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Written answer by Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower, to Parliamentary Question on proposal for special one-off public holiday to celebrate Singapore's first Olympic gold medal

Employment practices

Notice paper no. 343 of 2016 for the sitting on 13 September 2016

Question no. 572 for oral answer

MP: Mr Lim Biow Chuan

To ask the Minister for Manpower if will explain the criteria for the declaration of a public holiday and whether the Government will consider declaring a special one-off public holiday to celebrate the first-time win of an Olympic gold medal in Singapore's history.

Proposed Answer 
  1. There are 11 days1 declared as public holidays under the Holidays Act. These were chosen in close consultation with the major religious groups to commemorate various religious and cultural festivals as well as to celebrate New Year’s Day and National Day. 
  2. Under the Holidays Act, the President may declare a one-off public holiday in addition to the 11 days of public holidays. However, such one-off holidays are to be considered very carefully, as this has implications on public services, businesses and schools. To date, this has been done only once when the President declared 7 August 2015 as a public holiday in celebration of SG50. This was to commemorate a special milestone in our nation’s history.
  3. Joseph Schooling’s historic achievement of a Gold medal and an Olympic record in the Men’s 100-metre Butterfly event at the Rio Olympics was a defining moment in Singapore’s history that has created a new mindset in all Singaporeans, enabling us to believe that in spite of our small size as a nation, that nothing is impossible and we are all capable of achieving great things. 
  4. Singapore celebrated Joseph Schooling’s victory as a nation, not by having a one-off public holiday, but by highlighting the significance of Singapore’s first Olympic gold with a victory parade, a Parliamentary motion congratulating him on his victory, as well as mention by Prime Minister at the recent National Day Rally. We believe these are appropriate and meaningful ways of celebrating a great achievement that has captured the imagination of the public, inspired our nation and instilled immense pride in all Singaporeans. 
  5. The Olympics and Paralympics are the pinnacle of international sporting competitions. While we celebrate Joseph Schooling’s achievement, we are proud of all our Team Singapore Olympians and Paralympians who represent Singapore, and with whom we celebrate the achievements.

FOOTNOTE

  1. The 11 public holidays are New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year (2 days), Good Friday, Labour Day, Vesak Day, Hari Raya Puasa, National Day, Hari Raya Haji, Deepavali, Christmas Day.