Singapore’s arduous fight against the Coronavirus is entering a difficult stage with the public getting exasperated and the government stumbling to finding a decisive way out of the crisis of a lifetime.
The 4G leadership, which is in the front line of this battle, is showing signs of weariness as they hold one press conference after another with each one showing that the group that is likely to run the country is in a hapless and helpless situation.
Yes, this is an invisible enemy that can strike suddenly and unexpectedly, and with such stealth that it throws all your previous calculations out the window. Yes, this is an enemy that takes on different forms before you even know it. Yes, every solution has its downsides, which are difficult to predict. Yes, the government is caught in a tight squeeze of opening up and being hammered in the economic front. And yes, Singapore is still a Covid oasis when compared to our neighbours and many of the rich countries of the world.
The other side of the argument is that the government is flip-flopping in its policy responses. Just last month, it signalled a shift in its response when it said that the virus will continue to spread, and we have to live with it.
Last Tuesday came the bombshell announcement that with the statistics crossing the 200 mark on some days, the government was putting in tighter measures to arrest the spread. And even warning that going back to the gloomy days of a lockdown is on the cards if the situation doesn’t improve.
Then there is the point that Singapore, like other parts of the world, is facing a new and deadlier version of the virus, the Delta variant. This can spread to two times more people. It has unleashed a new monster that has been making its rounds since July. Two months on, and it appears that the authorities were slow on the uptake.
But how did Hong Kong, a city very similar to Singapore in size, demography, population density and economic growth model, show a steely drive to push their figures way down. A Singaporean who has been living there for more than 30 years said:
“If a Covid cluster breaks out here, the authorities are swift and proactive to contain and reduce the cluster. Some months ago, Hong Kong even checked some buildings thoroughly to make sure Covid was not present there. The bosses here seem to be under pressure from China to chase down the figure to zero.”
The vaccination push is another sad story. At 73 and not a spring chicken anymore, I was one of the early ones to go for it without much of a thought. There was hardly any after-effect, and it put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. It was the first time since the pandemic blew into our little island nearly two years ago that I felt a sense of relief and found a new sense of freedom to venture out of my home without the fear of catching Covid weighing down on me.
That, however, was short-lived – news came that people above 60 must go for a third shot – the so-called booster jab – because the effectiveness of the first two vaccinations was much lower than what we were told when the drumbeat of the benefits of vaccination was loud and clear. In the midst of all the restrictions imposed on us, this news came as a blow. I was angry and frustrated.
Now I don’t know what to believe and what not to.
Three ministers are in charge of the task force, and Singaporeans are in a quandary as to who is really in charge. The rule book on crisis says that one person should be calling the shots so that the country knows who they should pay attention to. We have three – Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and the new Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. Although they have tried to read from the same script and present a new united front, the style and sentiments expressed are different. And that leads to speculation as to who is doing a better job… something that should be avoided during a crisis.
This is the right crisis to test their leadership. But they have yet to display the right qualities. The biggest hurdle is their perceived lack of confidence in wanting to take decisive action. The key decision-makers have had a charming route to success. They are civil servants moved to senior positions based on their scholastic achievements and their track record in a risk-free environment. Even their entry into ministerial positions came through a silver platter.
So when it comes to making decisions in an uncertain situation and with so little information, they make decisions that won’t affect their career progression. I gave the leadership a 7 out of 10 rating when I started thinking of writing this commentary. But after speaking to many concerned Singaporeans and thinking about it more intensely, I am giving it a 6. /TISG