Workers’ Party sought to not undermine national effort during Covid-19 crisis: Pritam

Aljunied GRC MP Pritam Singh (right) speaking to Hougang residents waiting for Covid-19 testing on June 4, 2021. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE – The Workers’ Party (WP) did not come in to publicly criticise the Government on its handling of an unprecedented crisis, and was determined to support, not undermine, the national effort, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said in Parliament on Monday as he outlined the WP’s approach towards the Covid-19 crisis.

He added that WP town councils implemented the necessary protocols. When some residents expressed frustration towards safe-distancing measures in areas under WP’s management, such as hawker centres and void decks, the party dealt with them “with empathy and open-mindedness” without compromising the national measures or the safety of Singaporeans. 

“We realised that some rules could prove problematic when operationalised on the ground, and our town council officers diligently submitted their feedback to the agencies concerned,” he said.

“We took the view that any feedback would be taken seriously by civil servants, and we endeavoured to work as one Singapore.”

He added: “As has come to be expected of our public officers, they did not let us down.”

Mr Singh also called on the original after-action review (AAR) led by former head of civil service Peter Ho to be placed before the House, saying that the White Paper was a “secondary document” which had drawn its findings and conclusions from this AAR.

In July 2021, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean had announced plans to conduct an AAR on Singapore’s Covid-19 response.

Mr Singh had earlier asked if the Government was planning to set up a Committee of Inquiry to look into Singapore’s Covid-19 response.

Mr Singh argued that the original document should be made public to Parliament so that MPs and Singaporeans can better understand the breadth of perspectives gathered and the known data and facts, and draw their own conclusions.

If there is confidential information within the report that could harm national security if revealed, this could be redacted from the report, he added.

Fellow WP MP Leon Perera (Aljunied GRC) said this would serve the purpose of greater transparency, and a fuller and better informed public debate on the lessons learnt.

He added that for future pandemics, there could be a stronger role for non-governmental organisations as partners.

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On public communication, Mr Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) observed that though the Government knew that asymptomatic transmission of the virus could occur, it took three months for it to stop discouraging people from wearing masks by “updating the guidance” in April 2020.

While concerns over panic buying and hoarding by the public were not unfounded, he said the Government had stockpiles of surgical masks for healthcare workers and should have had the power to requisition more masks from the commercial market.

WP’s Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) said the mental well-being of the population warranted more attention in the review and future plans.

She also noted that the Ministry of Health had stated in April 2020 that it did not track the incidences of long Covid. “This is a missed opportunity, not only because it means many recovered patients – particularly those for whom these after-effects may not be severe – may be suffering in silence.”

Summarising his party’s response, Mr Singh said the WP supported the motion on Singapore’s response to Covid-19 to the extent that it expressed gratitude to all in Singapore who contributed to the nation’s fight against Covid-19, and affirmed the Government’s efforts to learn from the lessons of the last three years.

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