberalisation and regional integration for the benefit of our people, including through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which comes into force on the first day of 2022.
The year ahead will be a time of transition. Our economy is recovering steadily. Barring fresh disruptions, it should grow in step with global economic recovery. We expect our GDP to grow by three to five percent in 2022. We will progressively phase out emergency support measures as businesses revive, though a few sectors will take longer. We will safely expand cross-border travel and re-connect with the rest of the world, Omicron permitting. We will also press on to bring in much needed migrant workers, and ensure international talents feel welcome and are able to complement Singaporeans.
Beyond the immediate outlook, we are planning ahead to achieve longer term goals. We will press on with our industry transformation efforts to enhance existing strengths, and help companies restructure and workers upgrade their skills. Together with businesses and the labour movement, we will keep investing in our workers to keep them productive and employable throughout their careers. We will seek out new growth areas, including in the digital and green economies, building on our Smart Nation efforts and the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
The pandemic has been a crucible of fire for this generation of Singaporeans. It has shown us the crucial importance of standing united as one. This will not be the last crisis to try us; we will face more tests and trials in our nation building journey. We must strenuously resist powerful external tidal pulls that will strain fault lines in our society, and not allow them to divide us. As successive cohorts come of age with new perspectives and expectations, our societal norms will evolve. We should do this cautiously, maintaining the core values that make us Singaporean.
This requires us to keep up efforts to strengthen our social consensus and shared identity. We must continue forging trust and mutual understanding – both between the Government and the people, and among Singaporeans of all backgrounds. Even amidst the pandemic, we did not neglect this crucial task. We have permitted Muslim nurses in public hospitals to wear tudung with their uniforms. We are actively strengthening fairness at the workplace and support for women, as well as improving protection and retirement adequacy for self-employed persons. Going forward, we will strive to solidify our social compact – mending rifts deepened by the pandemic, uplifting those falling behind, enhancing safety nets for those in need, caring for the mental health of people, and meeting the needs of an aging society. That is the path to a fairer, more inclusive and more united Singapore.
We need a vibrant economy to generate the resources to realise these cherished goals. And the government must have reliable and adequate revenues to carry out its social programmes. It needs to raise additional revenues to fund the expansion of our healthcare system and support schemes for older Singaporeans. Those who are better off should contribute a larger share, but everyone needs to shoulder at least a small part of the burden.
This is the rationale for raising a broad-based tax like the GST, coupled with a comprehensive scheme of offsets to cushion the impact on lower income households. The GST forms one important component of our system of taxes and transfers that also includes income and wealth taxes. Overall, our system will remain progressive and fair.
We have seen this need coming for some years. Now that our economy is emerging from COVID-19, we have to start moving on this. Budget 2022 will therefore lay the basis for sound and sustainable government finances for the next stage of Singapore’s development.
Throughout this pandemic, we have stood together, supported difficult decisions, made many sacrifices, and come through safely. We can confidently say that we have measured up as one people. In a crisis, everyone saw the need to make tough choices, and accepted hard policies for the common good. Looking ahead, confronted with longer term challenges, we must maintain the same unity of purpose, fortitude of spirit, and willingness to accept difficult measures, in order to overcome them decisively and keep on progressing together. This is how we will build a Singapore where everyone has a place and no one is left behind.
Let us stay united as one people and one Singapore – always looking ahead, securing our place in the world, and building an inclusive society that we can proudly call home.
I wish all Singaporeans a Happy New Year!
信息及图片来源：新加坡总理公署官网