Pritam Singh on Singapore’s COVID-19 response
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Workers’ Party (WP) stayed focused on playing its role as a responsible and loyal opposition, bringing the concerns of the public into Parliament, said Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh. He said it held the Government to account while advancing concrete proposals on managing the crisis, even without the full suite of considerations and details that were privy to the Government. Mr Singh noted that in June 2020, he reminded the Government that Singaporeans had a right to expect a thorough review and accounting of the official response to the crisis. The White Paper that has now been released acknowledges some shortcomings, but he said the public does not know what was excluded from the original after-action review led by Mr Peter Ho. Mr Singh asked why the Government decided against publishing that review in full, with sensitive information that could harm national security redacted, if necessary. Mr Singh also made the point that WP did not attack the Government’s approaches to COVID-19 to gain political mileage, as happened in some countries. Nor did it ride on misinformation or contribute to misunderstandings over national policies which were intentionally or unintentionally conveyed. On the contrary, he gave examples of how the party supported COVID-19 management measures and encouraged Singaporeans to be mindful of rumours and clarify their doubts through the proper channels. WP will continue to take this approach in future national crises, he said - calling for unity of purpose and for politics to take a back seat. Mr Singh thanked the multi-ministry task force for its efforts in guiding Singapore through the COVID-19 crisis. He said WP supports the motion on Singapore’s COVID-19 response to the extent that it expresses gratitude to all who contributed to the nation’s fight against the virus and affirms the Government’s efforts to learn from the lessons of the last three years. Mr Singh spoke in Parliament on Monday (Mar 20).
*Audio issues inherent from source
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Workers’ Party (WP) stayed focused on playing its role as a responsible and loyal opposition, bringing the concerns of the public into Parliament, said Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh. He said it held the Government to account while advancing concrete proposals on managing the crisis, even without the full suite of considerations and details that were privy to the Government. Mr Singh noted that in June 2020, he reminded the Government that Singaporeans had a right to expect a thorough review and accounting of the official response to the crisis. The White Paper that has now been released acknowledges some shortcomings, but he said the public does not know what was excluded from the original after-action review led by Mr Peter Ho. Mr Singh asked why the Government decided against publishing that review in full, with sensitive information that could harm national security redacted, if necessary. Mr Singh also made the point that WP did not attack the Government’s approaches to COVID-19 to gain political mileage, as happened in some countries. Nor did it ride on misinformation or contribute to misunderstandings over national policies which were intentionally or unintentionally conveyed. On the contrary, he gave examples of how the party supported COVID-19 management measures and encouraged Singaporeans to be mindful of rumours and clarify their doubts through the proper channels. WP will continue to take this approach in future national crises, he said - calling for unity of purpose and for politics to take a back seat. Mr Singh thanked the multi-ministry task force for its efforts in guiding Singapore through the COVID-19 crisis. He said WP supports the motion on Singapore’s COVID-19 response to the extent that it expresses gratitude to all who contributed to the nation’s fight against the virus and affirms the Government’s efforts to learn from the lessons of the last three years. Mr Singh spoke in Parliament on Monday (Mar 20).
*Audio issues inherent from source
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