President Tharman Shanmugaratnam,
and Ms Jane Ittogi,
Families for Life Chairman,
Mr Ishak Ismail, and Mrs Ishak,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
INTRODUCTION
1. Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here with all of you for the Golden Jubilee Wedding Celebrations. My deepest appreciation to our Guest of Honour, Mr President, and Ms Ittogi, for gracing our celebrations today. Thank you very much.
2. Today, we celebrate our Golden Jubilee couples who have been together through 50 years or more of marriage. It is heartwarming to see so many couples and their families celebrating their enduring love and long-lasting marriages.
3. Congratulations to all of you on this remarkable milestone! Please join me in giving each and every couple here a round of applause.
CELEBRATING THE LIFELONG JOURNEY OF MARRIAGE AND COMMITMENT
4. Nurturing a life-long marriage requires effort, communication and above all, commitment. All of you here have stories that illustrate this. Our longest married couple here with us today, Mr Chua Kim Tian Peter and his wife Mdm Foong Sin Yew, truly are a great example of these values. Today, we celebrate 69 years of your unity. You first made the decision to weather through thick and thin together at the start of your marriage, and time has shown how you have continued to honour your marriage vows to each other.
5. Marriage is also a journey that requires the couple to make intentional effort to deepen connection and understanding. Take for example another couple here with us today, Mr Anwar Bin Yahya and his wife Mdm Badariah Binte Abbas. It was love at first sight for Mr Anwar when he met Mdm Badariah through a mutual friend. Throughout their marriage, they have continued to take active steps to nurture their relationship and spend quality time together through volunteering on a regular basis. Mr Anwar has shared that the key to their long-lasting marriage is the commitment to always be there for each other and have open conversations, when difficult issues arise. 53 years of marriage later, their connection is just as strong, or even stronger. Congratulations to you.
6. I am very certain the stories of each of the couples in this room are just as unique and heartwarming. The lessons you have learnt and the wisdom you have gained along the way are invaluable. For all of us. Let us not lose this. Share your stories. Your experiences are only available to those who have gone through a lifelong journey together. I hope your stories will inspire everyone to get married, and give faith to those who are married to persevere in their love and commitment.
7. In Singapore, the government wants to help in the journey of lasting and good marriage. We believe that it is important to begin by building a strong foundation for the union, and continually investing in the marriage to keep it strong. This year, we are therefore enhancing the suite of marriage programmes and initiatives offered. We develop them so that couples have resources they need.
a. In the beginning of their journey, marriage preparation programmes equip couples with the skills and knowledge to navigate their relationships and form important foundations for the couple’s journey together.
b. I am happy to announce that from July 2025, we will provide a higher rebate of $170 for couples who attend and complete an MSF-approved marriage preparation programme. A full subsidy will be provided for lower-income couples. We hope more couples will attend marriage preparation programmes to gain important skills such as effective communication, financial planning and conflict resolution.
c. Couples will also have more online options for marriage preparation materials to make it more convenient for all to get access to them at their own pace.
We will roll out bite-sized, easily accessible e-learning modules with evidence-based tips. This makes it convenient for couples to access the materials at their own pace.
8. We also know that having mentors to walk alongside couples can be tremendously helpful as couples begin to build their life together after marriage.
a. This is what JoY, the Journey with You initiative is about. The Registry of Marriages and Families for Life Council will pair seasoned couples and Licensed Solemnisers with newlyweds to share marriage insights and real-life strategies to help them navigate their early years with confidence beyond the day they are solemnised. There are already 200 mentors on board to support more than 200 couples.
b. JoY took a leaf from Bersamamu, where Muslim couples have access to their solemnisers, Kadis/Naib Kadis, and receive the support they need. Since its launch in July 2019, 31,000 Muslim couples have benefitted from this.
9. It is not enough that couples start well, they must also stay strong and continually put in effort to strengthen their marriage.
a. For couples who have been married for 2 years or more, there are complimentary Marriage Enrichment Programmes to support couples as they navigate life transitions together and empower them with necessary skills for a strong marriage.
b. It is encouraging to hear that many couples have participated and benefitted from these programmes, in collaboration with our M³ agencies, including Project ARIF, KelasMatematika, and marriage programmes such as Cinta Abadi Marriage Enrichment Programme.
c. The Our Marriage Journey Quiz is also a useful self-assessing tool for couples
to assess their marital health and take pro-active steps. This, we hope, can increase their relationship’s resilience. I am heartened to see that more than 10,500 couples have completed since its launch last year.
10. Strong and loving marriages form the foundation of strong and resilient families, which is the bedrock of our society. Over the past few years, we have made good strides in this journey, but we must press ahead to forge even stronger relationships and family bonds. This requires the collective effort of the entire society. I would like to thank our many partners, marriage agencies, religious organisations, Licensed Solemnisers and Kadi/Naib Kadi who have joined hands in strengthening marriages in Singapore. Together, we can build a Singapore Made for Families, where marriages and families thrive.
11. Once again, to all couples celebrating your Golden Jubilee anniversary, my warmest congratulations to you. Your legacy of love shows us that an enduring marriage is a source of joy, fulfilment and an anchor through life’s victories and storms. I encourage all couples to take advantage of the range of marriage programmes and initiatives by MSF and the Families for Life Council. Make a date with your spouse or spouse-to-be to participate in one today, and may we see more Golden Jubilee couples in the years to come!
12. Thank you.