20 years' worth of surpluses burned to manage this crisis!

Imagine, if we didn't have a prudent government that does not squander surpluses away to make themselves popular.

Imagine if the government had given in to populist pressure from the opposition in Parliament to spend the reserves for recurrent needs.

Imagine if the government thought it was more important to do the popular thing than the prudent thing.

Last December, no one thought the world we have known for over 50 years would change.

No one expected a crisis to wipe out much of the progress we had made in the last 50 years.

No one knows when the next crisis will hit us. Or how many years' worth of budget surpluses we will need to burn to handle it.

But one thing is for sure.

Prudence will stand us in good stead and saving can only happen in good times.

In good times, we make small sacrifices and save for rainy days and raging storms.