Singapore GE2020: Singapore needs capable govt with full support of people, says PM Lee

Singapore is at a critical juncture in its history as it tackles the challenges from Covid-19 and a weakened global economy, and needs a capable government with the full support of a united people to get through the present crisis, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

"Hardly ever in our history have the stakes been higher than now. We are in the middle of a crisis, but as tough as the past months have been, our biggest challenges lie ahead of us.

"This is what this election is about - whom do you trust to get you through the very difficult times ahead?"

He was speaking yesterday at an online lunchtime rally, which the PAP has traditionally held near Fullerton Square at about the halfway point of every election campaign. Started by founding secretary-general Lee Kuan Yew in 1959, the Fullerton rally was held online this year due to Covid-19.

PM Lee's message to Singaporeans was that they should not undermine a system that has served them well.

Investors, friends and adversaries of Singapore alike will be watching Friday's election closely, he noted, and the stakes are high.

With under three days left in the campaign, PM Lee posed this question to Singaporeans: "Will we reveal ourselves to be fractious and divided, withholding our full support from the government we elect, in a crisis where swift, decisive action is vital to save jobs and lives?"

Yesterday's rally was PM Lee's seventh Fullerton rally since he entered politics in 1984, and his ninth general election so far.

In the years since, he said, the Government has had to contend with challenges such as the Asian financial crisis of 1997 to 1998; the Sept 11, 2001 terror attack, and the Jemaah Islamiah terror threat; the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003; and the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009.

"Each was a grave challenge. Each time, we worried about the worst happening to us but each time, the Government led from the front, Singaporeans rallied together, and we pulled through," he said.

He gave a detailed account of the Government's response to the Covid-19 crisis, adding that without a team of capable ministers working closely together, Singapore would not have been able to implement all the measures it took to stop Covid-19 from spreading, and would have lost the confidence of Singaporeans.

PM Lee said those involved had to decide and act urgently "in the fog of war", based on incomplete information.

"We have managed to get to this stage not by chance, but by dint of immense effort. Crucial decisions had to be made. It was the ministers who made these decisions and are accountable for them."

In comparison, he said, the opposition has said nothing about how to tackle the pandemic: "They have been completely silent on how to tackle Covid-19 during the last six months, and in this election campaign.

"What contribution will they make in Parliament, adding 'contrast' to the discussions, if they get elected as MPs? What will happen to Singapore, if they form the government?"

He also questioned their ability to get the country out of the downturn, grow the economy, or create new jobs.

"They prattle on about a minimum wage, or a universal basic income. These are fashionable peacetime slogans, not serious wartime plans," he said.

"How will a minimum wage help somebody who is unemployed? It will just add costs to employers, and pressure them to drop even more workers.

"Do you really want to vote for parties who in a crisis come up with nothing better than old recycled manifestos?"

In comparison, the Government has rolled out four Budgets since February totalling nearly $100 billion, and drawing up to $52 billion from past reserves.

It has given help systematically, such as through the Jobs Support Scheme which subsidises wages so that firms can retain workers, and extra support for households and the self-employed.

Emergency legislation was also passed for rental and contract waivers - an "unprecedented move", said PM Lee.

But the emergency relief cannot be sustained indefinitely, and the more fundamental solution is to turn around the economy and attract more investments, so that more jobs can be created.

To do so, maintaining companies' confidence in Singapore is critical, he said, adding that everything the country has gone through since the beginning of the year has made clear just how important a good government is to fighting the virus, supporting the economy, and getting out of this crisis intact.

He pledged that he will steer Singapore through the current crisis alongside senior Cabinet colleagues and the fourth-generation ministers, even as the PAP ensures there is continual leadership renewal.

"You have my word: Together with my older colleagues like (Senior Ministers) Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam, as well as the 4G ministers, I will see this through," he said.

"I am determined to hand over Singapore, intact and in good working order, to the next team."

But to get through the crisis, he would need the help of the strongest team he could muster to work with him, as well as with Singaporeans.

"I also need full support from all of you."

He concluded: "At this critical moment, Singapore needs a capable government, with the full support of a united people, more than ever."