'Inspiring to see grit, commitment and resolve': Lawrence Wong on S'pore's Covid-19 battle

SINGAPORE - Lawrence Wong, 49, is Singapore's Finance Minister. He was appointed co-chair of the multi-ministry task force (MTF) on Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic in 2020; and to the finance portfolio last year.

In April this year, he was announced as the leader of the ruling People's Action Party's fourth-generation or 4G team, putting him in line to be Singapore's next prime minister.

I know many have experienced personal losses in the past two years.

For me, I lost my dog in July 2020. My father was already in the advanced stages of dementia, and his condition subsequently deteriorated, and he passed away in August last year. I had to come to terms with these over the past two years, while dealing with the pandemic.

At the same time, we have all gained something. For me, it was a season of learning and growing, and pushing beyond my own perceived limits. Despite the best of plans, problems and setbacks still occurred. What was more important was the ability to stay nimble and adjust to any new developments. In the end we did not get every call right. But we did our best to continually adapt and learn, based on the updated data and evidence.

All this meant coping with more work demands, a lot more stressful moments, and many sleepless nights - especially during the difficult times when we had to make several unpopular but necessary decisions to keep everyone safe.

In 2020, the toughest call was to go for the Circuit Breaker.

In 2021, the most difficult decision was when we had to go back to Phase 2HA (Heightened Alert) several times: for example in July, after the outbreak had spread to our wet markets and hawker centres - which meant that many unvaccinated seniors were at risk - and again in September, when our hospitals were at risk of becoming overwhelmed due to the rapid surge in infections.

Such decisions were not easy. The tightening impacted the livelihoods of many people. But we also had a responsibility to protect lives. We worked hard to get this balance right. Looking back, I believe our actions have helped to keep Covid-19 deaths at one of the lowest rates in the world, while enabling employment and incomes to recover quickly to pre-Covid levels.

Throughout the past two years, I've also met many frontline and healthcare workers, civil servants and unsung heroes - all working round the clock and going the extra mile to fight the virus in their own ways. It was inspiring to see their grit, commitment and resolve. It helped to keep me going, especially through the darkest hours of the pandemic.

Like many other Singaporeans, the pandemic has also made me better appreciate what's important in life - the relationships we have with one another, especially our family and loved ones. That for me was a major source of comfort and strength.

Ultimately, we have pulled through so far, because we kept faith with one another. If we can maintain that sense of solidarity and trust, we will be able to overcome all challenges together.

For now, I'm looking forward to this period of respite to resume activities with residents in my constituency, and to catch up with family and friends in larger groups during my free time. Of course, do remember that the pandemic is not over, and let's continue to exercise personal responsibility and be mentally prepared for any future outbreaks - that's what I remind everyone at MTF press conferences!