Singapore – In response to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s statement, members from the online community questioned if 40,000 Covid-19 cases reflected that the Government was “acting just in time.”
PM Lee said on Monday (July 6) during a virtual rally that the imposition of the Circuit Breaker was a significant decision that came at a great cost to jobs and businesses; however, not doing it meant risking a major outbreak and loss of lives. After weighing out the pros and cons, the Government decided to go ahead with the partial lockdown measures to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. “As it turned out, we acted just in time as the numbers were growing, but before they shot up dramatically,” said PM Lee.
He noted that without a team of capable ministers working closely together, the Government would not have been able to implement the anti-Covid measures and would have lost the confidence of Singaporeans in the process.
He used other countries as an example where political leaders failed to act competently, and voters lost their trust in the Government, and many suffer unnecessarily. “Singapore has avoided this. We are in a better position now,” confirmed PM Lee, although he noted that taking chances would be risky as the danger is still very much alive.
“At this moment of danger and alarm, the opposition parties are talking as if we can just keep to our old ways and the crisis does not exist,” said PM Lee. “They show no recognition that we are facing a crisis of the generation.” He mentioned that the opposition has been completely silent on how to address the Covid-19 situation, both during the last six months and the election campaign. Given the scenario, PM Lee wondered what contribution the opposition would make in Parliament, “adding contrast to the discussions, they say, if they get elected as MPs.”
In response to his speech, members from the online community were not quite sure if the current number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore could be tagged as “acting just in time.” Facebook user Bernice Teo commented that the Government gambled the whole situation. “I honestly would appreciate it if they accepted their mistake and be accountable instead of kept saying (sic) they are right.” Many referred to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam as countries who acted on time.
“Remember when you told Singaporeans not to wear a mask if they are well?” reminded Facebook user Mohd Irfan Lim. Another netizen commented that the administration “dragged their feet” in handling the outbreak among foreign worker dormitories and could have been avoided if they had “acted earlier and decisively,” added Facebook user Priscilla Tan.
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