GE2020: Chan Chun Sing says test for leaders is about ‘who has better ideas and can deliver’

• Mr Chan says Covid-19 task force not afraid to put on record its accomplishments, shortcomings
• It’s doing all it can to ‘protect lives and livelihoods’
• Every vote will be a signal of whether Govt has done well or otherwise, he says

SINGAPORE — People’s Action Party (PAP) second assistant secretary-general Chan Chun Sing on Monday (June 29) acknowledged criticism of the Government’s handling of the Covid-19 situation, but said that the important test for a country’s leaders is about “who has the better ideas and... can deliver”.

“We can pass many comments on how this is handled but at the end of the day, the question is not who can make what criticisms… (but) who has the better ideas and who can deliver, not just with hindsight, but with foresight,” he said. Mr Chan is part of the govrnmental task force tackling the pandemic.

He was at a virtual press conference introducing the PAP’s candidates for Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency and Radin Mas Single Member Constituency for the July 10 General Election, when he was posed a question regarding a Facebook post by Mr Lee Hsien Yang.

Mr Lee, the estranged younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, on Monday morning blamed the ruling PAP for its “poor handling” of the Covid-19 crisis in Singapore.

“Almost three months after lockdown began, new cases still remain stubbornly in the three-digit range, a result of the PAP’s poor handling of the pandemic,” the younger Mr Lee wrote on Facebook. “The resulting economic damage could have been avoided.”

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have gone down since the April 20 peak of 1,397, but the daily reported numbers remain in the hundreds, with the vast majority of infections happening among migrant workers staying in dormitories. Singapore on Monday reported 202 new cases, including six from the community.

Addressing the criticism, Mr Chan said that there are still many unknowns about the coronavirus and that the task force is “not afraid to put on record” its accomplishments and shortcomings in dealing with the crisis.

“We never profess that everything we do is perfect,” he said.

“We are doing all we can to make sure that we protect the lives and livelihoods of our people,” he added. “Statistically, while it may be one of the lowest per capita ratios in terms of mortality, for us we feel it, because each and every one of them is one of us — a fellow Singaporean, a fellow resident.”

Singapore has recorded 26 deaths due to Covid-19, which translates to a death rate of lower than 0.1 per cent of the 43,661 cases in the country.

Mr Chan said that unlike other countries, Singapore is not afraid to “aggressively” test its residents for Covid-19 despite the higher number of cases that will arise.

“We are now testing so many cases, including many people who are asymptomatic, just to make sure that we are able to secure the health of our people, protect the lives of our people,” he pointed out.

Singaporeans can see for themselves that the Government has been working to keep businesses afloat and help employees keep their jobs, Mr Chan said.

Voters in the coming election will get to judge whether the Government had performed up to par in tackling the virus, he added.

“Every vote that we get from fellow Singaporeans will be a signal to us — whether we have done well, or we have not done well.”