Today-Apr 12
Acknowledging again that the Government did not get every call right during the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told top civil servants that policymakers must be prepared to “make the tough calls, especially in the midst of uncertainty and ambiguity”. Mr Lee on Tuesday (April 12) also stressed the need to renew the trust between the political leadership and the public service, noting how the Covid-19 pandemic provided the opportunity for the fourth-generation (4G) ministers and political office-holders from the ruling People’s Action Party to work closely with civil servants. “When their turn comes to assume the responsibility of leading the country, the two will need to continue to work just as closely and deliver the same results that Singaporeans expect and have become used to,” he said. Mr Lee was speaking at the annual Administrative Service dinner and promotion ceremony at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, which was held in-person for the first time since 2019. It was not the first time Mr Lee has acknowledged shortcomings in Singapore’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In September 2020 for instance, he said then that with hindsight, the Government would have recommended the wearing of face masks sooner and acted earlier to better manage the migrant worker dormitories, which saw large outbreaks of the disease. “But the key is to keep on learning and improving; and as we discover more information, to be prepared to update, revise or even reverse our decisions,” Mr Lee said on Tuesday, referring to how the Government did not get every decision right over the past two years. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/
