Chan Chun Sing: we don't fall in love with our plans

It's been a very challenging year, a year that challenges our survival, both in terms of health, and in terms of economy. But everyone at the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been working very hard to secure Singapore's future.

"Since its founding, EDB has been a key driver of Singapore’s economic growth and development.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃-𝟏𝟗 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜, 𝐄𝐃𝐁 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐒$𝟏𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎.

EDB’s and Singapore’s success have been premised on three sets of ethos:

First, a cleared-eye assessment of the wider global trends impacting us;

Second, the ability to make hard-nosed decisions on what is necessary, and to adapt to evolving situations, and

Third, a dogged determination to pursue our objectives once we have decided on our direction."

- Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing

Gratitude and determination from DPM Heng Swee Keat!

"My gratitude is for everyone who made it possible to bring us safely through the year — our courageous healthcare workers who kept us safe, our essential workers who kept us going, and volunteers in every field who continued to look out for those in need. I am also thankful to my colleagues in the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on COVID-19, the Emerging Stronger Taskforce and my team at the Ministry of Finance (Singapore).

Most of all, I am grateful for Singaporeans’ unity, resilience, solidarity and fortitude this year — for having so much heart and spirit, and for adapting to the crisis and adhering to safe management measures, and for inspiring, encouraging and supporting one another through this period. You have kept me going, and you have been my reason to keep working hard.

My determination for 2021 is to ensure that we emerge from the year stronger as we gradually resume a greater degree of normalcy and rebuild our economy. There are many unknowns and uncertainties ahead, but as long as we stay united and grow our adaptive capacities for change, we are in a good position to deal with the challenges ahead."

- DPM Heng Swee Keat

Healthcare Minister Gan Kim Yong has heartfelt thanks for healthcare workers for the colossal effort they put in to keep Singapore safe.

Healthcare Minister Gan Kim Yong has heartfelt thanks for healthcare workers for the colossal effort they put in to keep Singapore safe.

It's timely to reflect on what we have gone through even as we enter Phase 3.

Mr Gan said the experience of 2020 will be etched deeply in our collective memory long after this pandemic is over.

Gan Kim Yong: giving up was never an option.

 

At the peak, Singapore saw a staggering record of more than 1400 new cases a day in April.

From the initial days of anxiety and uncertainty, we quickly improvised and adapted our structures and processes to find novel ways of caring for every patient, COVID-19 or otherwise.

We deployed medical teams to community care facilities and dormitories, augmented our healthcare workforce with the SG Healthcare Corps, and work closely with partners across the public and private sectors to screen, test and care for patients.

Giving up was never an option. As a nation, we pressed on and through a colossal effort, with every Singaporean playing their part, we eventually managed to bring our local transmissions down to its low levels today, with zero cases on some days.

- Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in his letter to colleagues in healthcare

Healthcare in Singapore IS AFFORDABLE.

 

Many testify to it. Here's the bill for a patient who had heart implants after recovering from stroke and a heart attack.

Total Charges: $17,232.68
Government Grant: $11,209.06
GST: Absorbed by government

Net amount payable after grant: $6,023.62
MediSave took care of $602,36
MediShield and IncomeShield, and MediSave took care of the rest.

Out-of-pocket payment : $0

It's a system that works. It's a system that makes healthcare affordable

Listen to Prudence

 

When times are good, we save money - because it is in good times that we have the ability to save money.

When we fall on hard times, we rely on the savings stored up in good times.

So don't listen to the populist politician who says to you in good times: Come on, we can spend more from our savings. We have so much.

Listen to Prudence. Prudence is never shortsighted. Prudence thinks and plans for the future. Prudence is never populist.

Without natural resources to sell for revenue, Singapore has only our reserves to fall back on.

A well-managed country has enabled Singapore to make decisive decisions with boldness and confidence. Thanks to Good Government.

Checks and enforcements will be stepped up, co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce Lawrence Wong said.

 

"The checks are not going to be perfect. Even if we fail to catch some people who may have committed such breaches, at the end of the day, the people who are doing so are taking risk upon themselves," he said.

"They are risking the health of themselves and their family members because I am sure the virus is still circulating around in our midst, in a hidden way, in a very low level of transmission - cryptic transmission, if you call it - but it is happening."

Five food and beverage (F&B) outlets have already been ordered to close, while 16 other outlets and 36 individuals will be fined for breaching safe management measures, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment on Tuesday.

The breaches were uncovered during stepped-up enforcement checks over the past weekend.