The Straits Times-The Business Times Budget Roundtable

GE timing being discussed, with eye on challenges ahead

When asked whether Singapore will go to the polls sooner or later, Mr Heng said he is still discussing the matter with PM Lee. PHOTO: ST FILE

The coronavirus situation and its impact on the economy are likely to worsen, and ensuring Singapore can focus on overcoming the challenges is a major factor in deciding when to hold the general election, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday.

"If you have big challenges ahead, then surely you want to be able to spend time on these challenges. Therefore, the key question is, will the challenges be greater now or will the challenges be greater a year from now?"

"So, it depends on our assessment of the situation, and I am discussing (this) with the PM. PM will set out his thinking," Mr Heng said, referring to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Heng, who is also Finance Minister, was speaking to reporters of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) at a roundtable organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times, and in an interview with SPH radio station Money FM 89.3.

He had been asked about the timing of the next general election, which is due by April next year.

Political pundits expected it to be called early this year until the appearance of an imponderable in January: The outbreak of the coronavirus, which originated in China and spread to Singapore and around the world.

Mr Heng said during the roundtable discussion that with waves of the disease erupting and hitting different parts of the world, it is likely the Covid-19 outbreak will last until at least the end of the year.

"It is important that we have all the management attention to deal with this, and I am afraid the management attention we need to deal with this will get more challenged in the months ahead because the situation is so fluid, so dynamic.

"We need to be able to respond as fully as we can as a country and as a people to this very major uncertainty to our lives as well as our livelihood, because we don't know how the global economy is going to pan out."

He added: "We need to be prepared for the worst, and I hope we will have the conditions to allow us to do that. And that will be a very major factor in deciding when we call the election."

He also said the Government's focus at the moment is on containing the outbreak and its impact on the economy.

SPH Brightcove Video
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and panellists talk about the outlook for the Singapore economy at the Budget 2020 Roundtable, jointly organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times.

When asked whether Singapore will go to the polls sooner or later, he would only say he is still discussing the matter with PM Lee.

In the United States, as the presidential election campaigning unfolds amid the virus outbreak, election officials have rushed to make changes before the November polls. They include relocating polling stations out of nursing homes.

The Democratic presidential candidates, former vice-president Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, have also cancelled rallies as cases of Covid-19 continue to climb in the country.

Mr Heng, when asked if Singapore would consider holding an election amid the virus outbreak, and whether the Elections Department is looking at measures to protect public health, said: "We are looking at all possibilities."

He added: "We need to respect our Constitution and make sure that election rules are properly followed. But if there is a need for us to adopt measures to achieve the same objective, then we will have to look at the appropriate measures that will allow our people to express their views, cast their votes."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 12, 2020, with the headline GE timing being discussed, with eye on challenges ahead. Subscribe