Singapore National Pledge

The Singapore National Pledge is an oath of allegiance to Singapore. It is commonly recited by Singaporeans in unison at public events, especially in schools, in the Singapore Armed Forces and during the National Day Parade.

Origin
The National Pledge was written by Sinnathamby Rajaratnam in 1966 shortly after Singapore's independence. Rajaratnam revealed that the dream was to build "a Singapore we are proud of". He believed that language, race and religion were divisive factors, but the Pledge emphasises that these differences can be overcome if Singaporeans cared enough about their country. The draft text was handed to the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who polished the text before submitting it to the Cabinet.

The Pledge
The National Pledge is:


 * We, the citizens of Singapore,
 * pledge ourselves as one united people,
 * regardless of race, language or religion,
 * to build a democratic society
 * based on justice and equality
 * so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
 * progress for our nation.

Malay version

 * Kami, warganegara Singapura,
 * sebagai rakyat yang bersatu padu,
 * tidak kira apa bangsa, bahasa, atau ugama,
 * berikrar untuk membina suatu masyarakat yang demokratik,
 * berdasarkan kepada keadilan dan persamaan
 * untuk mencapai kebahagiaan,
 * kemakmuran dan kemajuan bagi negara kami.

Chinese version

 * {| cell padding=6

!Simplified Chinese !Traditional Chinese !Hanyu Pinyin 我们是新加坡公民，
 * - style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"

誓愿不分种族、言语、宗教，

团结一致，

建设公正平等的民主社会，

并为实现国家之幸福、繁荣与进步，

共同努力. 我們是新加坡公民，

誓愿不分種族、言語、宗教，

團結一致，

建設公正平等的民主社會，

並為實現國家之幸福、繁榮與進步，

共同努力. Wǒmen shì Xīnjiāpō gōngmín,

shìyuan bù fēn zhǒngzú, yányǔ, zōngjiào,

tuánjié yīzhì,

jiànshè gōngzhèng píngděng de mínzhǔ shèhuì,

bìng wèi shíxiàn guójiā zhī xìngfú, fánróng yǔ jìnbù,

gòngtóng nǔlì.
 * }

Tamil version
சிங்கப்பூர் குடிமக்களாகிய நாம், இனம், மொழி, மதம்

ஆகிய வேற்றுமைகளை மறந்து, ஒன்றுபட்டு, நம் நாடு

மகிழ்ச்சி, வளம், முன்னேற்றம் ஆகியவற்றை அடையும்

வண்ணம் சமத்துவத்தையும், நீதியையும்

அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்ட ஜனநாயக

சமுதாயத்தை உருவாக்குவதற்கு

உறுதி மேற்கொள்வோம்!

Guidelines for usage
The Singapore government's guidelines for the use of the pledge are:


 * 1) The National Pledge is recited in schools during assemblies, during SAF Day, during the National Day Parade, and at National Day Observance Ceremonies.
 * 2) Individuals reciting the Pledge shall clench their right fists to the left side of their chests as a gesture to symbolise loyalty to the nation.
 * 3) The Pledge shall not be used for any commercial purposes. (However, the pledge is used as the bridge of the National Day song "We are Singapore".)