All hands needed on deck to meet challenges ahead: President Halimah Yacob
Singaporeans must work together and stay united to meet the challenges in a world seriously disrupted by Covid-19, said President Halimah Yacob.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Madam Halimah said the huge turnout of voters on Polling Day augurs well for Singapore because it shows that Singaporeans take their right to vote seriously, and want to participate actively in the democratic process.
Now that the election is over, she urged everyone to work together and stay united to meet the challenges ahead.
Madam Halimah said: "Our progress has been achieved through the sheer hard work of our people working closely with the Government through many years. In this way, we overcame many crises together that would have overwhelmed a lesser people."
"We know that nobody owes us a living and that we need to prove our value and worth for the world to take us seriously," she added.
At the close of polls last Friday, 96 per cent of registered voters - more than 2.5 million people - had cast their ballots.
The Elections Department had said this turnout was higher than in the 2015 General Election, in which more than 2.3 million votes were cast - or nearly 94 per cent of registered voters.
Madam Halimah's comments come just as the Trade and Industry Ministry released its advance estimates yesterday, which showed that Singapore's economy contracted 41.2 per cent in the second quarter from the previous three months.
Overall, Singapore's economy is expected to shrink by between 4 and 7 per cent this year.
In her post, Madam Halimah said all hands are needed on deck to help the country navigate this crisis, explore new solutions and strategies, and carve a niche for itself. "Everyone has a stake in this country and it is up to us to make Singapore a better place," she added.
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