What was the main focus during the pandemic in Singapore?

The main focus was on vaccination efforts, especially for the elderly, while keeping schools open and managing the crisis with effective public health measures.

How did Singapore aim to reopen during the pandemic?

Singapore proposed initiatives like the air travel bubble with Hong Kong to signal its intent to reopen borders while managing health risks.

What was the purpose of establishing the Communicable Disease Agency (CDA)?

The CDA was established to consolidate expertise and improve Singapore's pandemic preparedness and response capabilities.

What are the lessons learned from managing the COVID-19 pandemic?

Key lessons include the need for a tailored response to different types of pandemics and the importance of long-term planning for future crises.

How does the integration with Johor impact Singapore?

The integration aims to enhance economic cooperation and ease of movement, benefiting both Singaporeans and Malaysians in various aspects.

Can Singapore Survive Another Crisis? - Ong Ye Kung (4K)

00:50:02

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GfeTyhjGjM

Summary

TLDRThis extensive interview with Singaporean ministers elaborates on their experiences and strategies in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination drives, and the establishment of the Communicable Disease Agency (CDA) for better health crisis response. The ministers reflect on the painful closures of borders with Malaysia during the pandemic, the gradual reopening of various sectors, and economic integration with neighboring Johor. They highlight the importance of public health measures, the significance of maintaining governmental agility in response to crises, and the necessity of long-term planning. Through discussions on healthcare, education, and transportation, they stress the need for resilience and adaptability in both governmental and economic structures moving forward.

Takeaways

💉 Vaccination efforts focused on the elderly to combat COVID-19.
📚 Schools remained open based on expert advice despite public pressure to close.
🚀 Initiatives like the air travel bubble aimed to signal readiness to reopen borders.
🏥 The Communicable Disease Agency was established to enhance pandemic preparedness.
🌍 Integration with Johor is key for economic collaboration and improved movement.

Timeline

00:00:00 - 00:05:00
The current crisis highlights the potential loss of Hub status due to ground shifts, emphasizing the importance of reopening health systems and demonstrating that efforts are being made. Health Minister Ong Kang emphasizes the urgency in addressing COVID-19 vaccination, focusing initially on vulnerable groups and illustrates the painful disruption in ties between Malaysia and Singapore during the pandemic.
00:05:00 - 00:10:00
Despite challenges, Ong expresses gratitude to Singaporeans for their resilience as the country has observed 'Doon Green Day' to commemorate the lessons drawn from the pandemic. The conversation shifts to how healthcare crises impact various sectors, leading to a reflection on Singapore's commendable success in achieving a low mortality rate compared to global averages despite its urban density.
00:10:00 - 00:15:00
Reflecting on early pandemic responses, Ong recalls initial concerns about school closures, noting that although many parents urged action for safety, school leaders maintained confidence in protocols, leading to the decision to keep schools open in favor of both health and societal needs.
00:15:00 - 00:20:00
As pressure mounted regarding school closures, Ong engaged with public feedback, where majority parents favored keeping schools operational, saying it was essential for work-life balance. The subsequent diligence in school policies showcased the government’s forward-thinking approach amidst global trends of school shutdowns.
00:20:00 - 00:25:00
Ong discusses the importance of handling the crisis effectively, contending that COVID-19 required a distinctive response compared to past pandemics, drawing from lessons that influenced Singapore's governance and health systems moving forward.
00:25:00 - 00:30:00
Recalling the critical time at the Ministry of Transport, Ong emphasized the importance of keeping Changi Airport functioning, showcasing the necessity for aviation routes to remain active while balancing public health challenges during the pandemic's peak.
00:30:00 - 00:35:00
The air travel bubble with Hong Kong is shared as an ambitious attempt to reopen travel channels, even if later interrupted by clusters. Ong believes these initiatives illustrate Singapore's commitment to revitalize the economy while adapting to immediate realities of the pandemic.
00:35:00 - 00:40:00
In a discussion on healthcare, Ong describes the complexities faced by the Ministry of Health, especially during emergencies, and emphasizes the establishment of the Communicable Disease Agency as essential for integrating and strengthening health responses across sectors, driven by advancements in technology and science.
00:40:00 - 00:50:02
As the conversation progresses to the Johor-Singapore economic zone, Ong articulates the profound importance of reintegrating communities and economies post-pandemic. He discusses how enhanced connectivity through projects like RTS will reshape regional trades and interactions, stimulating growth in both countries.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

What was the main focus during the pandemic in Singapore?
The main focus was on vaccination efforts, especially for the elderly, while keeping schools open and managing the crisis with effective public health measures.
How did Singapore aim to reopen during the pandemic?
Singapore proposed initiatives like the air travel bubble with Hong Kong to signal its intent to reopen borders while managing health risks.
What was the purpose of establishing the Communicable Disease Agency (CDA)?
The CDA was established to consolidate expertise and improve Singapore's pandemic preparedness and response capabilities.
What are the lessons learned from managing the COVID-19 pandemic?
Key lessons include the need for a tailored response to different types of pandemics and the importance of long-term planning for future crises.
How does the integration with Johor impact Singapore?
The integration aims to enhance economic cooperation and ease of movement, benefiting both Singaporeans and Malaysians in various aspects.

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Subtitles

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00:00:00
there is a imminent possibility you that
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the ground shift under us and we lose
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our Hub status as hard as it was we
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should signal to the world we are doing
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our best to reopen Health on K Health
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Minister onang Minister Oni Kang found
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himself immediately in the midst of the
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fight against covid vaccines have
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already arrived we started vaccination
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mostly age 70 and above I think the
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younger group came later when we had
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more supplies in most government
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restructuring effort it always involved
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government corporatizing some of our
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functions to the private sector in the
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case of CDA we have a lab that's in
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dantoin hospital and then we nationalize
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it into a government statutory
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board one of the most painful things
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that happened during the pandemic was
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that the Crossways were closed the to
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Lings were closed and you severe ties
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between Joor baru Joor State and
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Singapore it was so painful for so many
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people
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Malaysians and
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singaporeans they are big countries
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where they are in political gri loock
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but they can survive it we a small
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country if we are small and yet in
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political gr them we have big trouble oh
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don't feel sorry for yourself every
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generation have their own opportunities
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and own
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challenges Miss song I want to thank you
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for coming on thank you today we're like
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about 5 years out from when 5 years out
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we declare doson
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green February 202 23 so in fact we just
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have our Doon Green Day it's a day that
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moh we observe actually is a day after
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Total Defense day to defense day I
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believe is it's all around the
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Valentine's day period yeah so we
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observe doson Green Day 15th of why do
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you commemorate that day the pandemic
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you know is largely a healthcare crisis
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yeah a healthcare crisis that spill over
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to all aspects of community and economy
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uh so we of course were at the center of
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epicenter of where the pandemic is
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together with the help of so many
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agencies so many segments of
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singaporeans and by the time we reach
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toson green it was a Liberation day of
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some sort yeah yeah so we we
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commemorated within moh it's a
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impressive feat because I
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think if you look back at Singapore's
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performance you had the global average
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was about 1% mortality rate we achieved
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0.1% in a very dense one of
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it's Urban environment totally different
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say Canada Australia people live far
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apart for us very dense and I I'm very
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proud of all that we've done yeah all
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that we' done everybody chipping in and
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how a government response actually in a
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crisis actually is a best sign of how
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good that government is so if I could I
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would like to take us back to when kind
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of the pandemic was first Brewing 5
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years ago when you kind of heard that
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when you were back then the minister of
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Education
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yeah what what kind of the alarm bells
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that were ringing off in your head but
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it's interesting you start with this
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line of questioning I thought people
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forgot about covid
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already in moh we didn't yeah we didn't
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the experience lingers on because every
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time you go to work every time I visit a
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hospital every time I see a GP I know we
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all fought side by side that experience
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is edged deep in the memory and the
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muscle memory too of uh moh uh but
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interesting you raised this because I
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think it is uh an experience we should
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not forget where important lessons were
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learned and and those lessons need to be
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institutionalized into better practices
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in future you asked about when I so so I
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have the rather odd privilege of
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straddling three Ministries throughout
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that three years of pandemic education
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and transport and health uh education I
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think what went through my mind first
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thing was do we need to close schools um
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many parents immediately their first
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reaction is to close the schools no I
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want to keep my children safe at home um
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so at that time I needed two pieces of
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inputs one was from the principles and
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the school leaders I asked how confident
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you are keep the children safe they were
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surprisingly very confident now they
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saying all our uh processes are in place
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emergency processes are all in place um
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that was because because of SAS and we
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can activate them yeah I think what they
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did not realize is that this is not SAS
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right but so which means I need a second
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input which uh that was probably the
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first time I contacted Kenneth mark for
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a long time I knew him from before in KB
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hospital he was a new director General
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Health at that time we call it director
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Medical Services he got plunged straight
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into covid so I asked him does this
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virus attack children more or less
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bearing in mind the Spanish Flu actually
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affected children more right so what is
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covid-19 what creature is it and his
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reply and is a considered reply from m
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is that so far there's no evidence that
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they'll attack children more it seems to
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affect uh old people more and that is
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the experience of the data coming out
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from China so on that basis I felt I
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think we should not close schools but at
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that time there was um a lot of pressure
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I remember a petition probably signed by
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tens of thousands of people I don't know
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whether there were 100,000 petitioners
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addressed to me close schools Minister
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on what you doing close schools yeah so
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I really felt the pressure people want
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me to close schools and should I close
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school but based on the inputs doesn't
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seem to be so um so I decided to go out
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to the streets at that time there were
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no lockdowns yet whenever I meet a
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parents with children I ask what do you
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think should I close schools almost
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almost unanimously you know N Out 10
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even more parents tell me Mr on don't
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close school if you close school how am
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I going to go to work I can't go to work
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yeah keep the schools open keep the
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children safe uh that's when I decided I
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think we keep the schools open all over
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the world schools were closed and I can
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understand why governments close schools
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and why education ministers close school
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because you can't afford to have any
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deaths in amongst children infected in
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school
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immediately I think their HS Will Roll
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so the safer thing to do is to close
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schools close schools closing schools
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have very long-term detrimental effects
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on children especially those from
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vulnerable backgrounds but politicians
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are not around long enough to see those
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impact today people still talk about the
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impact of school closure on children
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they are now growing up some are in
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their teenage years yeah yeah the impact
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is there some of them can never catch up
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but
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you know that political impact is many
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years down yeah and the minister at that
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time didn't have to bear those
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consequences but we always take a
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long-term view uh so we didn't close we
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close eventually we close for one month
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during the circuit breaker yeah but even
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during that one month schools were open
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for the most vulnerable children and
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what was very heartwarming some of the
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long term absentees that we have not
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seen in the school for a long time they
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didn't turned up for schools they turned
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up during that period and they told the
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teachers yeah now there are nobody else
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around I come back and I get the help I
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need yeah so it becomes a refuge for
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them and during that one month even
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though we closed schools we went on to
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online teaching uh which today become
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part and parcel of the curriculum for
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secondary school students uh they do it
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about once every 3 weeks there will be
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one day where you learn from home
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self-learning to to get them to teach
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them the skills for self-directed
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learning which I think is needed um so
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that was the Moe story uh looking back
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I'm quite glad we did not follow the
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rest of the world in closing schools I
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think we live in turbulent times I think
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a lot of people kind of see that but how
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do you then understand a government's
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ability to respond in those turbulent
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times and that's when you kind of go
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back on their track record how they deal
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with pandemics crisis cuz that's when
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you really see their ability to move
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good point good point crisis you see
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your true character and it's interesting
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that Singapore I think was one of the
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only few countries that outside of that
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one month you really kept schools open
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throughout the pandemic which is
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actually the a normally not the norm we
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had a very good ideas from parents you
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know they wrote to me to say Minister on
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this uh uh circuit breaker why don't
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don't you not close school but instead
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you shift the June holidays earlier by
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one month yeah then you declare an
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earlier June holiday yeah yeah then you
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don't have to didn't have to close
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schools so that was a great idea
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brilliant so we did that yeah yeah it's
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actually feedback from the public oh
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that's interesting yeah I didn't know
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that unfortunately I wasn't a student so
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I yeah so we had circuit breaker for two
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months one month is actually the June
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holidays and then one more month is when
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we truly closed schools and move to
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self-directed uh home home based
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learning and then we move on to your
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time in Ministry of Transport where it's
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also you have to make another kind of
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difficult decision because I think uh in
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the pandemic the instinct is to close
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down and shut down but Singapore being a
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important Hub in the region be in air
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Logistics or sea Freight Logistics the
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cost of shutting down is huge yeah what
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was your what was your Russ on back then
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as to why you wanted to keep Singapore
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open we didn't keep Singapore open right
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because the worst is a respiratory
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pandemic like this because it means so
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long as we speak and interact and
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breathe and have social interactions we
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pass the virus so it hit at the
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fundamental of human society that it
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says you can't interact like humans
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anymore Society actually have to break
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down have to close down um and so it
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didn't affect our PSA because that is
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about containers coming in and out of
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Singapore that proceeded and in fact uh
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PSA was doing even higher volumes during
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that period there was a SWS Canal
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blockage and then more containers came
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through Singapore uh so PSA play a huge
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role not just for Singapore but
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regionally globally to make sure supply
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chain keep on going uh uh despite the
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pandemic um but I think Aviation was the
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problem Aviation is about passengers
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it's about human movements and that has
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no choice given the characteristics of
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the virus and the pandemic Chang airport
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has to close and so it became a ghost
00:11:02
town for for many many months and I went
00:11:04
to Ministry of Transport during that
00:11:07
time and that was my key mission in my
00:11:10
mind that must be my key Mission how do
00:11:12
we make sure at the end of the pandemic
00:11:15
we still have a Changi Airport we still
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have an Saia because without that I
00:11:20
think Singapore's economy will take a
00:11:23
very very huge hit if people stop coming
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us coming to Singapore all at the end of
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the pandemic we described at that time
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the pandemic is like a big maong
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reshuffle and you reshuffle you open
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your TOS what kind of you used to have
00:11:39
good cards know after reshuffle you open
00:11:41
your cards again what kind of cards are
00:11:42
you going to get you going to get crap
00:11:44
cards from then on there is a imminent
00:11:47
possibility that the ground shift under
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us and we lose our H status so I felt
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that as hard as it was we should signal
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to the world we are doing our best to to
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reopen we Tred all kinds of ideas that
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the the one that really kind of uh got
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people notice got people uh attention is
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our air travel bubble um so we look
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around for kindred spirit that might
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think the same way as us and the closest
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was Hong Kong yeah yeah we approach many
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countries to consider most of them say
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no no we want to be closed we want we
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talk about this later it was only Hong
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Kong and my counterpart who is quite
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open to the idea and Hong Kong was at
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that time was also containing the virus
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quite well so we thought if we are clean
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you are clean we can travel to each
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other yeah so we
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announced the tra uh Hong Kong Singapore
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travel bubble remember I did a short
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clip in cantones asking Hong kongers to
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come to
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Singapore my Hong Kong counterpart did a
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a video as well urging singaporeans to
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go there and we were about to open when
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when I think there was a cluster in
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Singapore or was there cluster in Hong
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Kong I can't remember that we have to
00:13:01
call it off and then we try to restart
00:13:03
then a cluster appear again in one of
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the territories we have to call it off
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again in the end it couldn't it didn't
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materialize yeah but I think it's still
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a very worthwhile effort because it got
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us on the
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map uh on the aviation map where people
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around the world notice that we are
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trying our best to reopen Singapore
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wants to get back to business I think
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that signal was important s those cases
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especially with the Chang aort it seems
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to maybe a common Observer like wow
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that's actually a
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very over sensationalized or overhype
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view like do you really think Cho is
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going to go away but maybe if you take a
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closer look kind of the network effects
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or kind of the death spiral of a hub if
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you look like throughout history that
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hubs actually can can die and wither
00:13:53
away very quickly and and be mindful in
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Merit time we are a natural heart
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because when you look at the flow coming
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through Strait OFA is probably the it it
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is the shortest route to go to many
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other markets but in aviation we are not
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the most natural Hub geographically you
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can go easily go elsewhere at that time
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it is really scary when you visit Changi
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Airport and it's empty yeah and it's
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empty it's scary why was this like the
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core mission of yours in the sense of
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you really wanted to get it offg
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goinging cuz if I'm looking at it as a
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maybe a PO politi
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I wouldn't take such a huge risk because
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this is like to try this and try and fil
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three times that's such a huge cost to
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my political Capital right so why do you
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kind of still have that view that you
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should take this risk because Chi is
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important to Singapore many livelihoods
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depend on it not just the aviation
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sector the whole economy uh siia is
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important and I'm transport Minister I
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think over time governments or
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bureaucracies tend to be more risk
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averse and I think one of the lessons
00:15:02
that I've learned from the pandemic was
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that actually a lot of governments in
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the world became more risk adverse and
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they tried to do the more risk averse
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thing and in a certain sense it paid off
00:15:12
in the short term but not necessarily in
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the long term and we are lucky I feel to
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be in this environment where the
00:15:19
people's expectations of government I
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think is Du holds through the people's
00:15:24
expectations of government is to do the
00:15:26
right thing for my future the care of
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present definitely but also to safeguard
00:15:32
my future and my children's future and
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people expect that of the government and
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if you're a minister or a civil servant
00:15:39
or anyone in public service you also
00:15:41
have the EOS that I solve the current
00:15:43
problem but I also must have a strong
00:15:45
Eye Clear Eye for the future that is
00:15:48
what's holding our system together
00:15:51
always looking longterm always securing
00:15:53
the future um so to me it was quite
00:15:56
natural as I'm sure to all my colleagues
00:16:00
that I work with in the
00:16:01
Ministries uh which is when we Face a
00:16:04
problem we want to look far and see how
00:16:07
we secure our future and that that that
00:16:10
view trying to get the air travel bubble
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up even though we may not
00:16:16
succeed um I think it's a view shared by
00:16:19
all my colleagues in mot at that time
00:16:22
your current portfolio the Ministry of
00:16:24
Health where you've been there for close
00:16:26
to four years already
00:16:29
it's one of the more complex Ministries
00:16:31
I supposed it's the most complex I've
00:16:33
not gone to a Ministry that complex
00:16:36
economics don't work in moh know every
00:16:39
other Ministry you know there's a set of
00:16:41
economic principle you can apply you
00:16:44
subsidize you tax you know um and how do
00:16:47
you balance the two for which segment of
00:16:49
your portfolio in health is just so
00:16:53
complicated every market failure you can
00:16:55
think of or you studied in school in
00:16:57
textbook you can find it
00:16:59
yeah so I make a pitch here if you're
00:17:01
Economist you want to do interesting
00:17:02
work you come to moh even when I was
00:17:04
looking at some of your past speeches it
00:17:06
makes sense that like the healthcare is
00:17:09
like you have all kinds of distortions
00:17:11
in the market and add on to the fact
00:17:13
that Singapore is a small market then
00:17:14
then that creates a whole another
00:17:16
Distortion the way you even get PR way
00:17:19
you price drugs the way you price
00:17:20
treatments and things like that I was
00:17:22
invited by Houston qua um he's president
00:17:25
of ESS economic Society of Singapore to
00:17:28
address his members during one of their
00:17:30
dinners I think yeah so I decided to put
00:17:32
all the market distortions of Healthcare
00:17:34
in one speech and deliver it uh my pitch
00:17:37
was no please if you're Economist you
00:17:39
want to do good work we are Health
00:17:40
Economist I don't know whether I deter
00:17:42
them or persuaded them the time in which
00:17:45
you entered as the minister of health
00:17:47
during the pandemic you went on this
00:17:49
massive like vaccination drive and you
00:17:52
wanted to push for Singapore to open up
00:17:54
really fast can you take me through what
00:17:56
you were thinking back then when you
00:17:57
first kind of stepped in the road given
00:17:59
the fact that you were already on that
00:18:01
steering committee during the pandemic
00:18:03
if we want to open up Singapore save our
00:18:06
air help I think being an moh is
00:18:11
important yeah uh so I went there at the
00:18:14
same time I was appointed as a chair as
00:18:16
one of the co-chair one of the three
00:18:18
co-chairs of the MTF the multi Ministry
00:18:21
Task Force at that time vaccines have
00:18:24
already arrived we started
00:18:26
vaccination mostly to with those age 70
00:18:30
and above I think uh the younger group
00:18:32
came later when we had more supplies so
00:18:35
we were already on the path of
00:18:38
vaccination so when I went to
00:18:41
moh um very shortly after that we had
00:18:45
our first um corporate planning seminar
00:18:48
where the key Healthcare leaders uh and
00:18:52
agency leaders all came together uh at
00:18:55
that time there was social restrictions
00:18:56
so it was purely a online
00:18:59
uh Affair but I could see their faces on
00:19:01
screen many many faces people at that
00:19:03
time switch on their video um so that
00:19:06
time I spoke about two things it was
00:19:09
close to the media so it's not reported
00:19:11
first a pathway to reopen Singapore and
00:19:15
second healthy SG yeah so even as we
00:19:18
were tackling a pandemic we were
00:19:19
thinking about healthy SG because
00:19:22
whatever we did during the pandemic I
00:19:24
think we can apply in peace time in a
00:19:26
preventive care system but the key uh
00:19:30
priority agenda at that time is what is
00:19:32
the path going forward can we open up so
00:19:36
it was a bit of a testing the water they
00:19:38
want to put forward an agenda that we
00:19:40
vaccinate we open up Singapore even
00:19:42
though it's online the reaction from
00:19:44
clinicians is that is the right thing to
00:19:46
do it came across very strongly even
00:19:49
online yeah so that really give me a lot
00:19:53
of respect to the clinicians because I
00:19:56
know this process is going to be really
00:19:59
hard and it will be hardest on our
00:20:02
hospitals because when you open up more
00:20:05
people will get infected I'll be it I
00:20:07
hope they were all vaccinated at that
00:20:09
time Hospital workload will go up EA and
00:20:12
E will be packed um clinicians will be
00:20:15
very busy but not withstanding that they
00:20:18
say yes do this to me it's a correct
00:20:20
thing to do so going back to your point
00:20:21
earlier what is convenient and shortterm
00:20:24
versus what is correct for Singapore for
00:20:26
the long term I think again the decision
00:20:28
was made and this time by the
00:20:30
professionals yeah so I got that that
00:20:32
encouragement very strongly so presented
00:20:35
that to the MTF discussed with my
00:20:37
co-chair and we all decided that this is
00:20:39
the right thing to do of course it
00:20:41
wasn't straightforward immediately after
00:20:42
that we had the durong port cluster we
00:20:46
have the Caro cluster Delta Delta strain
00:20:50
came in and shot up we pressed on we
00:20:52
couldn't open at the pace that we wanted
00:20:54
because of Delta uh the Delta wave which
00:20:58
only subsided probably later part of the
00:21:01
year then it got replaced by
00:21:03
Omicron uh came out from South AF came
00:21:06
out from Africa but the detection was in
00:21:08
South Africa we scramble around looking
00:21:11
for Clues as to what this creature is
00:21:14
like thankfully his mder that was a
00:21:17
turning point yeah so when you are when
00:21:20
you have entered another wave where
00:21:23
Omicron is milder but still dangerous
00:21:26
and yet and at the same time the
00:21:28
population is getting more and more
00:21:30
vaccinated I think you have two factors
00:21:32
in our in our favor so that gave us the
00:21:35
opportunity to open up so what follows
00:21:38
was was a momentum that we open up step
00:21:40
by step until February
00:21:42
2023 do green and one of the key
00:21:46
takeaways cuz when I read the white
00:21:48
paper was that there was a need to even
00:21:51
then to kind of better coordinate
00:21:54
pandemic responses so then there is now
00:21:57
if I'm not wrong the communicable
00:21:59
disease agency that was set up 2 years
00:22:01
out of the pandemic you set up a whole
00:22:03
new agency that is focused on commical
00:22:06
disease that's actually really fast if
00:22:08
you look at the grand scheme of things
00:22:10
from a from a maybe bureaucratic
00:22:12
perspective that's a very fast
00:22:14
implementation and then um the second
00:22:16
thing that I was trying to grasp was why
00:22:18
was this set up necessary as compared to
00:22:20
what you had me previously what when you
00:22:21
dealt with SAS why do you think there
00:22:23
was a need for this CDA we shouldn't
00:22:25
claim too much credit over CDA other
00:22:27
countries have said cdcs we never had
00:22:30
one yeah and after the pandemic we felt
00:22:33
should have one yeah I would say there
00:22:35
are two important things there the the
00:22:39
the expertise and the competencies are
00:22:42
all all there but they recite in
00:22:45
different agencies okay right so we
00:22:47
consolidate them into CDA there are two
00:22:50
important benefits number one is now we
00:22:52
have a common interface with the rest of
00:22:54
the world because pandemic preparedness
00:22:56
is international work it's not domestic
00:22:58
work so now we have a CDA that is
00:23:00
signing M uh building linkages with cdcs
00:23:03
all around the world we did one with
00:23:05
China for example yeah we sign anou
00:23:07
we're going to exchange data we know
00:23:09
what's happening in China much better um
00:23:12
secondly is we had a lab uh in txin
00:23:16
hospital I think it's it's either part
00:23:18
of CID or is outside MCI but it's more
00:23:21
or less in txin hospital in most
00:23:23
government restructuring effort it
00:23:25
always involve government corporatizing
00:23:27
some of some of our fun funs to the
00:23:29
private sector in the case of CDA
00:23:31
actually we have a lab that's in Tanto
00:23:34
sing hospital and then we nationalize it
00:23:36
into a government statutory board yeah
00:23:40
uh why do we do that because the signs
00:23:42
have changed imagine during SARS that
00:23:46
2003 U genome sequencing is not common
00:23:49
you know so I don't think during that
00:23:51
period SARS virus was genome sequenced
00:23:54
whereas in covid in two weeks it was
00:23:56
genome sequenced and after the sequence
00:23:59
you can develop an art to test it and
00:24:01
with that you have Labs that can do PCR
00:24:04
test art sorry I shouldn't be artt PCR
00:24:07
test with the genome sequencing of the
00:24:09
covid-19 virus we could develop a PCR
00:24:13
test for it yeah and that's done through
00:24:15
the labs so we suddenly realized this
00:24:18
lab has become a national resource yeah
00:24:21
it's very important platform so we
00:24:23
decide to nationalize that CDA give it a
00:24:25
huge bigger National role you
00:24:29
but CDA is one uh aspect um in fact as
00:24:33
we speak um this this process is uh it's
00:24:38
a bit unprecedented know s seldom happen
00:24:41
where we actually um nationalize an
00:24:44
outfit in a hospital into government
00:24:47
proper as a statutory board so the staff
00:24:50
need to be transferred their benefits
00:24:51
needs to be uh transferred to a new
00:24:53
entity we we in fact just had a good
00:24:56
discussion with the unions came out with
00:24:58
a package yesterday they
00:25:00
presented um to the staff and gradually
00:25:04
they are all converting over yeah into
00:25:06
the CDA it's actually a lot of work
00:25:09
behind the scenes to resettle staff into
00:25:11
a new environment um CDA is one aspect
00:25:13
the other major aspect that I think is
00:25:15
quite unique in the Singapore context is
00:25:18
our Amendment to the infectious diseases
00:25:21
act we are probably one of the few
00:25:23
jurisdiction maybe the only one in the
00:25:25
world where we actually articulate
00:25:28
different powers for moh under different
00:25:32
circumstances yeah we have four levels
00:25:34
of of alert yeah from peace time all the
00:25:38
way to emergency and then in between
00:25:40
there's outbreak and there's a threat I
00:25:42
think all four levels at each level we
00:25:44
trigger different powers for the
00:25:46
minister to manage the pandemic so this
00:25:49
is a big lesson we learn from co9 that
00:25:53
we cannot look at every pandemic and
00:25:55
think it stars you know which was what
00:25:58
we did after 2003 we start thinking is
00:26:01
this like SAS then covid came and it's
00:26:03
totally different from SAS less severe
00:26:07
but still quite severe but less severe
00:26:08
than SARS but very much more contagious
00:26:12
with a r that hit 58 so on uh and you
00:26:16
need a totally different set of uh
00:26:19
ammunition to fight this virus yeah
00:26:21
right and so we provided those powers
00:26:24
under the new Ida uh and give us a lot
00:26:28
more flexibility so the lesson for us
00:26:30
next pandemic when it comes I bet you we
00:26:33
all think is co but it will be different
00:26:36
but now you're probably much more
00:26:38
equipped and prepared because you you
00:26:40
have a much more fit for purpose set up
00:26:43
yes I think that's the key word fit for
00:26:45
purpose and before fit for purpose is to
00:26:48
recognize the enemy I think that is the
00:26:52
key lesson I learn right when you see
00:26:54
something new understand it similar to
00:26:57
the questions we ask ate our first
00:27:00
instinct was correct understand it does
00:27:02
it affect children more or less yeah
00:27:06
that's one of the first question because
00:27:07
it de site on schools next you have to
00:27:10
learn about the severity rate uh how
00:27:13
severe it is third you have to learn
00:27:15
about the reproduction rate and fourth
00:27:18
you have to learn about how does it
00:27:19
transmit no is it by air by touch um um
00:27:25
is it transmitted when someone is
00:27:27
asymptomatic but when the person is
00:27:29
symptomatic all this matters once you
00:27:32
understand this few simple
00:27:34
characteristics then you know what is
00:27:36
the policy response because we live in
00:27:39
such a disruptive
00:27:41
time most countries or the world is kind
00:27:44
of undergoing this great fragmentation
00:27:46
as someone like George put it where
00:27:48
every everyone is trying to break away
00:27:51
and then form their own block so there
00:27:53
is a very huge inclination to not
00:27:55
integrate the rest of the world but in
00:27:58
Singapore there's actually a huge
00:27:59
project that's happening now that we're
00:28:01
trying to integrate better with
00:28:02
Johor um and that's actually not the
00:28:06
that's actually not the norm now in the
00:28:07
world that people are countries are
00:28:09
trying to integrate better with other
00:28:12
economies and you're also the MP of
00:28:14
sambarang so you're literally at the tip
00:28:17
or you are going to be at the tip of the
00:28:18
integration once uh woodlands and uh
00:28:22
joha gets linked up through
00:28:25
RTS I want to ask you from your
00:28:27
perspective as MP of sang what does this
00:28:31
integration of this through the Johor
00:28:33
Singapore economic zone what was the
00:28:34
promise for you actually there's a close
00:28:37
relation I would say one of the most
00:28:39
painful things that happened during the
00:28:41
pandemic was that the Crossway was close
00:28:44
yeah in fact the C ways were Clos the
00:28:47
two links were Clos and you severe ties
00:28:50
between Chu Joor State and Singapore it
00:28:54
was so painful for so many people know
00:28:56
Malaysians and Singapore in
00:28:58
and so at that time uh I also work with
00:29:01
my counterpart Kyrie at that time we did
00:29:05
whatever we can work with our uh trade
00:29:07
and industries um colleagues to reopen
00:29:11
the cosway as soon as we can and um I'm
00:29:14
glad it open um but it just showed that
00:29:17
when you lost something at that time
00:29:19
then you realize how close you are uh so
00:29:22
now I'm sambang we share a border my
00:29:26
constituency my GRC shares the border
00:29:28
with yobu yeah uh we're going to have
00:29:31
RTS next year end of next year if
00:29:34
everything goes smoothly it will open
00:29:36
10,000 passengers per hour each way uh
00:29:39
so there's a lot of
00:29:41
exchanges 100,000 200,000 exchanges yeah
00:29:45
a day yeah right I think it changes the
00:29:47
landscape totally as I tell my residents
00:29:50
and sometime they tell me I then going
00:29:52
to Joo is easier than going to o Road
00:29:54
you know yeah as it is going by the cway
00:29:57
they felt that immigration is not that
00:29:59
big a hassle right I was I went to joall
00:30:03
twice uh in December once I went by
00:30:07
normal Channel and it was it was very
00:30:10
convenient you pass your passport to the
00:30:13
immigration officer a minute later they
00:30:15
pass you back which is a similar
00:30:16
experience I had when I traveled from
00:30:18
senton uh from Hong Kong to senton and I
00:30:21
think people are feeling that kind of
00:30:22
ease and convenience and with RTS it's
00:30:25
going to be even easier yeah and so you
00:30:28
start to feel that actually the
00:30:30
economies are so intertwined so
00:30:32
intertwined another trip I went also in
00:30:36
December I wanted to take a look around
00:30:38
buket chaga right uh because the two
00:30:41
stations the Singapore side station is
00:30:44
Woodlands North which is RTS station on
00:30:47
our side is sambang GRC on the other
00:30:49
side is near the checkpoint booket chaga
00:30:52
also near City Square so when I go over
00:30:55
uh walk around City Square was hanging
00:30:58
around the atrium and I hear people say
00:31:00
Minister on can I take a photo with you
00:31:03
so I turned around it's my resident so I
00:31:05
took a photo and then another another
00:31:06
voice can I take a photo with you I turn
00:31:09
around I don't know that person I say
00:31:10
where do you live they say it's j wrong
00:31:12
but they came over to JB and then soon
00:31:15
you have a crowd of people know I you
00:31:17
get that sometimes as a minister
00:31:19
attending an event here but I don't
00:31:21
expect that in Joor after a while I
00:31:24
taking photo I asked where you from some
00:31:26
Malaysians are asking to take photo
00:31:27
photo they say I know you I saw you on
00:31:29
TV you know was like well is this even
00:31:33
legal am I doing anything illegal you
00:31:35
know it shows the the closeness of the
00:31:38
two peoples um so I think there's great
00:31:42
opportunity uh but at the same time I I
00:31:44
would say three things that will affect
00:31:48
us once RTS is open number one is
00:31:51
investment um and I think future
00:31:53
investments will look into not just
00:31:55
Singapore but also leverage on uh joall
00:31:58
you how do I configure my division of
00:32:01
labor so that I benefit on the strengths
00:32:03
of both sides number two is flow of
00:32:06
people I we expect many Malaysian work
00:32:09
permit holders they may stay in your and
00:32:12
commute over to work yeah yeah and
00:32:14
making it a lot easier thirdly is
00:32:17
consumption that is where we need to be
00:32:19
quite careful because a lot of
00:32:21
consumption is going to go over
00:32:23
retailers coffee shops I think will feel
00:32:25
the pressure which is why I'm also
00:32:28
working with MDI to see how can we help
00:32:31
this group especially those in the north
00:32:33
yeah they need to be able to
00:32:35
survive uh cost we need to find a way to
00:32:39
help them moderate how to also
00:32:41
rejuvenate their business you know how
00:32:42
to encourage some of them to open
00:32:44
outlets on the other side benefiting
00:32:46
from the market the other side uh I
00:32:48
think these are some of the Practical
00:32:49
things we are looking into economy
00:32:51
integration would look a lot more like
00:32:53
what you Shar earlier about Hong Kong
00:32:55
and shinan Yu River delta you can kind
00:32:58
of balance the synergies more in terms
00:33:00
of FDI coming in I think different I I
00:33:03
don't want it to become Hong Kong
00:33:05
sentent oh yeah but there are
00:33:07
similarities some in the sense that is
00:33:10
two territories that is very closely
00:33:13
relate uh connected in the case of Hong
00:33:15
Kong um they wind down their
00:33:18
manufacturing many years ago and they
00:33:20
moved to senen and then over time sunen
00:33:23
also have a big Renaissance in uh
00:33:26
startups in r&
00:33:28
digital creative sectors even Ai and so
00:33:33
and then plas the consumption in Hong
00:33:35
Kong move over to senton so actually it
00:33:38
is a situation that's quite challenging
00:33:39
for Hong Kong I find it is not the
00:33:42
situation we want to be in we have
00:33:43
always kept engineering yeah we always
00:33:45
kept manufacturing we are still a hub
00:33:48
for tourism or R&D and we should keep
00:33:51
that but now I think with Joo integrated
00:33:54
with our economy more closely integrated
00:33:57
with our economy I think we have to see
00:33:59
how to do how to make oursel even better
00:34:02
the other example we look at will be say
00:34:06
New York New Jersey but neither do I
00:34:08
think that describes things accurately
00:34:11
because action is all in New York New
00:34:13
Jersey is just a suburb suburb where
00:34:15
people go to live and to spend not even
00:34:18
spend they I think they still spend in
00:34:20
New York I don't think Joor is that Joor
00:34:22
is actually very vibrant with a lot of
00:34:24
offerings so I think you look around the
00:34:26
world I can't find an exact uh exact
00:34:31
situation that we want to emulate but
00:34:33
this is something quite unique yeah that
00:34:35
we have to make the best use of from my
00:34:37
perspective is that yeah we definitely
00:34:39
want to keep an industrial base here
00:34:40
because we are starting to see the huge
00:34:42
cost of the industrializing an economy
00:34:45
when they don't have that kind of
00:34:46
industrial base or engineering
00:34:47
capability then your economy atrophies
00:34:50
very quickly yeah
00:34:52
the the question I had then would be if
00:34:55
you were to look at the ideal State for
00:34:57
the economy as an MP right uh what what
00:35:00
would that look like uh for Singapore
00:35:02
after this integration my involvement in
00:35:05
RDS and new is because of sambang JC so
00:35:08
it's in my capacity as an MP yeah there
00:35:11
is some interest in healthcare because
00:35:13
singaporeans do go over for their some
00:35:16
uh for for their treatments including
00:35:18
outpatient scans for example uh dental
00:35:21
treatment for example yeah so these are
00:35:24
policy issues that we need to look at at
00:35:26
some point about singaporeans going to
00:35:29
Johor to seek medical treatment but by
00:35:31
and large my involvement is one of an MP
00:35:35
yeah and I think there is a lot of
00:35:37
opportunities we can work on I know that
00:35:40
my residents are looking forward very
00:35:42
much to the opening of RTS and
00:35:45
stretching their dollar there I always
00:35:46
remember I always tell them you know I
00:35:48
go over to eat chocolate is 8 ring 12
00:35:51
ring you know if not of the exchange
00:35:54
rate if the exchange rate is still one
00:35:55
to one which is the case when I grew up
00:35:58
it's actually very expensive PL of know
00:36:01
we only find it affordable because of
00:36:03
the favorable exchange rate in our favor
00:36:06
so Singapore economy must always do well
00:36:09
the dollar is strong we can stretch our
00:36:11
dollar when we go overseas consumption
00:36:13
is one big aspect that's very relevant
00:36:16
to my residents in sang but also I think
00:36:19
in terms of the ease of workers from
00:36:22
chho those with work permit coming over
00:36:25
to work that is also very positive for
00:36:27
many of our employers yeah uh we need to
00:36:30
cushion the downside for retail for FMB
00:36:33
in the north and working MTI on that but
00:36:37
all in all I think it's a very positive
00:36:39
uh very positive development especially
00:36:41
for us in the north you know so my
00:36:44
counterpart on the other side around
00:36:46
buket chaga I have two counterparts
00:36:49
because there's the state MP and there's
00:36:51
the federal MP State MP is uh
00:36:54
anden uh Federal MP is Lin yeah he's a
00:36:59
he's a vice minister so I'm in touch
00:37:01
with both of them so when the RTS open I
00:37:03
think we should look at how how we can
00:37:06
host each other's residents more
00:37:08
frequently it is very odd I think first
00:37:11
time in Singapore we have this kind of
00:37:12
situation but I find that I'm so close
00:37:15
to another constituency that is in
00:37:18
another country you know uh closer than
00:37:21
say East Coast or West Coast Ora even uh
00:37:25
but I
00:37:26
think this is how the people traffic
00:37:28
will flow in future yeah Andrew CH tell
00:37:32
me interesting story which is during
00:37:34
covid we talk
00:37:35
about how covid severe ties and it was
00:37:38
so painful so he was saying uh he cut
00:37:43
his teeth as an MP because during covid
00:37:46
so many Malaysians were working in
00:37:48
Singapore and they continue to want to
00:37:50
work in Singapore but because the cway
00:37:52
is closed they can't go back some of
00:37:54
them are mothers and so their babies are
00:37:56
back in Joo and they were breastfeeding
00:37:59
the babies but they stuck in Singapore
00:38:02
so he found a fruit cell in samban being
00:38:06
a fruit seller he knows how to uh
00:38:10
maintain a cold chain so the mothers
00:38:12
Express their milk send to the fruit
00:38:14
seller who then ref refrigerate properly
00:38:18
TCH every mother to every baby and then
00:38:21
truck it over yeah and deliver to the
00:38:24
babies in two years over the two years
00:38:26
of the pandemic
00:38:28
delivered 65,000 kg of breast milk yeah
00:38:32
wow it's amazing story you know yeah
00:38:34
literally a ground up Coe chain yeah
00:38:37
ground up Co chain through a fruit
00:38:39
seller in samb I should go and pay the
00:38:41
fruit seller
00:38:42
visit I wanted to ask you about you
00:38:45
cutting your teeth because one on one
00:38:48
hand it's very promising to see
00:38:51
Singapore go in that direction of
00:38:53
bucking the trend of trying to see new
00:38:55
ways we can configure our economy and
00:38:57
stay IR relevant and competitive so as a
00:38:58
young Singapore and that's actually
00:39:00
really encouraging that we're thinking
00:39:02
about these things there is also another
00:39:05
important aspect is that you always need
00:39:08
leaders at the top to be thinking about
00:39:10
this and you need talent and talent is
00:39:13
rare and what I want to ask you was
00:39:16
because you have what I want to ask you
00:39:18
was that you've had various positions in
00:39:22
government outside of government private
00:39:24
public sector even in the trade unions
00:39:26
what what is it about being a minister
00:39:28
or being a political office holder uh
00:39:33
what are the skill sets you need that
00:39:35
maybe people outside they don't have a
00:39:37
clear sense of what theys well I worked
00:39:39
several years in the private sector as
00:39:42
well and I we have many private sector
00:39:45
leaders working in public service uh
00:39:48
almost voluntarily chairing our boards
00:39:50
sitting in our boards so I interact with
00:39:52
them a lot and I find many of the skill
00:39:54
sets are similar you need to be able to
00:39:57
to uh digest data digest
00:40:02
facts uh crystallize the
00:40:05
issue down to a few considerations make
00:40:09
a judgment I think that's the key thing
00:40:11
for leaders to do and also of course
00:40:13
have a vision about the future where we
00:40:15
are leading the organization or the
00:40:18
sector those were the key uh skill sets
00:40:21
for a leader I feel and also
00:40:23
communication I get the list get gets
00:40:26
more and more but uh Vis Vision decision
00:40:30
making able to communicate and able to
00:40:33
draw in people to work for you yeah I
00:40:35
think these are the key skill sets
00:40:37
similar whether in public or private
00:40:39
sector or the unions I think what is
00:40:42
different about public sector is
00:40:44
probably peculiar to the public sector
00:40:46
that there's a certain way of working in
00:40:48
the
00:40:49
bureaucracy uh so the difference is more
00:40:51
instinctive than skills uh is the
00:40:55
difference is in instincts rather than
00:40:56
skills
00:40:57
so a private sector person coming over
00:41:00
may have all the skills no but may not
00:41:03
have the same instinct or patience uh or
00:41:06
inclination to work in a bureaucracy
00:41:09
bureaucracy needs maybe a bit more
00:41:11
patience and uh the ability to know how
00:41:15
things
00:41:16
work how to navigate your way in order
00:41:20
to arrive at the right decision I've
00:41:22
heard it say that you know a lot of
00:41:23
people say oh you know it's easy to plan
00:41:26
you know plop a private sector executive
00:41:29
into politics and they can do well some
00:41:31
do some do like my friend uh taning I
00:41:34
thought he doing very well he's coming
00:41:36
in with a private sector zest full of
00:41:39
ideas he sometime rais ideas with me
00:41:42
informally healthare how about we do
00:41:43
this do this or sometime tell him no in
00:41:45
the bureaucracy doesn't work doesn't
00:41:47
work like that other times I think it
00:41:49
was very good ideas you know uh so I
00:41:52
think he's doing well and adapting very
00:41:54
well to the system right uh but I think
00:41:56
it requires you to bring that zest and
00:41:59
the enterprising Spirit from private
00:42:01
sector and able to apply it in the
00:42:03
context of public sector which functions
00:42:06
differently do you think about Talent
00:42:08
attraction a lot how do you how do you
00:42:10
spot or how do you kind of attract
00:42:13
talent to join your cause I think the
00:42:17
key thing uh is getting harder and
00:42:19
harder to attract private sector talent
00:42:22
to come over to work in public sector
00:42:25
yeah whether as a public servant or as a
00:42:26
politican
00:42:28
uh I think the most
00:42:30
powerful and
00:42:32
persuasive uh factor for them to
00:42:35
consider is the is the mission yeah it's
00:42:40
the impact you can bring to so many
00:42:42
people that you can't achieve in you
00:42:45
rarely can achieve that in the private
00:42:47
sector in public sector you can do a lot
00:42:50
of things that impact a lot of lives and
00:42:52
so that I feel is probably the most
00:42:55
attractive uh
00:42:58
attribute of a public service career but
00:43:01
what are the deterrence you think from
00:43:02
people to kind of join you in politics
00:43:05
or or in policy making uh is it
00:43:09
because scrutiny or is it because of
00:43:11
like different opportunity cost cuz I
00:43:13
think back in like for example Le time
00:43:15
he would say it's not replicable because
00:43:17
everyone knew back then it was like you
00:43:19
either sing or Swim but now the
00:43:20
considerations are different I'm a bit
00:43:22
idealistic so everything you raise I
00:43:24
think is a factor scrutiny
00:43:27
privacy uh some is for some is pay yeah
00:43:31
but I think
00:43:32
ultimately the biggest deterrent is when
00:43:34
they fail to see that sense of mission
00:43:38
when they say okay I come over I may end
00:43:40
up dealing with a lot of paperwork rate
00:43:41
tape I I don't see why I must go why I
00:43:44
would consider switching my career so I
00:43:47
think the biggest deterrent is the
00:43:49
failure to enable them to see the
00:43:52
possibility of making a huge impact to
00:43:55
current and future Generations Singapore
00:43:58
if that can come across in a compelling
00:43:59
way and it's not easy but we have to
00:44:02
make it compelling then I think more
00:44:04
people will want to join and prepare to
00:44:06
make all these sacrifices and the rest
00:44:09
become just reasons and for you I guess
00:44:12
it's about painting that vision of the
00:44:13
future so then naturally I have to put
00:44:15
you in the spot right if you were to
00:44:17
kind of make a pitch for someone to join
00:44:20
you what is the what is the kind of
00:44:22
vision that you're painting for them to
00:44:25
to to help you know help serve Singapore
00:44:28
in that sense the kind of issues we deal
00:44:30
with in every Ministry I think you'll
00:44:32
always be there COE prices congestion
00:44:35
cost of living uh we all be there but I
00:44:39
think
00:44:40
what maybe more exciting is what has
00:44:43
changed what is what are the generation
00:44:46
Chang generational changes and how
00:44:48
people can play a part and I think we
00:44:50
have a few generation changes we are
00:44:52
grappling with this generation of
00:44:54
leaders we have to Grapple with uh uh
00:44:58
number one is
00:44:59
geopolitical right you have a different
00:45:02
geopolitical situation which means
00:45:04
Singapore's role is different yeah we
00:45:07
have to redefine that to redefine that
00:45:09
so key thing is the most important uh
00:45:13
bilateral relationship in the world is
00:45:14
us and China it has changed so when it
00:45:17
has changed doesn't mean end of the
00:45:19
world you know there are new opportunity
00:45:21
situation have changed how does
00:45:23
Singapore continue to play a role being
00:45:26
Partners to both being friends with both
00:45:28
and adding value to both and the rest of
00:45:30
the world yeah requires us to rethink
00:45:33
yeah so there's number one that's the
00:45:35
generation change second is the biggest
00:45:38
Social Development that we are
00:45:40
confronting uh which is aging this is
00:45:43
inexorable to me the only way to tackle
00:45:47
aging is to stay healthy yeah stay
00:45:49
healthy stay active then 65 is not old
00:45:53
maybe 75 years old then I think that's
00:45:55
the only way push
00:45:57
the definition of Aging not just on
00:46:00
paper but in real life medically
00:46:03
economically uh that is what we need to
00:46:06
bring about which is what healthy SG H
00:46:08
well SG what we are every policy we are
00:46:10
doing is moving towards that direction
00:46:13
thirdly I would say climate change we
00:46:15
may not feel it climate change is a bit
00:46:17
like chronic illness it worsen year by
00:46:20
year but one day you drop off the cliff
00:46:22
yeah and that date is getting nearer and
00:46:25
nearer um I caps melting means water
00:46:28
level rising which is a imminent threat
00:46:30
for Singapore so we need to tackle that
00:46:33
internationally playing a role and being
00:46:35
a role model being a reference point
00:46:37
that other countries can see this is a
00:46:39
best practice domestically also
00:46:42
protecting ourself against Rising water
00:46:45
finally I would say
00:46:46
politics I think our democracy is
00:46:49
maturing singaporeans have different
00:46:51
aspirations there's underlying desire
00:46:53
for more opposition more diverse voices
00:46:57
uh so I think politically we are
00:46:59
probably not at the equilibrium you know
00:47:02
sometimes people talk about opposition
00:47:03
wipe out it's impossible singaporeans
00:47:05
want opposition it's not possible when
00:47:08
you want opposition for opposition wipe
00:47:09
out there will be opposition but
00:47:11
question is how many what role do they
00:47:14
play what are the standards we set for
00:47:16
ourselves for opposition so that
00:47:18
politics continue to work for us yeah we
00:47:21
must arrive at the stage whatever the
00:47:24
configuration that let people feel that
00:47:26
is equilibrium it must be a good
00:47:28
equilibrium a positive equilibrium not a
00:47:31
negative equilibrium uh a positive
00:47:33
equilibrium where Singapore is still
00:47:36
decisive small we can't change that
00:47:38
geographical fact but at least decisive
00:47:41
agile adaptable they are big countries
00:47:44
where they are in political G lck but
00:47:46
they can survive it we're a small
00:47:48
country if we are small and yet in
00:47:51
political G lck then we have big trouble
00:47:53
right so we must always be small but
00:47:55
compens we will be small but compensate
00:47:57
that with the decisiveness agility and
00:48:00
ability to look longterm which was the
00:48:02
start of your question then I think we
00:48:04
are in a good place so I think that is
00:48:06
also a generation change how do we
00:48:08
transit to a healthy positive
00:48:10
equilibrium politically with that come
00:48:13
to my last question okay after I say all
00:48:15
this I don't know whether we will be
00:48:16
able to attract private sector talent to
00:48:19
I think all the more I I think all the
00:48:20
more the the appeal will be there the
00:48:22
first generation of leaders did that by
00:48:24
Framing the existential Challenge and I
00:48:26
think to a certain extent we also live
00:48:27
in times where we need to reconsider the
00:48:30
existential challenge that Singapore
00:48:31
faces as well yeah never underestimate
00:48:34
the future the last question I had was
00:48:36
what is the one piece of advice you
00:48:38
would give to a fresh graduate
00:48:40
Singaporean or not uh entering the
00:48:42
workforce today oh don't feel sorry for
00:48:44
yourself yeah every generation have
00:48:47
their own opportunities and own
00:48:49
challenges but because it's different
00:48:52
there's always every generation like
00:48:53
when I came out to the to the workforce
00:48:55
I like how come I gen generation seem to
00:48:58
have it better I seem to have it worse
00:49:00
not true when you I think back actually
00:49:03
we had it quite good likewise for this
00:49:06
generation competition is tougher but
00:49:07
opportunities are abound the more
00:49:10
opportunities to work overseas as well
00:49:12
yeah so take it as it is yeah there are
00:49:15
pros and cons with every generation yeah
00:49:17
so be positive employers look for that
00:49:20
yeah always be positive always be
00:49:22
optimistic always know what is my value
00:49:24
what value can I bring to the employers
00:49:27
and try don't ask for work from home let
00:49:32
the employer offer you uh don't be the
00:49:34
first question to us it doesn't give
00:49:36
leave a good impression to the employer
00:49:38
that's good advice with that thank you
00:49:39
Minister for coming on okay thank you
00:49:41
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