PM of Singapore urges married Singaporean couples to have babies during year of Dragon

With many Chinese-origin families considering children born in the Year of the Dragon to be “especially auspicious”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday urged married Singaporean couples to have babies during the year and assured them his government’s support.

In his annual Chinese New Year message, Lee said the dragon is a “symbol of power, strength and good fortune”.

“So now is as good a time as any for young couples to add a ‘little dragon’ to your family,” said the prime minister who celebrates his birthday on 10 February. Lee was born in the year of Dragon in 1952.

“We will build a ‘Singapore Made for Families’, and continue supporting your marriage and parenthood aspirations,” The Channel News Asia quoted the 72-year-old Lee as saying.

Support for infant caregiving and work-life harmony has been “progressively strengthened” to see parents through their children’s formative years, he said, adding that government-paid paternity leave was recently doubled from two weeks to four weeks on a voluntary basis.

Such measures will “lighten the burden on parents, but they are merely enablers”, said the prime minister.

“Ultimately, couples will decide whether to



have children for their own reasons. I hope more will decide to go ahead, and I am confident they will find parenthood a deeply rewarding and fulfilling journey.” He added that he hoped his encouragement “prompts more couples to try for a baby”, although he acknowledged that “the decision is a very personal one”.

The prime minister also said families should be celebrated as Chinese New Year is celebrated.

“Families are at the heart of our society. Our families give us unwavering strength and support, cheer for us in our triumphs and stand by us through adversity. They are a big part of our sense of identity, belonging and purpose. Through our families, we pass on our aspirations and values from generation to generation,” said Lee.

“One important element of family life is having and bringing up children. It is a great joy for parents to bring kids into this world, and to watch them learn and grow, reaching one milestone after another and growing up year-by-year.

“Grandparents, like me, share this joy too. We dote and fuss over our grandchildren, helping the parents to bring them up and contributing our part in this journey filled with happiness, purpose and love,” he said.