Our bonds with one another contribute to sense of home: PM Wong

In the end it's not about hardware and infrastructure, he says at launch of One Punggol hub

- Goh Yan Han

Political Correspondent While it may be a little red dot, there is something distinctive about the different parts of Singapore, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sept 8.

"It's the places we grew up with and are familiar with, the shared experiences we had, especially in our formative years, and the emotional connections we built with the people around us," he said.

"In the end, it's not about hardware and infrastructure. It's about the bonds we have with one another that contribute to our sense of home." Speaking at the launch of the One Punggol hub that brings community spaces, public services and retail shops under one roof, PM Wong highlighted the rapid development of the once "ulu", or remote, part of Singapore, now filled with many young families.

He spoke of the new developments to come in the area, including the Punggol Regional Sports Centre that will open by around 2026, and the public transport connections. These include the Punggol Coast MRT station slated to open later in 2024 and the upcoming Cross Island Line.

He recounted his own memories of Punggol - eating seafood there in the 1980s, and as the designated driver when visiting relatives there during Chinese New Year in the 2000s. Then, even the street directory had not been updated with Punggol's streets, and there was construction and empty buildings all around.

"I was thinking to myself, 'Goodness, this is really frontier territory'. But all that is behind us because now, Punggol is so different.