Outgoing Singapore's PM Goh Chok Tong

A nation rose to its feet Monday night when celebrating National Day to pay a fond and rousing tribute to Mr Goh Chok Tong, who hands in his letter of resignation as Prime Minister to the President Tuesday morning.

In a surprise postscript to the traditional closing act of fireworks at the annual parade, organisers asked the 56,000-strong crowd at the National Stadium to tarry a little, as a three-minute video show burst onto a giant screen.

A much younger-looking PM Goh appeared, to gasps then cheers from the crowd.

It was a clip from his inaugural speech as Prime Minister in 1990, in which he spelled out his mission and vision for Singapore.

This was followed by highlights of his 14-year career at the helm -- picking up babies, meeting foreign leaders and reading a solemn message to Singaporeans during the Sars crisis.

As the video ended with a segment from his final National Day Rally speech last year, in which he told Singaporeans that 'my heart is always with you', cheers reverberated throughout the stadium along with a standing ovation.

Shouts of 'We love you, Mr Goh' were barely audible above the din.

At this point, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew stretched out his hand across the aisle in the VVIP seating section and offered a handshake and a smile to Mr Goh, who on Thursday hands over power officially to Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The video, the first such tribute at Singapore's annual birthday celebration, brought a contemplative end to the 2 1/2-hour parade.

Source: Agencies