Secretary-General of the Peoples’ Action Party (PAP), Lee Hsien Loong has accused the alternative parties of talking as though the Covid-19 pandemic does not exist. Reading this, one could be forgiven for possibly wondering if Lee lives on the same planet as the rest of us.
Lest we forget, it is Lee’s PAP that insisted on holding a general election amid the pandemic. The opposition parties have consistently asked for the general election to be postponed and it was the PAP who wanted to press ahead. Even citing the Constitution as a reason for why the election had to go ahead despite the fact that the Constitution has been amended so many times in the past!
The PAP holds a super majority in Parliament. It could have easily voted to postpone the general election. However, instead of postponing the general election, the PAP heavy Parliament voted instead to make provisions for Singaporeans who are on stay-home notices for acute respiratory infections to vote in the upcoming General Election by passing a Bill on May 4 2020 to facilitate voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is Lee aware of what is going on in his own party?
The PAP government is the one who had control over when the writ of election was issued. How can Lee then turn around and blame the opposition parties for this?
Up till the writ of election was issued, the opposition parties weren’t even aware when the election was going to be held!
Lee went on to say that Singapore is now in a better position than before the circuit breaker. However, looking at the rate of COVID-19 cases as set out above, it would appear that the rate of infections have increased since the writ of election was issued. What then is Lee basing his assertion that we are now in a better position than before on?
Even before Phase 1 of the Circuit Breaker was lifted, there were already concerns that Singapore was lifting restrictions too soon. Yet, the PAP dominated government went ahead and moved to Phase 2.
Besides, how can Lee claim credit for us being in a better position than before when arguably, it was his government’s apparent slow reaction and policy flip flops that led to the virus ravaging the migrant worker community in the first place?
To make matters worse, the minister that was in charge of migrant workers, Josephine Teo has not only refused to apologise but is in fact running as a candidate for Jalan Besar Group Representative Constituency (GRC). The cheek!
If anyone is pretending that there is no pandemic, it is the PAP. Not the opposition!