By The Secretary-General of People’s Action Party (PAP) Lee Hsien Loong had falsely accused the alternative parties of being “completely silent” about tackling the COVID-19 crisis, said the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) on Wednesday (8 July).
Mr Lee had earlier in his Fullerton rally speech on Monday (6 July) said that the alternative parties were “completely silent” about how to tackle the pandemic in the last six months.
“At this moment of danger and alarm, the opposition parties are talking as if we can just keep to our old ways and the crisis did not exist. They showed no recognition that we’re facing the crisis of a generation.
“They have been completely silent on how to tackle COVID-19 during the last six months, and in this election campaign,” he said in his speech.
Mr Lee also questioned, “What contribution will they make in Parliament, adding ‘contrast’ to the discussions, if they get elected as MPs? What will happen to Singapore, if they form the Government?”
In response to his remarks, the SDP released a statement today and refuted Mr Lee’s allegations. It claimed that the Party has been “actively critiquing” the ministerial panel’s way of handling the pandemic since March.
“The SDP has been actively critiquing the work of the ministerial panel in leading the response to the COVID crisis since March. These posts are available on our website and Facebook,” it stated.
In fact, the SDP’s chairman Professor Paul Tambyah – who is an international expert in infectious diseases – has also outlined the scientific approach to the virus as well as the post-COVID world in a publication that he co-authored with some of the leading authorities globally. The publication was published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases website on 28 April.
The Ministerial Committee in leading the response to the pandemic, however, did not provide such information online, the SDP added.
“It would be good to know if the Ministerial Committee has thought about these matters as no such information is available online and the PAP’s approach to jobs seems to be recycled versions of previous failed attempts to raise productivity or improve the lot of Singaporean PMETs,” it said.
The SDP also spoke of its campaign strategy which it claimed was launched on 28 April.
“Moving forward, our campaign strategy is specifically targeted at the post-COVID world with a focus on jobs, retrenchment insurance, support for seniors and ultimately ensuring that people are taken care of in a time of economic insecurity,” it noted.