By Mdm Ho Ching:
Thanks, everyone, for the feedback on the
#MaskSafe DET30 masks.
The Temasek Foundation team has been most encouraged by the positive reception, and are looking into suggestions like kid size masks.
Everyone involved is very happy to have the chance to complement the government’s generous efforts to provide Singaporeans and Singapore residents with masks.
This is part of our national effort to fight covid, with different people and organisations pitching in to help in various ways.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐.
I also take this opportunity to thank the generations of Temasek staff. They have helped to grow the Temasek portfolio from its S$354 million heritage, to over S$300 billion by March this year.
This is what enabled Temasek to do its part confidently in this covid crisis.
* ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ **
๐๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐.
What does this mean?
This means that Temasek is a taxpayer like any other taxpayer, corporate or individual. ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ.
๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐
๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฒ, ๐ง๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฒ.
๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ?
** ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ **
Excluding any new capital from government, and including the dividends paid to government, Temasek has grown its portfolio at an average annual rate of 14% since 1974.
A 14% annually compounded growth means a doubling of our money every 5-6 years.
While Temasek had been contributing to various community and philanthropy projects since its founding, ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ.
This is why we have been able to accumulate funding which we could redirect for the fight against Covid, both in Singapore and abroad. These were community funds accumulated over the years.
This is why i thank the generations of management and staff in Temasek as well as the Temasek portfolio companies. It is their hard work and enterprise which has given us steady and sustainable results, and which has helped to fund our community donations.
Will there be ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ?
Yes, the Temasek Foundation folks are working on that, and will keep everyone posted closer to the distribution date in September.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ?
Well, when we embark on the
#BYOBClean to distribute non alcohol hand sanitisers to everyone to help prevent the spread of covid virus via our hands, ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ.
Hence, we encouraged every household which wanted a kid friendly hand sanitizer, to bring their own bottles to collect 500ml of hand sanitizer.
In the same vein, we wanted to have a reusable solution for keeping our saliva to ourselves, instead of adding to the plastic waste.
Do you know that all the disposable surgical or single use N95 masks are made from plastic?
On top of an๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฒ reusable mask, we were also looking for antimicrobial or antibacterial property esp on the outer layer.
Why?
Have you noticed how we use our masks?
Most of us would adjust our masks, perhaps scratching our nose through the mask, etc.
We are not medical staff working in hot zones with the discipline of not touching our masks, or with the discipline of removing our masks gingerly by holding only the head or ear loops.
So ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐.
And for those of us with hidden infection, we are already infected, so it is not likely to matter as much.
But for the rest of us who are not infected, a mask with ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
Nonetheless, it is good to get into the habit of sanitising our hands every time we handle our masks, ideally both before and after handling our masks.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ค?
All is not lost!
We just need to take extra precaution, to sanitise our hands every time after handling our masks.
And if we want to be doubly sure, we can add a face shield as well. This will protect our eyes, and keep our masks less likely to be contaminated.
So keep safe, folks, and stay masked.
And if for whatever reason we want to see each other’s faces, then put on a face shield, rather than go maskless.
And for added protection, wear a face shield on top of our masks.
Keep well, and be kind!
The fight against Covid is not over, and will last beyond 2020.
So stay cool, and be patient, be kind.
