Vital for country to have deep reserves and capabilities, says SM Teo
Senior Minister says Singapore will need to emerge from pandemic as a more resilient nation
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of having deep reserves of finances, people and capabilities to respond to crises, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday as he stressed the need for Singapore to emerge out of the pandemic as a more resilient nation.
Calling the coronavirus "the largest and most complex" challenge the Republic has faced in his more than 40 years of public service, Mr Teo said the work must be done even before it is needed.
"The clear lesson for me is that in 'peace time', we need to plan on facing the unknown, and build deep reserves of people and capabilities, so that when we face a crisis, we can act decisively, and respond flexibly and rapidly," he said, in the third of six national broadcasts by ministers on Singapore's post-coronavirus future.
The Senior Minister also stressed the high stakes involved for Singapore in how it responds to crises.
"Singapore can hold its own in the world, only if we are strong, successful and united at home," he said. "We can face the world outside with confidence, only if we are strong inside."
Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, outlined three aspects of Singapore's resilience in dealing with Covid-19 - in its crisis response, economic resilience and social resilience.
First, in terms of its crisis response, Mr Teo said Singapore had to scale up its capacity to deal with infected patients rapidly.
Speaking for the first time about the outbreak in foreign worker dormitories since being asked in April to advise the task force handling the issue, he said that while the Government had tapped its experience dealing with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), ramped up contact tracing, and increased surveillance and precautions in dormitories early on, this was not enough.
Cases in the dormitories increased exponentially in a matter of weeks, which called for a "tremendous effort" to accelerate and scale up plans for community care facilities, with resources from the private and public sector being mobilised.
Second, in terms of economic resilience, the virus has impacted livelihoods and disrupted supply chains, he said.
But essential supplies have been maintained, thanks to stockpiling, diversification and local production.
The Government has also marshalled four Budgets to deal with the economic fallout, in the process drawing up to $52 billion from past reserves.
Finally, in terms of social resilience, the virus has strained Singapore's social fabric, but Mr Teo was heartened to see Singaporeans showing kindness, care and compassion to the more vulnerable, regardless of their race and religion.
He lauded how Singapore has responded as a nation, avoiding the fissures that have divided some other countries and hindered their ability to respond to the pandemic.
With support from Singaporeans, infection numbers have come down in the community and the outbreak among migrant workers has been stabilised, he added.
"What we have built as a nation - our solidarity, our resolve and our resilience - gives me confidence that we will overcome the current crisis and any future challenges, to build a stronger and better Singapore together," he said.
4G leaders have risen to the challenge: SM Teo Chee Hean
Singapore's fourth-generation leadership has risen to the challenge of tackling the coronavirus pandemic, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday.
In overseeing the response to Covid-19, they have tapped the experience and knowledge of their older Cabinet colleagues and widely consulted people within and outside the Government, he added.
"They have stepped up to the task, worked together as a team, and led from the front," he said.
"This is the way that we collectively ensure resilience and continuity in our leadership team for Singapore."
In the third of six national broadcasts on Singapore's post-coronavirus future, Mr Teo noted that the pandemic is the first major crisis faced by many of Singapore's new generation of leaders.
They include civil servants, healthcare professionals and officers from the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team.
The multi-ministry task force handling the Covid-19 situation is co-chaired by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, and comprises other 4G ministers including Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat is the task force's adviser.
Mr Teo, who is advising the ministers on the outbreak in foreign worker dormitories, said he has worked very closely with them over the past few months. "We speak daily and exchange views freely," he added.
Singapore, he noted, has responded to Covid-19 as one nation - by "mobilising our financial reserves, our public services, our crisis response capacity and our social capital".
Mr Teo underscored the importance of resilience on all fronts as Singapore heads into an uncertain future.
Where the economy is concerned, this means dealing with the immediate impact of Covid-19 on livelihoods and supply chains.
The industrial capacity and economic resilience that Singapore has built up over the years has thus far allowed it to maintain its food and essential supplies through stockpiling, diversification and self-production, he said.
STRENGTHENED REPUTATION
Singapore, he added, has strengthened its reputation for trust, credibility and transparency in the eyes of international investors by "keeping Singaporeans informed daily, and dealing with the crisis in a transparent, systematic and thorough way".
On social resilience, Mr Teo said every crisis strains Singapore's social fabric.
But its education system gives all Singaporeans the opportunity to build a better life, while the public housing programme provides each citizen with a home and a stake in the country's future. In addition, ethnically integrated neighbourhoods foster racial and religious harmony, he said.
Mr Teo detailed how the country pulled together following the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak and the 2008 global financial crisis.
"We have drawn on these deep reserves in times of crisis... Covid-19 is an even bigger test.
"What we have built as a nation - our solidarity, our resolve and our resilience - gives me confidence that we will overcome the current crisis and any future challenges, to build a stronger and better Singapore together," he said.
Teo Chee Hean: Covid-19 a major challenge despite Sars experience
Despite its experience with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak, the Covid-19 pandemic has been a major challenge for Singapore as the virus was far more infectious, said Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean yesterday.
Sars in 2003 infected 238 people here, and 33 died.
On March 25, the authorities recorded no cases of Covid-19 in migrant worker dormitories.
But the highly infectious nature of the virus in communal living conditions meant infections surged, from 26 cases on April 4 to more than 1,000 new cases daily two weeks later.
Greater surveillance and tighter precautions early on proved to be insufficient, said Mr Teo, who was appointed adviser to the inter-agency task force handling the outbreak in foreign worker dormitories.
The Government had started building community care facilities earlier, and plans for these were accelerated and scaled up.
At the peak of the outbreak on May 12, more than 20,000 patients were being cared for in such facilities.
This effort was made possible by mobilising resources from the public service, government-linked companies, and the private sector, Mr Teo said.
Singapore has managed to "orientate, adapt and act rapidly" to each wave of the virus.
"...We have brought down the number of cases in our general community. We have also stabilised the outbreak among our migrant workers," he added.
Mr Teo noted that healthcare volunteers stepped up to man the community care facilities, and officers from the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team were also roped in.
By setting up the Joint Task Forces (JTFs) within days to support efforts by the Manpower and Health ministries, the SAF and Home Team showed their readiness and flexibility.
He said: "The JTFs played a critical role by establishing a command, control and information system, deploying Forward Assurance and Support Teams to all the dormitories to look after more than 300,000 workers, and supporting MOH's overall Medical Support Plan."
Mr Teo said tackling the outbreak in dormitories has been a "tremendous effort". The number of daily cases has now come down to between a third and half of the peak.
Singapore intends to uphold political, economic standing: SM Teo
Singapore can no longer assume globalisation and open markets are part of the natural order of things in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, said Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday, when he spoke on the nation's future challenges.
In a nationally televised address that laid out how Singapore intends to uphold its political and economic standing, Mr Teo noted that pre-existing geopolitical trends have been accelerated by Covid-19.
"Countries are acting unilaterally to protect their own short-term interests," he said, handicapping international organisations seeking a coordinated global response.
These developments are threatening the international system and global order which provided opportunities for countries to grow peacefully for over 70 years, he said.
But some things will remain unchanged, said Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security.
Singapore will always be a small, multiracial country surrounded by bigger neighbours and exposed to external forces beyond its control. It, however, wants to keep contributing, both regionally and globally.
He said: "We will continue to actively promote close ties and good cooperation with our Asean partners, especially Indonesia and Malaysia, not least to tackle Covid-19 together."
Beyond the region, Singapore is making itself useful to the world - even during the pandemic, said Mr Teo.
There was the election of Mr Daren Tang as director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the first time a Singaporean will lead a United Nations (UN) agency.
On the world stage, small countries such as Singapore can also have a voice and play an active role in international cooperation, Mr Teo added.
They include the Global Governance Group, which provides inputs to the G-20 and the UN's Forum of Small States, which Singapore found and still leads.
Covid-19 as a crisis will affect everyone and should be a reason for countries to come together rather than be divided, he said.
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