National Day Rally
Encyclopedia
The National Day Rally is an annual address that the Prime Minister of Singapore
makes to the entire nation, on the second Sunday after August 9, the country's National Day
. A yearly event since 1966, the Prime Minister uses this rally to address the nation on its key challenges and its future directions, and can be compared to the State of the Union Address
delivered by the President of the United States
.
Prior to 2005, the rally was a continuous speech from 8 pm (SST
). From 2005, the Malay and Chinese versions were delivered at 6.45 pm with a break at 7.30 pm while the English version was delivered at 8 pm.
Opposition MPs were invited to the rally for the first time in 2007.
. It was also constituted during the parliament sittings.
. During the speech, there was active discussion by Singaporeans on Twitter and Facebook.
Highlights of the speech are available on the PMO website.
channels.
The rally was broadcast from 2001 to 2004 on SPH MediaWorks
channels as well.
Transcripts of the rally speech are usually available for viewing after the event at MediaCorp news portals, Singapore Press Holdings
news portals, the website of the Prime Minister's Office and the online press centre of the Government of Singapore
. Highlights of the speeches will usually be reported by Singapore newspapers in the following days.
hashtag #ndrsg to tweet about the Rally.
An article titled "Singapore's National Day Rally Speech: A Site of Ideological Negotiation" analyses the inaugural National Day Rally speeches of three Singapore prime ministers. It locates these speeches in the continuous ideological work that the People’s Action Party (PAP) government has to do in order to maintain consensus and forge new alliances among classes and social forces that are being transformed by globalisation. Increasingly, these speeches have had to deal with the contradictions between nation-building and the tensions between the liberal and reactionary tendencies of the global city. The article is available here
In 2008, the English language telecast of the Rally, initially scheduled for 'live' broadcast at 8pm on August 17, was postponed to the next day. This movement was to facilitate Singaporeans to watch women's table tennis team take on China
in the finals at the Beijing Olympics. The Rally itself proceeded as usual at the University Cultural Centre, but was only broadcast the next day.
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
makes to the entire nation, on the second Sunday after August 9, the country's National Day
National Day (Singapore)
The National Day of Singapore is celebrated every year on 9 August, in commemoration of Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. This holiday features a National Day Parade, an address by the Prime Minister of Singapore, and fireworks celebrations....
. A yearly event since 1966, the Prime Minister uses this rally to address the nation on its key challenges and its future directions, and can be compared to the State of the Union Address
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...
delivered by the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Prior to 2005, the rally was a continuous speech from 8 pm (SST
Singapore Standard Time
Singapore Standard Time or Singapore Time based in Singapore uses a time zone eight hours in advance of UTC .- History :...
). From 2005, the Malay and Chinese versions were delivered at 6.45 pm with a break at 7.30 pm while the English version was delivered at 8 pm.
Opposition MPs were invited to the rally for the first time in 2007.
Venue
The rally was delivered at the Kallang Theatre before 2001. After 2001, the venue has been shifted to the University Cultural Centre at the National University of SingaporeNational University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
. It was also constituted during the parliament sittings.
2010 National Day Rally
The 2010 National Day Rally was held on 29 August at the University Cultural Centre, Singapore. The speech was broadcast 'live' on TV and radio, as well as webcast 'live' on the websites of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and REACH. It was also viewable on smartphones and on Channel NewsAsiaChannel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started on 1 March 1999 based in Singapore by Television Corporation of Singapore, it was launched internationally on 12 February 2001 as the international broadcasting arm of Channel...
. During the speech, there was active discussion by Singaporeans on Twitter and Facebook.
Highlights of the speech are available on the PMO website.
2011 National Day Rally
The 2011 National Day Rally will be held on 14 August at the University Cultural Centre, Singapore. Similar to 2010, the speech will be broadcast 'live' on TV and radio. A 'live' webcast on the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and REACH's websites. This is also viewable on smartphones live webcast for mobile devices . The English rally was also shortened till 9.30pm.Broadcast
As a national event, the rally is usually broadcast 'live' from 6.45pm till 10pm (SST), with a break between 7.30pm and 8pm, across MediaCorpMediaCorp
Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....
channels.
| Platform/Language | English Dubbing in English |
Mandarin Dubbing in Mandarin |
Malay Dubbing in Malay |
Tamil Dubbing in Tamil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Channel 5 okto MediaCorp Channel NewsAsia (8pm-10pm) |
Channel 8 Channel U |
Suria MediaCorp Suria MediaCorp Suria is a Malay language channel featuring local and acquired Malay dramas and popular programmes. Suria has achieved recognition outside the Malay community drawing media attention in Singapore and abroad.... |
Vasantham |
| Radio | 938LIVE | Capital 95.8FM Capital 95.8FM Capital 95.8FM is a Mandarin radio station of MediaCorp in Singapore. It keeps the Chinese community informed about the latest news, and entertains with magazine-style programmes and popular music from the 60s to the 90s. It's programme often includes gossip, speculation and over-exaggeration of... |
Warna 94.2FM Warna 94.2FM Warna 94.2FM is a contemporary music radio station of MediaCorp playing a unique blend of international Malay top 40 hits, and providing islamic programmes, world and local news, 100% malay music and infotainment. The station was voted the favourite Malay radio station in 2006... |
Oli 96.8FM Oli 96.8FM Oli 96.8FM is a contemporary music radio station of MediaCorp playing a unique blend of Hindi Top 10 movie hits. Oli 96.8FM is the only official Hindi language radio station to be launched... |
| Online | Channel NewsAsia Live | - | - | - |
The rally was broadcast from 2001 to 2004 on SPH MediaWorks
SPH MediaWorks
SPH MediaWorks Ltd was an ephemeral free-to-air terrestrial television broadcaster in Singapore. In 6 May 2001, SPH MediaWorks brought 2 alternative free-to-air terrestrial television channels to the audience in Singapore, operating SPH MediaWorks Channel U and SPH MediaWorks Channel i.A...
channels as well.
Transcripts of the rally speech are usually available for viewing after the event at MediaCorp news portals, Singapore Press Holdings
Singapore Press Holdings
Singapore Press Holdings Limited is a media organisation in Singapore with businesses in print, Internet and new media, television and radio, outdoor media, and property. SPH has over 4,000 employees, including a team of approximately 1,000 journalists, including correspondents operating around...
news portals, the website of the Prime Minister's Office and the online press centre of the Government of Singapore
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
. Highlights of the speeches will usually be reported by Singapore newspapers in the following days.
Response
In the 2009 Rally, Singaporeans used the TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
hashtag #ndrsg to tweet about the Rally.
An article titled "Singapore's National Day Rally Speech: A Site of Ideological Negotiation" analyses the inaugural National Day Rally speeches of three Singapore prime ministers. It locates these speeches in the continuous ideological work that the People’s Action Party (PAP) government has to do in order to maintain consensus and forge new alliances among classes and social forces that are being transformed by globalisation. Increasingly, these speeches have had to deal with the contradictions between nation-building and the tensions between the liberal and reactionary tendencies of the global city. The article is available here
In 2008, the English language telecast of the Rally, initially scheduled for 'live' broadcast at 8pm on August 17, was postponed to the next day. This movement was to facilitate Singaporeans to watch women's table tennis team take on China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in the finals at the Beijing Olympics. The Rally itself proceeded as usual at the University Cultural Centre, but was only broadcast the next day.
External links
- Prime Minister's Office website - Official website of the Singapore Prime Minister's Office.
- REACH's website - The Singapore government's official website for public consultation and feedback.
- Mobile Webcast site - Mobile webcast of the event.
- Channel NewsAsia microsite - MediaCorp's live webcast site.