Chan Chun Sing
Singapore
“Since 2002, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has worked with the autonomous universities (AUs) to establish arrangements that minimise disruption to National Servicemen (NSmen) who are pursuing full-time studies up to the undergraduate level, while meeting the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) operational and training needs.”
“Secondments help to build up the range of competencies and work experiences of public officers to strengthen their longer-term employment relevance and resilience. The Public Service Division's guideline to agencies is to support public officers even while they are on secondment.”
“The priority of our National Servicemen must be their military duties and operational training, to meet the Singapore Armed Forces's (SAF's) operational requirements.”
“In January 2026, I had informed this House that the Government had convened an independent committee to conduct a review of the political salary framework that was laid out in 2012. The Committee has completed the review and submitted its recommendations to the Government in April.”
“All countries seek to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and the United States-Indonesia Major Defence Cooperation Partnership is one such example.”
“Since the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers (SVs). Presently, there are about 1,100 in-service SVs, comprising 52% male and 48% female. About seven in 10 of our in-service SVs are new Citizens or Permanent Residents.”
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“We have also been restructuring our economy – focusing on productivity, innovation and skills upgrading – to build capabilities that are hard to replace. Third, we must remain open to ideas, technology and talent. We seek to be the place where new business ideas, new technologies can find its roots to grow. At the same time, we must remain open to talent, especially in emerging industries and to supplement our labour force. The availability of foreign talent is a major consideration for multinational companies on whether to invest in Singapore. Many are concerned about the ongoing public debate on foreign talent in Singapore, and are asking us whether we are no longer as welcoming as before. As Prime Minister shared in Parliament on Wednesday, we must strike this new balance carefully – continue to stay open, but making sure that our own workers can compete fairly with the world’s best. During this challenging time, we need to continue to be intentional and exceptional in our capabilities, connectivity and other eco-system value propositions, and remain open to compete for these investments so that we can build a future Singapore with opportunities for all.”
“Attracting foreign investments will be much more difficult in this environment where supply chains will be reshuffled. Various countries are rolling out generous incentives to compete for investments, and businesses are considering relocating their supply chains closer to final demand markets. Despite these challenges, there are opportunities to be captured. In the Asia-Pacific region, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is likely to accelerate regionalisation. Southeast Asia may also grow as a production base as countries and companies seek to diversify their footprint. To seize these new opportunities, we, i.e. the Government, our businesses and our people, must work together to adapt quickly and chart a new path. First, we seek to be a critical node in the global system, by strengthening all dimensions of connectivity with the world – physical, financial, and digital. Singapore may be an island nation, but we cannot be cast away in a globally connected world. We must continue to keep our physical links open, so that companies can trade with the rest of the world. We must strengthen our financial hub, for capital is the lifeblood of the global economy. COVID-19 has also emphasised the importance of the digital economy and we must leverage this by establishing greater digital connectivity with like-minded partners to facilitate the exchange of data. Second, we must be in a position to value-add to businesses who choose to work with us. Investors choose Singapore not because we have a large domestic market, abundant resources or that we are cheaper, but because we have an integrated eco-system of strengths that is hard to replicate elsewhere and add value to their businesses. These strengths include being trusted, open and consistent.”
“And in the spirit of constructive politics that we discussed in recent days in this House, it cannot be that a Member stands up to raise doubts and does not follow through to substantiate his allegations. ELD takes such allegations seriously and will investigate them thoroughly and impartially. This is to be fair to all parties involved, protect the integrity of the election processes and continue to uphold trust in our elections. Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to have the Press Statement issued by ELD and the correspondence between Mr Tan and ELD brought to the attention of Members and entered into Parliamentary records.”
“Mr Speaker, a point of clarification. On Monday, during the Debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President, Mr Dennis Tan stated that he had to rectify the position of his posters, arising from two complaints about his campaign posters to the Elections Department or ELD during the recent General Election or GE. He said that both complaints related to his posters being below the 2.2 m minimum height requirement which is meant to prevent posters from obstructing the line of sight for motorists. Mr Dennis Tan further said that and I quote, "One resident told me that she had witnessed the PAP team pulling down our posters from the original height. She showed me where they allegedly took place and I have no reason to doubt what she said." Mr Speaker, Sir, this is a serious allegation. When challenged in this House by Mr Murali, Mr Tan acknowledged that ELD has been even-handed in handling complaints received from all political parties and candidates. ELD has not received any report from Mr Tan on his allegations that his posters were pulled down from the original height. In its Press Statement on 31 August 2020, ELD invited him to file a report so that it can investigate the matter. ELD also explained its enforcement approach when it receives such complaints, which is to ask the Election Agent to rectify the posters in breach of the rules within three hours. Mr Tan has replied to ELD on 2 September 2020 that he did not make a report to ELD during the GE as he was focusing on his election campaign and he has no plans to do so now. Mr Speaker, Sir, anyone who makes such allegations publicly should substantiate their allegations with evidence; more so when such allegations are made in this House.”
“We are committed to build a future-ready Public Service that will serve Singapore and Singaporeans well into the future.”
“Our Public Service must work with citizens, businesses and other stakeholders differently. We will conduct early and close consultations to understand their needs, hear their ideas, and work with them to design programmes. We will also need to work with and through them to implement programmes together for greatest impact. For instance, through close partnership with the unions and employers, some 13,000 jobseekers – including new graduates, mid-career jobseekers, and retrenched workers – have been placed into new jobs and training opportunities. Our Public Service will recruit and develop its people differently. We will recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds so that we have a Public Service workforce that can bring different perspectives to problems and contribute different skills to create new solutions to problems. As our environment changes very fast, we will invest more in skills upgrading to enable our officers to stay employable over a longer career. We will rotate officers to different jobs, so that they gain a wider perspective, and get more opportunities to work with partners in the people and private sectors. This will keep them close to the ground, and give them a diverse body of networks, skills and experiences to solve problems effectively. Our Public Service will transform the way it works and its people, but our values of Integrity, Service and Excellence will never change. We will deepen our Public Service ethos in our people and groom leaders who can lead their organisations to deliver well today, while building new capabilities to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. We will strengthen Public Service values, competencies, and accountability among our leaders through wider adoption of 360° feedback and coaching.”
“Our Public Service faces a more volatile external environment, a domestic population with higher expectations, and a need to deliver its work well, within tighter resource constraints. Externally, Singapore will need to navigate the increasing contestation of great powers in geopolitics, trade, technology, and security. We will have to work with likeminded partners to uphold the global rules-based geopolitical and trade order. Domestically, Singaporeans desire greater diversity in perspectives and engagements in policy formulation. We will have to not only deliver higher quality and more integrated public services, but also to engage Singaporeans more thoroughly in the formulation and execution of policies. A shrinking labour force and ageing population will constrain the size of our Public Service and the share of talent that our Public Service can reasonably take from the broader economy. We have to leverage advancements in Science and Technology (S&T) to overcome the constraints of manpower and financial resources. Our Public Service will organise itself differently. We are building stronger common competencies across our Public Service that are needed by all agencies. For instance, we have set up the Public Sector S&T Policy and Plans Office (S&TPPO) to coordinate the planning of S&T capabilities, aggregate demand for greater efficiency as well as train a strong pool of S&T experts. In addition, we will tighten our focus on solving problems beyond agency boundaries. This will mean that cross-agency teams will become more common, as we take the right people with the right experiences and skills to develop policies and programmes that address national challenges to meet our people's needs.”
“We will strengthen support for our startups through Startup SG and the Global Innovation Alliance, and promote internationalisation through programmes like Scale-Up SG to groom more Singapore companies to go global. We will invest in research and innovation to help businesses and workers seize new opportunities, and strengthen our pro-enterprise business environment. We will leverage our Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) to provide sector-specific support. We are confronting this crisis from a position of strength. Our hard-won reputation for transparency, rule of law, skilled workforce, and world-class connectivity are significant advantages, and will enable us to adapt to the challenging environment. MTI will partner businesses, workers, and other stakeholders to forge a new path ahead. We will reopen our economy safely and sustainably, help businesses and workers adjust, and establish a conducive environment for businesses and workers to grow, to realise our vision of a vibrant economy with opportunities for all.”
“To this end, we will implement new programmes that boost business investment, support local entrepreneurship, strengthen balance sheets, and incentivise hiring, ultimately creating more good jobs for Singaporeans. MTI will continue to strengthen our business environment to enable businesses and workers to seize opportunities. To preserve Singapore's ability to create jobs for our people, we will strengthen our links with the world for markets, supplies, technology, and talent. We will work with like-minded partners internationally to reaffirm our shared commitment to keeping trade routes open and ensuring the continued flow of goods between Singapore and our partners. We will break new ground with Digital Economy Agreements to facilitate trade in the digital economy, providing ease and certainty to companies, and better enabling technology companies to manage their global platforms and digital services out of Singapore. We will develop multi-modal transport solutions to offer new competitive advantages to traders and logistics players using Singapore as a hub. This improved connectivity will also enable companies to diversify their supply sources and reach more customers more readily, increasing their resilience against the risk of supply chain disruption. We will also strengthen our existing toolkit to support businesses. For example, we will help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) strengthen their capabilities, and work through intermediaries such as Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs), SME Centres, and the Heartland Enterprise Centre to reach out to the community.”
“We will enable businesses to resume progressively and manage the risks with tight safe management measures for higher-risk activities. We will expand our testing and contact tracing capacity significantly, so that we can isolate clusters swiftly and effectively, to allow the rest of the economy to continue operating. To enable the safe resumption of international travel, we will continue to facilitate safe long-term and short-term business travel. This will help our businesses and workers tap on international opportunities and create good jobs. MTI will also help our businesses and workers adapt. The impact of COVID-19 has been uneven. Some sectors still see growth opportunities, including biomedical sciences, electronics, financial services, and the digital economy. We will help companies in these sectors invest and expand, which will generate business for other companies and ultimately create good jobs for Singaporeans. Other sectors are facing a fall in demand but will eventually recover, such as aerospace, and marine and offshore. We will preserve core capabilities that were painstakingly built up over many years, which will help these sectors remain competitive and recover quickly from this crisis. We will channel support to help companies in these sectors generate fresh revenue and become more cost efficient. There are also sectors that have permanently changed, including mass market tourism and social entertainment. We will help them reinvent themselves and pivot to new markets and products. Where tough decisions are taken by businesses to cease operations or retrench workers, we will partner the Ministry of Manpower and our tripartite partners to help workers develop new skills and find new jobs, and to preserve the Singapore core of skills and capabilities.”
“The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) is committed to creating opportunities for Singaporeans by helping businesses and workers adapt to a changing world economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted businesses and livelihoods. It is the most serious challenge we have faced since Independence. We will not return to the pre-COVID-19 world. We must chart a path forward together in a very different future. The geopolitical environment which allowed Singapore to thrive over the past 50 years has changed. We face the prospect of a fragmented world, marked by tensions between the major powers, uneasy trade relations, and bifurcated technological standards. The merits of free trade and global integration have been increasingly questioned. The increased tensions amongst the major powers extend beyond politics and permeate trade, investment, and technology. Global companies are rethinking and reorganising global production and supply chains. Some companies are reviewing the need for regional hubs in favour of a single global headquarters, and while other manufacturers may decentralise operations to strengthen their resilience. All these present challenges and opportunities for Singapore's position as a hub for regional headquarters, high-technology manufacturing activities, and modern services. Our workers will also become more exposed to global competition. COVID-19 has shown that remote working and automation are possible. Singaporeans can thus seize global opportunities out of Singapore, but our jobs are conversely more open to competition from abroad. MTI stands ready to take Singapore forward in this changed world. Our first step will be to open our economy safely and sustainably, because it will be difficult to generate economic growth otherwise.”
“Following the recent cases, Enterprise Singapore and the Monetary Authority of Singapore are reviewing the disclosure and lending practices in trading companies and their financing banks respectively, to consider if additional measures are needed to increase transparency and trust in the industry. Third, we review our regulatory regime regularly to continue to ensure that we are in line with global standards and ensure that we remain a fair and safe trading hub for all market participants.”
“Approximately 80 percent of the world's largest entities in the energy, agriculture, and metals and mining sectors have made Singapore their home for international trading. This makes Singapore one of the top three global trading hubs along with Geneva and London. Singapore is regarded as an attractive location by global trading companies due to our robust legal framework, open and competitive marketplace with a large pool of counterparties, and strong financial and shipping sectors. Members would be aware of the recent news of a few high-profile cases in the commodity trading sector. While I am unable to comment on specific cases that are undergoing investigations, let me set out some principles that underpin our regulatory philosophy. First, trading companies, like all commercial entities, must abide by Singapore's penal code and commercial laws. Instances of fraud are punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both. Second, like Geneva and London, we apply a risk-based regulatory regime. For example, companies that deal with retail customers in commodity derivatives and spot commodities, are licenced and regulated under the Securities and Futures Act and Commodity Trading Act respectively. Those that transact only in commodities derivatives and spot commodities on their own account, and do not solicit funds from members of the public, are currently exempt from licencing. Such companies are subject to credit assessments by their lenders and counterparties, and market best practices.”
“About 95% of Singapore's electricity is generated using natural gas. Non-fossil fuel sources (e.g. municipal waste, biomass and solar) accounts for 3%. The rest comes from a mixture of coal, diesel and fuel oil. Natural gas, the cleanest form of fossil fuel, will continue to be Singapore's dominant energy source in 2030. We are working with power generation companies and industries to reduce their usage of high carbon fuels. In addition, we aim to increase our solar capacity by six-fold, achieving at least two Gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2030. This will contribute to about 3% of our energy demand in 2030. We are also exploring opportunities to import clean energy from our neighbouring countries.”
“If community transmission rates remain low and stable in Phase One, more firms will gradually be allowed to reopen in subsequent phases. These include more consumer services (e.g. retail shops), and fewer restrictions on existing services (e.g. dining-in will be allowed at F&B establishments). Employers should, however, still ensure that those who can WFH continue to do so.”
“Singapore will exit our Circuit Breaker from 2 June 2020. We will ramp up our economic activity safely, in order to protect lives and livelihoods. Currently, even during the Circuit Breaker period, we have allowed key companies in our global manufacturing, biomedical, and petrochemical sectors to continue functioning and supporting global supply chains. From 2 June 2020, we will resume additional economic activities that do not pose a high risk of transmission. Sectors that will be allowed to reopen or ramp up their operations in Phase One include those that are closely intertwined with global supply chains, and those in settings with lower transmission risks. These include most manufacturing and production facilities, as well as office-based businesses and those that do not require interactions with large groups of people. Businesses that reopen must comply with the requirements on safe management practices set out by the Ministry of Manpower and respective government agencies. These include enforcing safe distancing and mask wearing amongst their employees at the workplace, staggering working hours and break times, ensuring no cross-deployment of staff across teams or worksites, reducing physical interaction or mixing amongst workers, and cancelling or deferring social gatherings. In addition, businesses must allow their employees to Work From Home (WFH) to the maximum extent. Employees should only go into the office when demonstrably needed (e.g. to access systems or equipment that cannot be accessed from home, or to fulfil legal requirements such as completing contracts or transactions). The Government will conduct checks, and close businesses that do not provide a safe workplace, or fail to comply with safe management measures.”
“Some companies readily provide the required information, which makes it quicker to process their applications and claims. However, when the documentation provided is not complete, ESG has a duty to clarify and check before approving the applications or disbursing public funds for the claims. This will inevitably slow down the process. The average duration between submission of final claims and grant disbursement is between seven to 10 weeks across the three schemes. Where the documentation provided is clear and complete, disbursements can be made within two weeks. To help businesses better manage their cashflow, ESG will exercise flexibility in the grant disbursement schedule while ensuring that the final grant amounts are accurately disbursed. For EDG projects with high upfront costs, ESG may disburse the grant in stages according to project implementation milestones. In addition, government agencies have started using PayNow Corporate to speed up payments to businesses. ESG is planning to do likewise for EDG, MRA and PSG so that companies can receive the disbursements more quickly. We are also open to other suggestions on how ESG can further improve its application and claims process, to help companies during these difficult times.”
“Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and our economic agencies adopt an enterprise-centric approach to support our companies to transform their business models, improve productivity and access new markets. This includes grants tailored to meet the needs of enterprises through the different stages of their growth. In processing the applications and claims, ESG’s aim is to do so as efficiently and expeditiously as possible, while ensuring accountability and safeguarding the integrity of the system. Broadly, the time taken to process grant applications and claims depends on two main factors – how complex is the project and whether the company has provided the required information in a complete and timely manner. We can expect processing time to be longer for grants that support projects that are more complex or require more customisation. For example, the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) covers a wide range of supportable areas, from business strategy to automation. Each grant is tailored to meet the company’s needs. This means that each grant application will have its unique set of objectives, scope and cost components. Not surprisingly, it takes longer to approve EDG applications compared to more standard applications under schemes like Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) and Market Readiness and Assistance (MRA). The average duration for EDG is seven weeks versus four weeks for PSG and MRA. For around 10% of applications which are more straightforward, the company will receive approval in about a week. This includes the time taken for applicants to respond to clarifications and to submit a complete set of documentation to ESG. That brings me to the second factor, which is the completeness of information submitted by companies.”
“When they look at resilience, they are looking at not just the lowest cost competitor, but they are also looking for places where they can put their operations, where their intellectual property (IP) can be protected, their talent can come together, and perform product design and services; they are looking at trusted hubs whereby their exports will not be restricted because of policy-induced choices. These are all opportunities that play to Singapore's strength as a trusted hub, as a safe harbour for talent and IP. So, as people diversify their supply chains and look for such trusted hub and safe harbours, I think there are many opportunities for Singapore to play to our strengths and to continue to strengthen our role in the global supply chain.”
“When the US, Japan and other countries relocate part of their supply chain out of China, it does not mean that they no longer trade with China or no longer deal with China. What it means is that they have diversified part of the operations away from China, but there will also be part of their operations that will still be in China. The second effect of this shift, is that the connectivity between China and Singapore, China and the Southeast Asian region, will also strengthen as a process. So, it is not a binary choice whereby it is China or not China, ASEAN or not ASEAN. In fact, the entire global supply chain network will become much more resilient because of the diversification. The third aspect of this that we should remember is that even prior to this, China had been trying to diversify its own production based, seeking other low-cost production opportunities around the world. And this is why we have worked with the Chinese to explore third countries' market opportunities such as by building industrial parks in other countries. And we will continue to explore working with the Chinese companies as they continue to venture out. So, while the overall global supply chain network will shift towards a much more resilient one, I think it is not a zero-sum game and there are certainly opportunities for Singapore. The last point I want to make is this. In the past, while people had just considered efficiency as the primary consideration for designing their supply chain, many more companies and many more countries are now beginning to appreciate the need to balance efficiency with resilience.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me make a few points to respond to Mr Desmond Choo's questions. I will answer the questions in reverse order. Let us look at the volume of the port at this point in time. There are short-term and long-term forces. The short-term forces that see a drop in the port volume in the recent weeks can be attributed to the global fall in demand. So, this is overall. This has to do with the short-term forces because of the lockdowns and supply chain disruptions in various countries. Mr Desmond Choo also touched on the longer term issues which have to do with how the reconfiguration of the supply chains towards a more regional base would affect our port operations. From a longer term perspective – ceteris paribus or all else being equal – if the demand remains at the same level, a more regional supply chain network actually can work to Singapore's advantage because we are a trade hub and a trade port, as Mr Desmond Choo said. The connectivity within ASEAN, within this region, will provide greater impetus for our port operations when things stabilise, all else being equal. So, our investment in the Tuas port over the long term, we are optimistic that we will continue to play a significant role in the regional logistics chain and also as part of the global logistics chain. I now come to the second point of Mr Desmond Choo's first question. Yes, indeed, technological changes have given many companies the opportunities to shorten and diversify their supply chain to make it much more resilient. But this does not mean that Singapore will be bypassed. In fact, as I have mentioned during my reply, I said that even if the US, Japan and some countries decide to relocate part of their supply chain out of China, it is not a zero-sum game.”
“Earlier this year, we introduced Grow Digital under the SMEs Go Digital Programme to help SMEs seize business opportunities in overseas markets through e-commerce platforms, without having a physical presence overseas. Third, we have also introduced enhanced training and re-skilling programmes to prepare our workers and companies such that they can capitalise on the upswing when the economy recovers. In March 2020, Workforce Singapore (WSG) launched a new Redeployment Programme for Supply Chain and Logistics Coordinators to help firms reskill and redeploy existing rank-and-file workers to take on new or redesigned job roles as companies digitise or transform their business processes. Mr Speaker, Sir, we will continue to do our utmost to help companies and workers adjust to these changing supply chains. While some concern amidst this flux is understandable, we should not despair. Such shifts are not a zero-sum game. Even as countries like the US and Japan diversify their production from China, so, too, are Chinese companies going international and moving more production to Southeast Asia. This will present new opportunities for regional economies like ours which will, in turn, deepen the economic links between Southeast Asia and these countries. To harness these opportunities, we will work with companies and workers to invest in building new capabilities, and as One Singapore, to emerge stronger from these challenges.”
“The network of Digital Economy Agreements we have started to build with partners, such as Australia, New Zealand and Chile, will augment our extensive network of Free Trade Agreements to ensure that our companies have access to the opportunities in the digital economy. Amidst the pandemic, Singapore has been working closely with other like-minded countries on various initiatives to ensure supply chain connectivity. We issued a Joint Ministerial Statement with 10 other countries to affirm our commitment to ensure supply chain connectivity and to refrain from imposing export restrictions on essential goods. As a concrete follow-up of this initiative, we have signed a declaration with New Zealand to eliminate customs duties, not restrict exports of essential medical products, as well as expedite clearances of these goods through sea and air ports. We are similarly working with our fellow ASEAN countries to ensure the continued supply of essential goods, and remain fully committed to signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) this year. Doing so amidst the pandemic would also send a strong signal of our continued commitment to free and open trade, as well as unlock further economic opportunities. Second, we are helping our companies take advantage of these shifts. For example, under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise plan, we are deepening our companies’ R&D capabilities in Industry 4.0 supply chains to address industries’ needs in optimising and ensuring supply chain resilience. We are helping businesses leverage digital platforms to grow their international reach.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the COVID-19 pandemic will accelerate shifts in global supply chains that were already underway before the pandemic struck, arising from global trade tensions, the need for resilience and the impact of technological change. There is no telling how supply chains will eventually be reconfigured, but it is likely that supply chains will be relocated nearer to the final demand markets, so as to strengthen resilience against future supply disruptions. In the near term, there will be a severe impact on the global economy and Singapore. Earlier today, MTI announced a downgrade of Singapore’s GDP growth forecast for this year from -4% to -1%, to the new range of -7% to -4%. The outlook for outward-oriented sectors, such as manufacturing and those related to trade and logistics, remain weak, adversely affected by the sharp slowdown in many of Singapore’s key markets. However, as we adjust to the new environment, there will also be opportunities to fill new and unmet demands and to participate in the new supply chains that are formed. As companies consider shifting production lines to the region, Singapore and Southeast Asian countries can facilitate these new investments by matching overseas interest to suppliers and global distributors. Our posture, therefore, must be to foster greater regional integration and global interdependence rather than to try and maximise domestic production which may not be the most efficient nor sustainable. We are helping our companies and workers to take advantage of these shifts. First, we will continue to boost our connectivity to the region and uphold our status as a financial and logistics hub.”
“On 3 April, the Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced a set of circuit breaker measures, including only permitting entities providing essential services to continue operating onsite with reduced manpower. This took effect from 7 April. Around 80,000 entities were allowed to operate, with 21% of our total workforce operating on-site. On 21 April, the Taskforce directed a further reduction in work premises which could operate on-site. Around 45,000 entities were allowed to operate, with 17% of our total workforce operating on-site. We are acutely aware that the circuit breaker will disrupt businesses and have a substantial impact on our economy, but it is also essential in the fight against COVID-19. Our primary objective in this fight is to save lives and protect Singaporeans and our families. We recognise that the more stringent the measures we put in place to curb transmission of the virus, the bigger the impact on our economy. But the alternative of not taking sufficiently stringent measures to curb the virus will result in more infections and more deaths. We must therefore work together – business, workers and Government – to make the circuit breaker as effective as possible so that we protect lives and recover faster and emerge stronger. Every business can play their part – strictly observe the circuit breaker measures and shut down onsite activities if you have not received approval to operate so that your workers and their families can stay safe. For essential firms that have to continue to operate, minimise the number of workers who have to travel to work onsite and make sure that safe distancing measures are implemented at the workplace. As long as we can keep the number of cases low, this will mitigate the need for a circuit breaker.”
“The Government introduced the Temporary Bridging Loan Programme (TBLP) and enhanced the Enterprise Financing Scheme – SME Working Capital Loan (EFS-WCL) Programme in the Unity Budget, to help enterprises cope with their working capital needs during the COVID-19 situation. The schemes were further enhanced in the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets. In addition, the MAS SGD Facility for ESG Loans was launched on 20 April 2020 for banks and finance companies. It provides them with funding for two years at an interest rate of 0.1% per annum, for the purpose of their loans to SMEs under the ESG loan schemes. Under the ESG loan schemes, the interest rate of loans taken up by over 95% of the SMEs applying in April 2020 ranged from 2% to 4.5% per annum, compared to 6% or more for most other unsecured working capital loans to SMEs. Following the introduction of the new MAS SGD facility, interest rates for such loans is expected to be around 2 to 3% for most borrowers. Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) have committed to pass on lower interest rates to borrowers. ESG and MAS will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that SMEs are able to access financing during this crisis.”
“Between 2015 and 2018, the revenue of the private security industry averaged $2.2 billion per year, while its nominal value-added (VA) per worker averaged $38,300 per year (refer to Table 1).1,2 The total revenue of the security technology industry was $651 million in 2018.1,3”
“Adapting to the post-COVID-19 world will be a serious challenge, but I am confident that Singapore will be able to succeed. We have restructured our economy before, and emerged stronger each time. If the government, employers and workers continue working together, we will also be able to overcome this challenge.”
“Companies must also continue to implement and strengthen safe management practices. These include telecommuting wherever possible, enforcing safe distancing and mask wearing amongst their employees at the workplace, staggering working hours and break times, ensuring no cross-deployment of staff across teams or worksites, and reducing physical interaction or mixing amongst workers, including outside of work. Further details will be announced by the relevant agencies in due course. We will also work closely with the Trade Associations and Chambers over the next few weeks to reach out to businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, to help them prepare to meet the stronger safe management requirements when they reopen. In the longer term, COVID-19 will result in many structural changes to the global economy. The movement of goods and people will be more restricted. Countries will worry more about depending on others or relying on a single source of supply for essential goods like drugs, medical equipment or food. This will have major implications for global trade and investments, and for a small and open economy like Singapore. This will mean that we must be prepared for significant structural changes to our economy. Companies will have to change their business models to survive, and workers from disrupted industries will have to reskill themselves to take up jobs in new sectors. But there will be new opportunities as well, in areas such as medical services, biotechnology, online education, food production and delivery. While we already have capabilities in some of these sectors, we will have to build up our capabilities and workforce in some of the newer industries.”
“We are acutely aware that the circuit breaker will disrupt businesses and have a substantial impact on our economy, but this painful trade-off was needed to save lives and protect the health of our people, including our migrant worker community. As we bring down the number of new COVID-19 cases, we will progressively restart our economy. This will not be straightforward. We have kept essential services going. But the rest of the economy will have to open up step by step, and not all at once. We will open up some sectors earlier, but others will have to wait, especially those that attract crowds such as entertainment outlets or sporting events. In phasing in the opening of firms and sectors, we will take into account their importance to the economy and supply chains, contribution to local employment, and ability to minimise risks of transmission at their worksites. Sectors that allow us to trade with the world and access critical supplies must restart first. Sectors that attract high traffic and social interactions will have to put in additional safe measures before restarting progressively. To ensure that the health of Singaporeans and our workers continues to take priority even as we resume economic activities, we are ramping up testing capabilities and leveraging technology to conduct robust contact tracing and rapid isolation of close contacts, to ringfence infected cases quickly and prevent the growth of clusters. We will also raise the minimum standards for the safeguards needed to keep our workplaces safe. This will apply to all companies that are currently operating, as well as those who are allowed to reopen subsequently. Companies will need to deploy SafeEntry, to facilitate better contact tracing.”
“Instead, we need to plan ahead and put in the necessary measures so that we can hold elections safely even under the new and evolving COVID-19 norms. This Bill allows the Elections Department to implement temporary arrangements to ensure the safety of voters, candidates and election officials should the next General Election take place under the COVID-19 situation. This is the responsible thing to do – to consider the prevailing circumstances and plan as robustly as possible – so that we can take care of the well-being of Singaporeans while upholding democracy in Singapore. With that, Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Chan Chun Sing]. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee, reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]”
“But I agree with Mr Zainal Sapari that if there are provisions which are relevant to future elections, we will include these provisions when we next amend the Parliamentary Elections Act. Next, let me touch on the issue of the timing of the election, which is not a part of this Bill. Ms Sylvia Lim, Ms Anthea Ong and Mr Ong Teng Koon commented on the timing of the General Election. As Mr Ong Teng Koon has articulated, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean has explained in his reply to this House on 25 March 2020 that it is unconstitutional to delay an election beyond the required timeframe of April 2021 and for the President to appoint a caretaker government. Let me reiterate that this Bill allows the Elections Department to make contingency plans for the next General Election. It is not related to the timing of the General Election. It will be for the Prime Minister to consider what is in the best interests of Singapore and Singaporeans and make the decision on when to call the next General Election. Ideally, we would all like to conduct elections in normal conditions but it is uncertain when the COVID-19 situation will stabilise. However, as South Korea has shown, holding an election under COVID-19 is possible, but there must be adequate precautionary measures in place to safeguard the well-being of voters, candidates and officials, and it will be prudent and responsible for us to make those necessary contingency plans ahead of time. Mr Speaker, Sir, let me conclude. In a few short months, the way we live, work and interact with others has changed drastically. Will we revert to the pre-COVID-19 norms? Nobody knows. But we cannot plan on the basis that it will.”
“Again, Assoc Prof Walter Theseira raised a philosophical point. What are the parts that should go into the Rules and what are the parts that should go into the subsidiary legislation or Regulations? In general, our philosophy must be this – for those things that are conducted in a defined, structured environment, the fewer the variables, the more we are able to write it down in clear rules, and we should do that upfront. For those activities that are conducted in less structured environments, where things are evolving rapidly, then, certainly, not everything can be written upfront and whatever rules that are going to be made for those activities, including campaigning activities, will have to take into consideration the prevailing health and security considerations by MOH and MHA respectively. This is the reason why the Bill is structured in this way. For things that are conducted in the polling station, where it is a structured environment, we will try to be as clear, as defined, and to let people know as early as possible. For those things like campaigning, which is conducted in a less structured environment, which is more subject to the evolving health and security considerations, not all of that can be written down prior, and not all of them may need to be written down because then that will circumscribe the actions that may be possible in due course. So, that is the philosophy behind why the Bill is structured in this way. Now, let me address Mr Zainal Sapari's point about why the arrangements are temporary. Mr Zainal asked why are the special arrangements provided in the Bill temporary and not permanent. These arrangements are specifically to deal with the conduct of an election under the COVID-19 situation, which we all hope is temporary.”
“We want Singaporeans who have registered to vote overseas to be able to do so. But we must also recognise that the COVID-19 situation has affected many cities around the world to different extents and we do not know how it will evolve. For example, if there are unacceptable risks to the safety and health of overseas Singaporean voters and election officials, and if the physical conduct of polling in certain overseas locations is not possible, then we may have to abandon overseas voting in those locations as allowed under the Parliamentary Elections Act. This is a decision that will not be taken lightly. The Returning Officer will assess and monitor the situation for each overseas polling station after the writ of election is issued before making any such decision. Next, let me touch on the issue of campaigning. Ms Sylvia Lim, Ms Anthea Ong, Mr Ong Teng Koon and Assoc Prof Theseira asked about campaigning under the COVID-19 situation. This is outside the scope of the Bill as laid out in its long title. I will just briefly say that the Elections Department will share the guidelines for campaigning in due course, taking into account the COVID-19 situation then. As the Parliamentary Elections Act and its subsidiary legislation cover only some aspects of campaigning like the regulation of election advertising, with rallies and walkabouts covered under the Public Order Act, the Elections Department's practice has been to issue an advisory on campaigning guidelines, together with other relevant authorities like the Police and MHA. The Elections Department will also work with MOH on the health and safety aspects of campaigning before issuing its advisory. This will be done with sufficient time for political parties and aspiring candidates to prepare.”
“Even with SingPass, we do not know for sure if the vote is cast by the person himself or by another person who is assisting him. For a voter to be sure that his online vote is accurately recorded for audit purpose, present-day IT verification systems will require the system to also retain information on the voter's choice, which will compromise voting secrecy. In addition, there are system reliability issues and security risks, such as vulnerability to hacking and cyber-attacks. It is not possible to have polling agents present during online voting. Assoc Prof Walter Theseira raised a very philosophical point, which is this. We have two considerations for the voting process – first, the verification of the voter's identity; second, voting secrecy. Now, this is fundamentally different from a bank transaction. A bank transaction verifies the person's transacting identity. At the same time, there is an audit trail to allow any dispute to be settled thereafter. In a voting situation, it is precisely quite different. We want to verify the identity of the voter and, yet, at the same time, we have to assure the voter of the secrecy of his vote, which means that he must be assured that it cannot be traced back absolutely to him. So, this is the fundamental issue which many countries have grappled with and this is also the reason why we have not chosen to go onto an online mode at this point in time, given the concerns of verification, voter secrecy and also the security concerns. These reasons were highlighted in an article in the 28 April issue of The Economist on why online voting is not the way to hold elections during a pandemic. Now, let me touch on overseas voting. Ms Anthea Ong and Mr Louis Ng asked about the Singaporean voters overseas.”
“As a result, they had a record turnout at the elections. The South Korean health authority also recently concluded that there were no local transmission cases arising from the elections. Their experience shows that it is possible to run a safe and smooth election under COVID-19, provided we have in place the necessary safety precautions and voters are assured of the safety of the election. Beyond the best practices from South Korea, the Elections Department will also consider Mr Ong Teng Koon's suggestions to increase the number of polling stations and even out the flow of voters across polling hours. This is something that the ELD has started studying. As the COVID-19 situation is evolving, the Elections Department will share the details nearer the General Elections. So, the ideas of staggered hours, temperature taking, disinfecting the polling booths more frequently, gloves – all those are part of the study and ELD will make public its recommendations and advice soon, before the elections, to give everybody and every party the necessary time for their preparations. Finally, although Mr Louis Ng's questions about educating voters and candidates about the use of electronic registration and other new equipment are outside the scope of the Bill, let me just respond briefly to say that we do recognise the importance of public education and will be putting out information on the use of electronic registration and other equipment, together with the necessary precautionary measures to address the COVID-19 situation. Let me now move on to the next issue touched on by Mr Ong Teng Koon and Assoc Prof Walter Theseira about online voting. We have not implemented online voting as it is difficult to prevent impersonation and ensure voting secrecy.”
“On Ms Sylvia Lim's questions pertaining to the Power of Attorney to be executed by an aspiring candidate who is unable or unfit to file his nomination papers in person, the aspiring candidate can engage a lawyer to prepare the Power of Attorney to expressly authorise the representative to represent and act on behalf of the aspiring candidate at nomination proceedings. This must include an authorisation to submit nomination papers and raise objections to the nomination papers of other candidates. The Bill also does not prevent a GRC candidate or an assentor of the group from doubling up as a representative of another aspiring candidate of the GRC who happens to be unwell as long as he is in possession of the required Power of Attorney. Let me now move on to the issue of safety precautions for elections conducted under COVID-19, which have been raised by various Members, including Ms Sylvia Lim, Ms Anthea Ong, Mr Louis Ng and Mr Ong Teng Koon. I would like to assure the House that the Elections Department will put in place the necessary measures to protect candidates, voters and election officials to assure a safe election. In drawing up these measures, the Elections Department will abide by the prevailing advisories issued by MOH for health, and MHA for security. The Elections Department is also studying the experiences of countries that have held elections under pandemics, such as South Korea. In the case of South Korea, they implemented precautionary measures, such as temperature screening, safe distancing and requiring voters to wear masks and plastic gloves. Another useful observation from the South Korean elections is the wide use of collaterals, such as videos and infographics, to assure voters of the precautionary measures being put in place.”
“We will also ensure there is transparency as candidates, independent or representing a political party, and their polling agents can be present to observe the proceedings. Mr Louis Ng and Mr Zainal Sapari highlighted the potential resource challenges for candidates and political parties if there are too many special polling stations. Let me assure Members that the Elections Department (ELD) will work with the relevant agencies to minimise the number of special polling stations to be set up. Based on the current numbers, we do not expect more than a few polling stations to be set up in the designated facilities. Just to give a bit of context, we have over 800 polling stations around the island. I would also like to assure Assoc Prof Walter Theseira and Ms Sylvia Lim that the intention is to enable every voter serving SHN at designated facilities to vote. Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about the rationale for requiring at least two or more voters to be from the same constituency before setting up a special polling station. This is to address concerns on the secrecy of the vote where there is a lone SHN voter. In such a case, the Bill provides the flexibility of transporting the lone SHN voter, together with others, to a larger special polling station. If this is necessary, the Elections Department will put in place the necessary safeguards. I would add that the offences of treating, undue influence and bribery in the Parliamentary Elections Act still apply in such a situation. But let me assure Members that unless the number of SHN voters spikes, the Elections Department's preference is to conduct polling within the designated facilities rather than transporting the voters to special polling stations outside.”
“To Ms Lim’s question, the Elections Department will consult MOH and MHA nearer the election date to assess if the public health and security risks of allowing these two categories of voters to leave their homes and making special arrangements for them to vote in-person at polling stations can be managed. Mr Zainal Sapari asked about clause 8 which provides for the Returning Officer and the Director of Medical Services to advise voters who are unwell to be socially responsible and not turn up to vote at the polling station. Public health issues still need to be addressed even during an election and our officials should not be prevented from doing so because of the offence that is in section 81(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act. I would add that this clause only applies to public advisories for the awareness of voters in general and is not directed at any particular voter or voters. Voters will be required to comply with the directives of the Returning Officer or the Director of Medical Services. This is to ensure the safety of others and the Election Officers will explain this to the voters. Mr Louis Ng asked about the powers vested in the Minister to make regulations allowing voters subject to COVID-19 stay orders to vote without leaving their boarding premises. Let me assure Mr Ng that any regulation required for the operation of the special polling stations will have to be consistent with the principles of the Parliamentary Elections Act, such as one-man-one-vote and voting secrecy. The process, if we need to do this, will include extra steps that ensure that the correct voter receives an authentic ballot paper, remind him or her to vote freely and in secret, and that ensures the secure return of his or her marked ballot in secret for counting.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me first thank all the Members who have spoken on this Bill. I will address the points specific to this Bill first before I cover the other points. Ms Anthea Ong expressed her concern that the Bill deprives certain voters of their right to vote. This is a misconception. The Bill does not take away any one’s right to vote. Rather, the special arrangements in this Bill will in fact allow more voters to vote. Under the Infectious Diseases Act, a voter on QO, or SHN cannot leave his or her place of isolation or accommodation without the permission of the Director of Medical Services. However, this Bill enables special arrangements to be made to allow those on SHN staying at designated facilities to vote under special arrangements that will minimise their contact with other voters. Thus, the arrangements afforded by this Bill should allay concerns among the wider voting population who might otherwise be dissuaded from voting because of in-person voting by those under SHN. To use Ms Ong’s own words, Singaporeans should not have to choose between voting and protecting themselves and their families. As for those on QO, fewer than 1,000 Singaporeans of voting age are on QO as of yesterday, and certainly not as many as Ms Ong asserts. As Ms Sylvia Lim has noted, the Bill merely recognises that voters who are under QO or an SHN at home have a legitimate reason for not voting because of the COVID-19 situation. Because voting is compulsory, the Bill makes clear that being on QO or SHN at home provides an adequate reason to them for not voting and these voters will thus be entitled to have their names restored to the relevant register of electors, without paying the $50 penalty.”
“The other requirements for successful nomination, such as having the Political Donation Certificate and the required number of subscribers, must still be fulfilled. The Bill does not allow for alternative representation for subscriber, that is, proposers, seconders and assentors. As subscribers can be anyone whose name is in the relevant register of electors, aspiring candidates should find a replacement if any of their subscribers is subject to movement control orders like QO, SHN or MC for ARI, or is having a fever or showing ARI symptoms on the day of nomination. Mr Speaker, Sir, let me conclude by reiterating the intent behind this Bill. The Bill aims to protect voters, candidates and election officials at the next General Election by providing the Elections Department and the Returning Officer with additional powers to make special arrangements to deal with running a general election under the COVID-19 situation, on top of the powers in sections 56A to 56F of the Parliamentary Elections Act. While this Bill enables the Elections Department and the Returning Officer to make contingency plans for the next General Election, which must be held within a year from now, the Bill is unrelated to the timing of the General Election. The Prime Minister will decide when to call the election, considering the challenges confronting our country and the evolving COVID-19 situation. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] 6.36 pm”
“Second, there can only be one polling agent for each political party, independent candidate or group of independent candidates at each of the special polling stations. The election official at the special polling stations will have to call out the electoral division and polling district code of the voter before issuing a ballot paper, because each special polling station would have voters from many electoral divisions casting their votes there. If there are no dedicated ballot boxes provided for voting in different electoral divisions at each special polling station, the election officials will have to sort the ballot papers from the opened ballot boxes according to electoral divisions first before starting to count the votes. Under Clause 6(3), the Minister is empowered to make regulations setting out additional modifications to the Parliamentary Elections Act, so as to minimise exposure of the general public or election officials to individuals who may be incubating or infected by COVID-19. Let me now move on to the second part of the provisions relating to nomination proceedings. The Parliamentary Elections Act requires aspiring candidates to submit their nomination papers in person. Clause 9 allows an aspiring candidate to authorise a representative to file his or her nomination paper on his or her behalf, if the aspiring candidate is unable or unfit to do so because of QO, SHN, hospitalisation or ill-health. The authorised representative must have the Power of Attorney to authorise him or her to act on behalf of the candidate. The authorised representative will be able to file objections and make amendments to the nomination papers on the candidate’s behalf during the nomination proceedings.”
“This is because a number of voters, since 10 April, have been required to serve their SHN at designated facilities such as hotels for 14 days to isolate themselves from others and we will continue to issue SHN as part of the strategy to control community transmission. Clause 3 excuses voters issued with QO, SHN at home or MC for ARI for not voting. Their names will be restored to the electoral registers without penalty. There will be auto-restoration for those on QO and serving their SHN at home, as we have the information for this group. For those on MC for ARI, they can apply to restore their names to the registers after the election and we will restore them without penalty. Clauses 4 and 5 cater to persons on SHN at designated facilities by authorising temporary polling arrangements for them to vote outside their electoral divisions, either at special polling stations in the SHN designated facilities or some other suitable premises. We do this to minimise their direct contact with other voters. This is possible because, unlike persons on MC for ARI, those on SHN are already co-located physically in designated facilities thus allowing such arrangements to be rapidly deployed. Polling at the special polling stations will be akin to that at overseas polling stations. Clause 6 requires that a poll and voting at an election involving electors subject to SHN be conducted in the same manner as voting at a polling station in Singapore, with the following modifications: First, instead of the usual voting hours from 8 am to 8 pm, the Returning Officer can set the voting hours at the special polling stations differently, as long as they are at least four hours and end by close of polls at all the other polling stations in Singapore, that is, by 8 pm on Polling Day.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Prime Minister, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a second time." Mr Speaker, Sir, our next General Election must be held by 14 April 2021. The COVID-19 situation is most likely to last many more months, including the possibility of recurring waves of infection across the world. We must therefore, make contingency plans to safely conduct our next General Election under COVID-19 situation. This is the responsible thing to do, to robustly plan ahead, to keep our citizens safe while upholding our democracy. The Parliamentary Elections (COVID-19 Special Arrangements) Bill forms part of the contingency plans to allow the Elections Department (ELD) to implement temporary arrangements for safe elections amid the COVID-19 situation. They are on top of sections 56A to 56F of the Parliamentary Elections Act, which already contain powers to deal with some disruptive events. The key provisions in this Bill are in two main parts. The first deals with voters who are subject to movement control orders, that is, COVID-19 stay orders, commonly known as Stay-Home Notice or SHN in short, a COVID-19 Quarantine Order or QO in short, or being on Medical Certificate (MC) because he/she shows Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI). The second part allows an aspiring candidate to authorise a representative to file his or her nomination paper if the aspiring candidate is unable or unfit to do so because of a COVID-19 QO, SHN, hospitalisation or ill health. I will first cover the clauses, which will allow us to make special arrangements for voters subject to movement control orders. In particular, those on SHN will be allowed to vote outside of their electoral divisions.”
“And depending on the period of the circuit breaker at different points in time, they will require different set of workers for both operations and for safe maintenance.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the aim of the measures under the circuit breaker period and the enhanced circuit breaker measures have to do with trying to reduce the amount of social interactions and reduce the load, for example, in the transport sector. So, we try to reduce the numbers to the minimum possible, while maintaining the level of essential services required by our local community. For essential firms, we will first want to make sure that they have a minimum level of operations that can continue to do so. So, even for essential firms, it does not mean that all essential firms get 100% of all the workers that they need. The essential firms will pare down to what they really need to continue their operations in a safe and efficient manner. I believe Ms Lim may refer to some examples like some of the food establishments that are considered essential and, progressively, we have asked some to wind down. One of the reasons for us to do this is that as demand falls, we hope to be able to aggregate the services provided by various companies. So, all else being equal, for those companies that provide a series of services in an aggregated manner with a minimum number of staff required, we will be able to prioritise them and help them to continue their operations. But on the other hand, companies that have standalone operations and require perhaps a disproportionate amount of staff, we will advise them to restructure their operations to pare down their numbers or, if not, to temporarily suspend their operations for the moment. Having said that, of course, this is an on-going process. We work with all the essential firms and companies to size up the demand for their workforce.”
“This is how we intend to do it in a systematic and progressive manner to reopen the economy, so that more of our people can get back to work. Having said that, the work from home measures will continue for many people who can continue to do their work from home. We have been able to do this for the vast majority of our economy and those measures are likely to continue in the short to medium term.”
“It includes safe rest areas and the safe cohorting of different sets of workers to allow for business continuity, and it certainly requires us to have a higher standard of hygiene and cleanliness within our work premises. These are measures that will last us a long time beyond the circuit breaker measures and these are good practices that we should put in place for sustainable operations, going forward. This week, ESG and EDB will progressively work with our companies and trade associations to put in place the respective measures, so that we can open up and restart up some of the production capacities that have not been done in the last two weeks. That is how we intend to do so. At the same time, we must also embrace technology to see how we can use technology to help people who need to interact with one another, to come in contact with one another, to track and trace them, should there be an incident. As I mentioned yesterday, this will be a long fight. We are far from over in this battle with COVID-19. We will need to put in place measures for safe operations. At the same time, if there is a flare-up in any particular one sector or one company, we must be able to quickly put in place measures to isolate that group of workers from the rest, so that the rest of the economy can continue to function. There will be another set of companies and operations that will need to rethink their business model for longer term sustainability. For example, those companies that are involved in social entertainment, as well as those companies that require high level of interactions between the workers and the customers or amongst the customers, will also need to rethink their business model in order for us to restart those operations safely.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I had given this reply yesterday during my media interview. There are two parts to it. First, the sectors that will progressively reopen as priority. So, first, let me put this in context. During the circuit breaker period measures and during the enhanced circuit breaker period measures, all our essential services continue to function. At the same time, all the productions that are part of the global supply chain, including petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and certain parts of manufacturing also continue to function. This is to ensure that, domestically, we are able to play our part to meet the essential needs of fellow Singaporeans. At the same time, this allows us to fulfil our responsibilities and obligations to the global supply chains. So, this set of measures are on-going. As we progressively reopen our economy, we are also looking to reinforce our position to fulfil our responsibilities to the global supply chains, be it pharmaceuticals, biomedical, electronics or petrochemicals. We are also determined to make sure that our hub status as both a Financial Hub, Trade Hub, Aviation and Port Hub status continue to function, not just for the benefit of Singaporeans, but also for the global community. These are the sectors that we gave priority for the progressive reopening. The second point as to how we progressively reopen, as I had mentioned yesterday, we need to start the preparations now, so that come next week, we can progressively reopen. There are a number of things that we need to do together to prepare our companies to expand their capacities as they reopen. First, we need to put in place the contingency arrangements to have a safe working environment. This includes the safe distancing work arrangements within the respective companies.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, during the circuit breaker period starting 7 April 2020, around 21% of our total workforce continued operating on-site at approximately 80,000 entities. This excludes workers and companies that could continue operating from home via telecommuting arrangements. Under the enhanced circuit break period starting 21 April 2020, 17% of our total workforce continued operating on-site at approximately 45,000 entities. Again, this excludes workers and companies that could continue operating from home.”