Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke during the National Day rally about the Government’s plan to adopt a "strategic shift" to "nation building". He also laid out plans to address the widening income disparity, such as making housing more affordable and improving social safety nets, and cited threats that would affect Singapore’s economy. On PM Lee’s speech, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan said: "In many respects, Singapore faces its first significant existential challenge since independence with Singaporeans asking, 'what does it mean to be Singaporean?' and 'what does Singapore stand for?'."  "Singaporeans desire a fundamental rethink of how Singapore has been governed," he added