After splurging S$1.3 billion building the new National Stadium Sports Hub, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday (Oct 30) confirmed that he will not be conducting any more National Day Parade (NDP) at the national stadium. The dictator PM also announced that more money will be spent on building a bigger stadium for the temporary Marina Floating Platform:
“The Marina Bay floating platform will be developed into a permanent space to commemorate national service, and become the primary venue for future National Day Parades. The venue’s seating capacity and platform will also be expanded.”
Lee Hsien Loong also renamed The Marina Bay floating platform as “NS Square”, as part of the propaganda effort to tame rising anti-National Service sentiments. More Singaporeans are expressing resistance to conscription due to government corruption in recent years:
“Its permanence, and prominence, in Marina Bay, will reflect the central role national service plays in our lives.”
The dictator PM did not explain why the Sports Hub is not chosen but previous media reports revealed that it cost around S$40 million to conduct National Day celebrations at the national stadium, which is more than twice the cost of holding the event at the floating platform at S$16 million.
In 2015, the National Stadium management, Sports Hub, demanded S$10 million from the government for renting the stadium for NDP rehearsals for an extra 35 days.