Following the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases in Singapore, Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Leong Mun Wai took to Facebook on Friday (17 April) to highlight some of the lessons Singapore can learn from the COVID-19 outbreak.
He said that although the situation of the pandemic is worsening in the city-state with over 8,000 cases recorded as of now, he advised the public not to be too worried about it and “be confident that we would overcome this together.”
“In fact being a modern nation state with an advanced public health system, we should be able to control Covid pandemic in probably less than a year,” Mr Leong noted.
He added, “Perhaps we should start thinking about what to do as a country and society post-Covid. What are the lessons we have learnt?”
The first lesson that he mentioned was the importance of frontline healthcare workers in dealing with the outbreak, as well as the need to have fairer income distribution among the professions.
“First, many of the professions which we have considered less glamorous pre-Covid have become essential services now. In particular the frontline healthcare workers are risking their lives everyday to keep us all safe,” he stated.
He continued, “So we pray that all these workers have a financially stable family to go home to everyday so that they could do a good job the following day. Covid is reminding us that we should have a fairer income distribution among the professions as each has a crucial role to play.”
The second lesson that Mr Leong highlighted was that Singaporeans must “cooperate as a united people” in order to make the Republic safe for everyone. “We are in the same boat as we must always take care of our countrymen first whether in peace or in war.”
If that’s not all, the ASG also said that he wish that some of the social habits that people have developed during the outbreak, like wearing masks in public places or maintaining good hygiene, can be brought forward post COVID-19.
“We hope in the future we will continue to wear mask in public when we are sick. And to maintain a higher level of cleanliness at the hawker centers. The work of NEA should be elevated,” Mr Leong asserted.
Fourthly, he also said that Singaporeans cannot “treat foreign workers as cheap economic digits” and they should not be allowed to also take PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) jobs from the locals.
“The relationship with foreigners must be more balanced and sustainable one. We hope there will be a review post Covid,” he stated.
Lastly, Mr Leong said that Singapore needs to remember that it’s a small city-state and its existence depends on peaceful world.
“When other countries stopped their supplies to us, be it food or face masks, we are dead. So we should always work harmoniously with all nations and stopped thinking we are so great,” he opined.
“Instead we should channel our energy and pride to developing ourselves into a perfect state that can make a huge positive difference to the world. This is a grand vision for the Merdekas to initiate and the Millennials to accomplish in Spore 2.0,” he concluded.
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