Trust makes decisive difference in S'pore's Covid-19 response: PM Lee

Trust between Singaporeans and the People's Action Party (PAP) Government, as well as among the population, makes the decisive difference in Singapore's response to the pandemic, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

Covid-19 has been a searching test of public trust for societies all around the world, he said in a speech at the party's convention.

Singapore cannot claim to have better doctors and scientists, or better healthcare than the United States or Europe, he noted. "But the decisive difference in our response is this: We trust one another, and therefore we work with and not against one another".

Singapore is and must always be a "high-trust" society, PM Lee - who is PAP secretary-general - told party members and activists at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. "We have always kept faith with one another, and must always do so. That is the way to weather not just Covid-19, but future storms that will come our way," he said.

But a cohesive society takes decades to build and has to be built up long before any crisis, and having the public's trust is something the PAP Government is grateful for, he added.

This is why even as political leaders strive to do the right thing, they must continue nurturing people's trust - by dealing with problems competently, being open and transparent, communicating clearly, and leading by example, he said.

In his speech, PM Lee said one big reason why Singapore's measures against Covid-19 are working is that Singaporeans trust the PAP Government. This includes how people will receive proper medical treatment if they are infected, and how affected workers and businesses will be taken care of should the need to lock down arise.

"Singaporeans have this confidence because for 60 years now, we have had consistent, functioning, good PAP government. They know the PAP will never give up in a crisis: We won't buckle, we will always have your back," he said.

As a result, Singaporeans patiently complied with burdensome safe management measures and repeated rounds of tightening and easing, said PM Lee. When vaccines became available, people came forward for their shots without hesitation. Consequently, Singapore has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, he noted.

This was not just because the vaccination campaign was well-organised, or that vaccinations were free, but also because people trusted the Government and healthcare system, and accepted the advice to get jabbed to protect themselves and their loved ones, he said.

The situation elsewhere is often quite different, said PM Lee, with some countries having great difficulty vaccinating their whole population.

Europe is now facing a fourth wave of infections, and a significant minority simply refuse to get vaccinated. There is also a problem in the United States, with attitudes towards vaccination split sharply along partisan political lines.

"These political divisions and social distrust have made it harder for the US and many European countries to bring Covid-19 under control," he said.

Singapore is fortunate not to have such divisions, but it did not become a cohesive and trusting society overnight, said PM Lee.

"When a crisis strikes, if the trust is not already there, it is too late. I am grateful that the PAP Government enjoys the public's trust, built up over years of working closely with Singaporeans."

He noted that during this crisis, the Government needed to draw on this reservoir of trust. "We faced many urgent and difficult decisions that impact lives and livelihoods."

These include whether to impose a circuit breaker, close schools, to let patients with mild symptoms recover at home, to allow dining at food outlets, and to open borders.

In the real world, uncertainties, surprises and trade-offs are unavoidable, he said. "Whatever we decide, however hard we try to get it right and to cushion the impact, more often than not, some group will be affected or disappointed."

Yet the Government must still exercise its judgment to the best of its ability and carry Singaporeans along, said PM Lee. "As I told the ministers, in a crisis, as leaders, we cannot afford to waver. It is not the time to worry about being popular, or looking good. You have been elected for one purpose, and you have to focus on your duty: to make the right decision, keep Singapore safe, and see Singapore and Singaporeans through this crisis.

"Concentrate on that, get the job done. That is why Singaporeans elected us. That is our sacred trust."

Other than dealing competently with problems, nurturing people's trust entails communicating clearly and well, he said.

"We have to be open and transparent, to share what we know, and admit what we do not know. We have to announce bad news as well as good news. Report what has gone right, but also acknowledge what has gone wrong and will be put right."

Nurturing trust also means leading by example, said PM Lee. The same rules apply to everybody - minister or MP, community leader or safe distancing ambassador. "Never take advantage and misuse your position of authority and leadership," he added.

Singaporeans, too, must trust one another to exercise personal and social responsibility, and to abide by the spirit of the rules, even when no one is checking, he said. "We must also trust our collective spirit as one people, looking out for one another, supporting those in greater need, staying united."