自1949年以来，宏船长老成立了卫塞节假日委员会，呼吁新加坡政府宣定卫塞节为法定公共假日，但这请求一直未果。到了1955年，由新加坡佛教总会集合各派的佛家弟子，团结一致向当时的新加坡首席部长戴维·马歇尔（David Marshall）提呈请愿书。 终于，在1955年6月15日，政府宣布卫塞节为公众假期。
新加坡建国后，为了庆祝卫塞节，宏船长老代表佛教总会在电台讲经说法，直到1980年代后。
Since 1949, Venerable Seck Hong Choon had formed a Vesak Holiday Committee to lobby for Vesak to be gazetted as a public holiday in Singapore. Repeated petitions were unsuccessful until 1955. Under the auspices of the Singapore Buddhist Federation (SBF), Buddhists of different traditions united their efforts and submitted a petition to David Marshall, then Chief Minister of Singapore. Finally, on 15 June 1955, the Council of Ministers declared Vesak as a public holiday.
In the years after Singapore’s independence until after the 1980s, Vesak Day was celebrated with Venerable Seck Hong Choon representing the SBF in giving Dharma talks on radio.