Pulling at the heartstrings – this is PM Lee's best National Day Rally speech ever

SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan commented on the public's reaction to PM Lee's National Day Rally 2012 speech. He was of the view that the content of PM's speech this year placed greater emphasis on the aspirations and sentiments of Singaporeans, which differed from previous years' focus on practical issues. He said that the past National Day Rally speeches were like an extension of the annual Singapore Budget added with various new policy or initiative announcements.  However, this year's speech had more human touch to it. Although this is not the first time PM talked about the Singapore character, the topic has seldom been a key theme like it is this year. Hence, not only was PM Lee's speech different from his two predecessors, it was also a refreshing change from his own speeches in the past.