Additional Support Measures in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Deputy Speaker, Sir, once again, let me thank all the healthcare workers and all frontline personnel for the hard work they have done so far to keep Singapore safe for all of us. I would also like to thank all Singaporeans for working together, failing which, we would not be here today.

It is with a heavy yet grateful heart that I rise to support this Supplementary Resilience and Solidarity Budget. It has only been a few weeks since we concluded the Debate on our annual Budget Statement. In the short period since, the COVID-19 crisis has escalated and I had been hoping that the worst is over.

Around the world, hundreds of thousands of people have been infected and tens of thousands have died. This is an unprecedented global health, financial and social crisis. The world, as we knew it, has changed drastically.

Here in Singapore, in our day-to-day lives, while there have been some changes to our routines, we have not yet experienced the magnitude of the impact many other countries have. Hopefully, we will be able to continue to buy time with these supportive measures. No one knows how long or how deep the crisis will be. I am glad that Deputy Prime Minister Heng has given all of us the assurance that additional measures or the extension of announced measures will be considered should the crisis be prolonged.

Notwithstanding these uncertainties, let us strive to have our businesses to resume activities and recover as quickly as possible with all the latest additional measures in place and implemented successfully. Revenue is the lifeblood of businesses. More businesses would collapse if sales remain stagnant or decline further. We must do what we can to minimise and slow the potential domino effect.

I applaud the schemes to support our businesses but the implementation would perhaps need some Government intervention. For example, according to some stallholders and tenants, their landlords have not reduced rents for them despite these extraordinary circumstances. The new legislation to ensure that landlords pass on property tax rebates in full to their tenants would help businesses to a certain degree. On the other hand, some landlords complain that stallholders and tenants have delayed paying their rents or that they have lost rentals due to rising vacancies. Yet, they have to continue to meet their mortgage payments to the banks and finance companies. I suppose everyone has his difficulties and plight and the root of the problem is revenue loss and the resulting cashflow problems.

Retail companies, including those downstream industries supporting tourism, are requesting to increase the wage offset under the Enhanced Jobs Support Scheme for their sector from 25% to 50%, for the remaining qualifying months beyond April. Same as for food and beverage firms.  Other feedback includes more lenient criteria for reduction or waiver of the foreign workers' levy for staff who are serving Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notices beyond April; reducing the road tax for logistics companies and providing more rental assistance to JTC and HDB commercial tenants.

Gig workers, such as Grab delivery staff, need help, too. They are considered self-employed. How would the Government reach out to them and auto-include them in assistance schemes?

We would need to continue to encourage enterprises and investments and I urge the Government, its agencies and various private sector firms which may have put some projects on hold, to proceed to award contracts and carry out their plans, all of which will help to stimulate our economy and create jobs.

In the meantime, we must all do our part to boost the level of hygiene in our public areas. The public education effort has been intensive. We must heed the advice not only during this trying period but also beyond and adopt such hygienic practices as our way of life to reduce the spread of diseases. From the correct handwashing technique to utilising and disposing of tissues properly, new norms for social interactions and use of public facilities, how will the Government ensure compliance? What will be done to enhance the hygiene at the hawker centres and public toilets? How do we encourage more tray returns and get food handlers and stall holders to wear hair caps and spit-guards?

In addition, how will the Government work with property owners to ensure cleanliness, especially for food and retail establishments, hawker centres, coffeeshops and public areas? These efforts will require quickly stepping up the professionalisation of the cleaning sector with training and certification. The crisis also highlights how dependent we are on foreign workers to maintain a clean Singapore and how we need to expedite the adoption of technology to overcome the problem of limited manpower resources.

The COVID-19 crisis has also brought to the fore the urgency of ramping up our own food supply as part of a set of measures to enhance our food security. Supply chains have been disrupted and are under stress due to lockdowns and the impact of the virus on logistics staff and workers around the world. Will the Government share how much the impact has affected our food supply?

Our 30-30 vision will have to be brought forward. This is a challenging but necessary task, considering that we import 90% of our food. How will the Government do so? How can we attract more Singaporeans to this sector and what are the challenges faced by our local farms? How are we tapping on new techniques and technology to overcome our local constraints? Deputy Speaker, in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Many countries around the world are currently in a state of emergency, imposing border controls, no-fly rules and local movement controls. The outbreak has dealt an unprecedented blow to the aviation, transportation, entertainment, arts, tourism, hotel and catering industries. Because of the extreme panic, the financial sector is also abnormal. Almost all assets were sold for cash. Stocks and bonds, and even gold, were sold, leading to the collapse of many companies. The collapse in oil prices has made the global economy worse.

My residents and friends around me have expressed their understanding and full support for the many measures the Government must take to prevent the epidemic, but they are equally concerned that "people starve to death before the virus is dead" (in Hokkien).

While we cannot predict how long the crisis will last, we need to remain positive, prepare for the global recovery and stay ahead of the competition. We must pay attention to the dynamics of our environment. Take a simple example. Recently, because Malaysia implemented movement control, durian merchants have difficulty picking up from their suppliers, durian prices have plummeted, and the merchants, in order to survive, turned to selling eggs instead, with excellent results. We are facing a turning point in history. The way the world works will change dramatically. Individuals, businesses and nations have to rethink the way they work, their business models and their governance policies, how to turn failures into successes, how to keep up with the times, even leaping ahead of the competition.

We must remain united and prove to the world that we Singaporeans are resilient in order to continue to attract high-quality investments to Singapore. I am confident that even during this crisis, we can create quality jobs for all Singaporeans and even as we fight this crisis, make good preparations for our future.

We also need to work with countries around the world to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Even the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which controls the Gaza Strip, has joined forces with Israel to fight the outbreak.

Finally, I would like to borrow the famous poem "Qingming" by Tang poet Du Mu and paraphrase it to express our aspirations:

A pandemic in this time of Qing Ming;

Businesses shut down with broken hearts;

Don’t ask when this outbreak will end,

Fight together to end the pandemic, we play our parts!

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to speak in this debate on our Resilience and now Solidarity Budget, which is a much-needed and generous assistance package for many Singaporeans during this challenging time. I wish to express gratitude for the hard work put in by Prime Minister Lee, Deputy Prime Minister Heng, the Inter-Ministerial COVID-19 task force and our civil and public servants who have worked tirelessly to manage the COVID-19 situation and put in place the necessary support and assistance for Singaporeans during this difficult period.

I am heartened and moved by the extent of assistance provided in the Resilience Budget and now the Solidarity Budget – for employees, employers, business owners, the self-employed, job-seekers, the unemployed, and low-income and middle income families, among other specific segments of our society.

As the various assistance schemes and initiatives are being rolled out, Singaporeans will need to stay resilient and innovative in keeping their heads above water as the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak will continue to plague us for many more months ahead.

In my speech, I wish to speak on three matters which residents have raised with me. One, plight of the self-employed and future of the gig economy; two, employment opportunities for job-seekers and school leavers; and three, fees and loans payment.

First, on the plight of the self-employed and future of the gig economy. The Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) is very generous in helping Self Employed Persons (SEPs) over a period of nine months. This will certainly help SEPs during this difficult period. While the current SIRS scheme is useful, we should never rule out the possibility of other possible crises from happening in the future and which may put one's income-earning potential at risk once more, which is particularly more likely for SEPs.

Hence, my concern is what happens after the nine months. Will our SEPs be able to find a more permanent form of employment that will provide them with a more stable income in future? How can we encourage greater participation in the SEP Training Support Scheme and other employment assistance schemes, such as Career Trial or Attach-and-Train? Can a more targeted employment assistance be rendered to SEPs to help them secure a more permanent and stable form of employment for the future?

My other concern is regarding businesses that are severely affected because of the COVID-19 outbreak. While business owners can leverage on the Jobs Support Scheme to retain their current employees until October this year, what will happen thereafter? It will be very difficult for business owners to recoup losses incurred during this period, and they may decide to scale down their operations considerably and cut costs eventually. One of the ways in which they may decide to scale down their operations and cut costs, would be to let go of permanent hires and outsource work to freelancers or those doing gig work. This may lead to a growth of the gig economy, which may be acceptable during healthy economic growth. But during periods of crises, such as now, we will once again have income insecurity among the freelancers and those doing gig work. What more can we do to help them have better income security despite periods of crises?

Two, on employment opportunities for job-seekers and school leavers. I am reassured that the Government is looking to help job-seekers, in particular, first-time job-seekers just entering the job market. It is a very challenging time to be looking for employment, especially when you do not have sufficient work experience.

Even among my students in the University, some have shared their difficulty in securing a more permanent employment because of the current economic uncertainty. Those particularly affected are in the hospitality and tourism as well as design sectors.

While the SG United Traineeship programme will be able to provide our young people with opportunities to gain invaluable work experience, to enhance their employability and eventually land a relatively secure job, our students do question whether the few years they spent in a specific programme preparing for a job in an industry which is not able to provide employment for them has been a futile effort.

I hope that under the SG United Traineeship programme, recent University, Polytechnic and ITE graduates who are looking to gain employment in an industry that is different from the one they have been trained in, will be given recognition for their academic training and qualification as well as related work experience, and can be accorded some form of recognition for these when they are granted employment in a different sector thereafter.

Three, fee and loan payment. The freezing of all Government fees and charges for one year until 31 March 2021 is a much welcomed move. It helps to ease the financial burden for new graduates who are facing difficulty in securing employment during this period. The suspension of late payment charges on HDB mortgage arrears will help many Singaporean households better manage their tight finances during this period.

However, what about late payment charges for other fees, such as telco and utilities, where consumption is likely to increase as more Singaporeans work from home? Can they also be waived for residents for a period of six months or so?

In addition, I have residents who have written in to ask for a redirection of childcare or student care fees during the "circuit-breaker" period until 4 May 2020. Can the childcare or student care fees already paid during this period be redirected to pay for the later months when childcare or student care services are in full operations again? At this juncture, Mr Deputy Speaker, please allow me to speak in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The COVID-19 outbreak has transformed our lives. Most of us did not expect the advent of this pandemic and the resulting changes. It has impacted our income, jobs and businesses within a very short period of time. Many were also unprepared to deal with the challenges that came along with it. Among the challenges that must be addressed are related to financial issues and having enough savings to tide over this difficult economic times, especially for those who are self-employed or working freelance.

Among the initiatives and support schemes under the new Resilience Budget is the Training Support Scheme for the self-employed. Although the Government is currently providing financial support to the self-employed, the opportunity to undergo training must also be highlighted.

I hope that the self-employed or freelancers can make use of this opportunity to upgrade their skills and gain relevant knowledge and experience, which will help to improve their chance of getting permanent jobs in the future.

At the same time, the launch of the SG United Jobs initiative, which will provide about 10,000 public sector job openings, will present opportunities to those who are looking for permanent employment.

I hope that our community can make use of this time and available opportunities to enhance their skills, knowledge and experience, and plan their career wisely.

There is a Malay idiom that advises one to “do any job that is available first until something better comes along”.

(In English) Mr Deputy Speaker, the COVID-19 outbreak has changed many things and thwarted many plans that we had. In response, the Government has pulled out the stops and introduced extensive and generous assistance packages, schemes and initiatives to help Singaporeans. These will certainly help alleviate the hardships and challenges we face. But individually, we also need to start leveraging on opportunities to upgrade our skills and expertise, continue learning and re-learning, and look for opportunities so that we remain relevant.

The COVID-19 outbreak has changed many things, but it is also an opportunity for us to make some much-needed changes ourselves. In the words of Thomas Carlyle, "Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements and impossibilities: It is this that, in all things, distinguishes the strong from the weak", and I am confident we will emerge from this crisis even stronger as a nation. I support the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to first thank Deputy Prime Minister Heng and everyone in his team at MOF for the immense amount of work they did to make this Supplementary Budget possible within such a tight timeline.

For many of us, these first three months of 2020 have felt like a "horror suspense" movie that keeps us anxious and on the edge till the end. Except, we are not watching this movie – we are living it, and we still do not know when is the end and how it would end.

Many people – some I know and some I do not – have reached out for help as their lives are turned upside down. An acquaintance almost killed himself last Monday because he has lost all his gigs as an event emcee. A single mother of a young boy, who lives with an elderly mother, has had her salary cut by 50%. Many migrant workers struggle to pay for their daily essentials because there is no more overtime pay to make.

Sir, it is hard to fault such a generous Budget trying to avert an economic calamity and save jobs and industry – even lives. Yet, the crisis illuminates long-term cracks that we must address decisively for a good and strong rebound as a nation.

Every crisis is an opportunity to observe the cracks, rectify the causes and become more prepared for the future.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I will first spotlight the cracks in two areas. First, mental health of our people in this crisis and, second, low-income households who will bear the brunt of the crisis. I will then raise suggestions from the communities that aim to not only cushion the immediate impact of COVID-19 but also future-proof our social and psychological resilience for a more equal and united people.

Mr Deputy Speaker, this House is familiar with my call for mental health to inform our Budget and national policies. I was initially alarmed that the Resilience Budget did not allocate any funding and resources to mental healthcare, support and research for this period. I am now slightly relieved that Deputy Prime Minister Heng acknowledged the need for mental health support as part of the national response in the Solidarity Budget announced today. But I do not think we are doing enough. Allow me to elaborate.

Pandemics inflict psychological carnage. Pandemics can trigger new psychiatric symptoms even in the healthy. Safe distancing, constant fear and anxiety, the loss of loved ones, job losses, industrial failures will wear down our national psyche.

AWARE has received 33% more calls than usual on its Women’s Hotline in the last month, as social isolation measures entrap victims with their abusers. Our senior citizens are left to battle loneliness as community activities cease. A Straits Times report yesterday confirmed that some living with mental illnesses have suffered a relapse or that their conditions have worsened.

I also worry for our office-holders and civil servants who bear the weight of spearheading the fight. I read the recent news of the German State Minister’s suicide over COVID-related stress with alarm and sadness.

Now, more than ever, we must prioritise mental health support. In fact, a mental health disaster is starting in Wuhan just as the Coronavirus crisis is easing. Prime Minister Lee has said that it might take several years for COVID-19 to run its course. For us, the psychological toll has barely started.

Sir, I propose that relevant experts be appointed to join the Multi-Ministry COVID-19 Taskforce to advise the Government on mental health implications and commensurate policy interventions. This proposal has been raised by mental health experts themselves. A Budget should also be set aside without delay to implement public health experts’ recommendations on mental health to avert a further public health crisis.

I urge the Government to broadcast through all its publicity channels, practical advice on maintaining mental well-being in various COVID-related situations. The NHS Inform in Scotland dedicates an entire section of their website to this. Guidance should also be published for all employers on supporting their employees’ mental well-being.

Sir, this House will recall that I asked MOH at COS to start a national mental health hotline for distress support. I am relieved that Minister Desmond Lee announced the National CARE Hotline yesterday and he mentioned today as well. I hope it will be strategically designed and implemented to continue beyond this crisis.

I also repeat my call made at the COS that the Government consider allowing the first mental healthcare consultation for all Singaporeans to be free so as to incentivise help-seeking. We can pilot this during the crisis. We must enable quality mental healthcare and subsidise fees for individuals whose mental health has suffered due to COVID-19, especially for lower income households. More resources must also be funnelled to organisations, such as Samaritans of Singapore, AWARE and Silver Ribbon, whose free counselling services are likely to become strained in the days to come.

Last but not least, I urge the Public Services Division to provide the necessary mental health support for all our civil servants and healthcare workers through this intense period.

Mr Deputy Speaker, let me now move to the impact of the crisis on lower income households and individuals. I do not underestimate the imminent cash flow struggle that many Singaporeans face – my own friends and family are treading water. But lower income families will suffer more than most.

Adam (not his real name) is a hotel cleaner in his 50s. Because of the crisis, he has had no work since 25 March. Beyond Social Services has reported that their members who are disproportionately engaged in low-paid and precarious forms of work have suffered a sharp drop in household income, or lost their jobs altogether.

Families like Adam’s live on the edge. Even in good times, he took home about $1,600 each month. One thousand four hundred dollars went to his wife for groceries and household expenses. That amount is not always enough for them and their four young children.

Such want is normal in parts of Singapore. In 2018, about 300,000 residents earned less than $2,000 per month. Household expenses for the average Singaporean household in the lowest income quintile have consistently exceeded income for the last 10 years. Twenty-seven thousand of the poorest households in Singapore have, on average, $246 in savings per household member. Our low-wage workers have always been insecure, and this insecurity will be exacerbated in an economic crisis.

Unfortunately, the measures announced are not enough to bail out a low-income household that loses its income, especially for those with several dependants. Based on my calculations quickly, Adam will receive $7,632 through the various schemes, including the $600 Solidarity Payment that was announced today. Mr Deputy Speaker, the estimated household expenditure alone for his family for the rest of 2020 is already in excess of $13,000.

Sir, it is for such families that we must provide more assistance, more quickly, and for longer. So, I welcome the change to a longer period of assistance of at least six months from the usual one to four months for ComCare Short to Medium Term Assistance.

However, application processing times must also improve. Angie (not her real name) is a widow in her 60s who is unfit to work. For one year, she received ComCare Financial Assistance in short tranches and had to apply for renewal at the end of each tranche whilst waiting up to a month for a reply without financial support. For two whole months, she could not afford food, bus fare or essential medical treatment.

If processing times are challenging in normal times, they will reach breaking point at crunch time. More than 60,000 applications have been made for the Temporary Relief Fund (TRF) since applications opened last week. I am relieved that we are exercising flexibility and finally allowing for online applications from this week onwards.

In addition to getting help to those who need it fast, we must reduce the administrative load on our Social Service Agencies (SSAs) so that they can focus in supporting Singaporeans affected. Given these priorities, we may have to trade off the luxury of deep-diving every case to test its deservedness. For applicants, this also cuts out the need to apply in-person and prove their suffering over and over again.

With that, I would like to make two recommendations.

First, make automatic disbursement the norm. The Temporary Relief Fund and COVID-19 Support Grant could be automatically disbursed based on self-declaration or proxy indicators, such as changes in CPF contributions.

Second, make help unconditional and reduce the amount of evidence required to prove to MSF that the applicant is struggling. Instead, MSF officers could be given the power to investigate end-users whom they suspect are abusing the system.

As SSOs struggle with the crunch, families who need their ComCare assistance reviewed will be stuck in financial limbo. I propose extending the TRF and COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG) to all these families to ease their cash flow at this time. More immediate relief can also come in the form of HDB rental waivers till the end of 2020 as well as further rebates to S&CC fees.

Food security is another big concern, Mr Deputy Speaker, despite the best efforts from charities. For Singaporeans in the lowest income quintile, 49% of income is spent on food. At the same time, F&B businesses are suffering and the Resilience Budget may be insufficient to prevent the industry from going under.

Therefore, just as the Government galvanised a multi-sectoral effort with the hotels to accommodate returning Singaporeans for their 14-day self-isolation, I urge the Government to work with the F&B sector and food delivery companies to provide food to all families like Adam's and Angie's for the period of this crisis as a national response, not a fragmented approach like it is now. This has a double advantage. It ensures absolute food security for our lower income households and frees up household liquidity whilst supporting our local F&B businesses and self-employed delivery riders.

Mr Deputy Speaker, this crisis highlights the vulnerability of our rental flat communities – my final point in this speech.

The very nature of frontline work like Adam's entails a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. Adam and his family share 20 square metres of living space in a 1-room rental flat. If he is infected through work or job search, his family will not be spared. Risk of community spread is also high. Their home opens into an enclosed corridor, along which several other families live. Neighbours' children run all around.

Infection risk is simply a logical consequence of overcrowding. There is moderate to strong evidence of association between crowded housing and the risk of acquiring respiratory infectious diseases. There are at least 1,425 households where five persons or more are crammed into a 1-room flat. Many more live in 2-room flats. Such crowded living conditions create a ripe environment for infection which in turn could spread to the wider community.

The World Health Organization strongly recommends that national strategies be developed and implemented to prevent and reduce household crowding. That includes a national definition of overcrowding. Our vulnerable families should be housed in flats with features to protect public health such as ventilated corridors, rooms to enable distancing and separate elevators serving different floors.

Mr Deputy Speaker, the COVID-19 dormitory clusters should alert us to the danger of overcrowding in a pandemic. I wish to record my deep concern regarding the isolation of 20,000 of our migrant workers in these cramped facilities. This must not become the "Diamond Princess" on our shores. Alternative and more favourable living arrangements in spaces freed up from the circuit breaker measures must be urgently considered to avoid a large-scale tragedy of infected cases and mortality.

We must re-home our most vulnerable in conducive spaces. We may not be able to do that for all during this crisis but we can do it in time for the next, and our people will be more resilient for it.

"All of us are only as strong as our weakest link", said Prime Minister Lee at the Extraordinary Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit. Indeed, unity is strength, yet inequality is our weakest link in this fight against COVID-19 and to our future as a strong, united Singapore. The short-term measures announced in the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets are essential. Our reserves are meant exactly for times like these. But we must not let a good crisis go to waste. We must boldly address the structural inequalities in wage and housing conditions that are clear and present, made more exigent by this crisis – because Adam and Angie are part of our own – as we must, too, with supporting the mental health of our people in a strategic and comprehensive manner through and beyond this crisis.

Mr Deputy Speaker, it is not what happened to us but what we choose to become because of the crisis that will define us as a Government, as a people and as individuals. If we pause and think about all that is going on, it is rather humbling to know how the tiniest of a living organism that cannot even be seen by the naked eye has such power to change us for the better by making us face our fears and flaws so that we can finally see who we are and who we are to each other.

It is up to us to choose how this horror suspense movie will end for us as a nation, because this, too, shall pass, and when it does, a more mentally resilient and equal Singapore must and will be what becomes of us.

Before I conclude, I want to thank every healthcare worker, civil servant, social worker, community practitioner, volunteer and everyone who has worked tirelessly and selflessly to support fellow Singaporeans and residents affected by COVID-19. But please do take care of your mental well-being. You must not pour from an empty cup, because the work you do is important for us, for Singapore. Sir, I support the Supplementary Budgets.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Resilience Budget announced last week to help Singaporeans and businesses emerge stronger showed support for workers and households, stabilising businesses and building our resilience as a country. As we see more and more Singaporeans getting affected by the COVID-19 situation, I am heartened and thankful that the Government has devoted a war chest of $48 billion to help and support Singaporeans. This amount has increased even more with the announcement of the Solidarity Budget today.

Today, I would like to touch on three concerns arising from the people around me during this situation.

On 3 April, it was announced that to enhance safe distancing measures, Singaporeans were encouraged to stay at home and to generally avoid leaving the house. At supermarkets, it is not uncommon to find people stocking up on their food supplies despite the Government's message that there will be ample supplies. Given the surge in demand, online grocery companies are also facing difficulties in fulfilling orders.

Some have resorted to placing limits on the number of items and weight in order to cope with the demand. Taxi and private car hire drivers are allowed to make home deliveries to meet increased demand. However, even with such measures in place, these companies are often very stretched and are not able to cater to more customers when their delivery slots are full.

With more Singaporeans encouraged to stay at home, we need to find ways to increase grocery deliveries in order to take the pressure off physical supermarket outlets. When Singaporeans know that delivery slots and essential items on online supermarket platforms are available and not difficult to secure, they will be more assured, hence, alleviating the crowds at physical supermarket locations. More importantly, it will keep more Singaporeans home and safe.

The second one is with regards to public transport social distancing during school dismissal hours. With the new measures enforced, schools and Institutes of Higher Learning will be conducting full home-based learning from 8 April onwards. However, when home-based learning stops, we can consider staggering school hours even more, just like how we encourage the staggering of office hours to deal with peak hour traffic on public transports. Currently, public transport is packed with students from different schools during their commute in the morning and when school ends. This has resulted in large crowds in the trains and buses during such periods, contrary to the concept of social distancing, which the Government has been advocating. While it may not be feasible to enforce social distancing on trains, the Government can consider staggering school hours even more to reduce the number of students traveling on public transport at the same time.

Lastly, I would like to share my thoughts on sports. Sports has the ability to transcend boundaries and provide immeasurable benefits to one's well-being. Sport Singapore's core purpose is to inspire the Singapore spirit and transform Singapore through sports and they have done well thus far. Behind the scenes, there are many sports enterprises which contribute to the success of Singapore as a vibrant sporting hub. In addition, sports-related activities tend to bring in a large number of participants and spectators from around the world, boosting tourism figures.

I have heard from many sports enterprises about the issues they are facing with their businesses in this period. These include sporting event companies, mega gyms, clubs and even social clubs. These companies have been affected since the outbreak of the pandemic in January 2020. And with every new measure being implemented to help flatten the curve, it has been harder for these companies to continue operations given the drop in number of patrons and students of such establishments. Currently, many of them face a huge loss of revenue and to manage their bottom line, cost cutting measures were taken in order for them to stay afloat.

Rent and manpower-related issues are the largest component of expenses. Some enterprises received rent relief from their landlords. However, dealing with manpower-related expenses such as salary has been more tricky. In some instances, salaries have been cut in order to minimise the number of layoffs. Since 24 March, where the advisory was to suspend all children and youth-centric sports programmes, most companies are facing zero revenues. When the circuit breaker measures were announced, it was seen that there would be mandatory closures of many sporting establishments on 7 April. These SMEs which are considered "non-essential services" will face a larger strain on their finances.

After the circuit breaker, if the regulatory measures in the sports sector still remain the same as before the circuit breaker, many companies in this affected sector will still be facing a high loss of revenue, and in some cases, no revenue given that recovery will be a protracted process in light of these disruptions.

While the Resilience Budget provided for Job Support Scheme (JSS) support, these SMEs in this sector qualify for 25% on the first $4,600 of monthly salaries. With the Solidarity Budget, the JSS support increases to 75% for the month of April. However, most small and medium-sized sports enterprises require more support as they do not have deep pockets to sustain the business past two months in the current situation.

I hope that the Deputy Prime Minister can consider prolonging the increased JSS support past April in order to help these enterprises in this affected sector to retain their employees. With this increased support, our sports enterprises will be able to use the opportunity to focus on re-calibrating their strategies during the downtime and emerge stronger, in a better position, to bring more benefits to Singapore and Singaporeans quicker when the situation improves. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the Budgets.

Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Supplementary Budgets.

The Resilience and Solidarity Budgets are a very significant addition to this year's Budget. Earlier in February, Deputy Prime Minister Heng announced the Unity Budget that included $6.4 billion worth of measures to cope with COVID-19. With the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets, the total amount set aside to help Singapore and Singaporeans battle COVID-19 is now $59.9 billion – almost a tenfold increase.

I am grateful that the Government swiftly and significantly increased the amount of help given.

Most of the concerns that residents raised to me at the beginning were addressed in the landmark Resilience Budget and now the Solidarity Budget as well. Cash flow was a key concern for families and businesses I encountered. At my weekly Meet-the-People Session two weeks ago, I recall meeting several self-employed residents whose incomes were drastically reduced because of COVID-19.

One such case was a man who is the sole breadwinner of his young family, working as a Grab driver. His wife is medically certified unfit for work. His children are very young, with the youngest being only five months old. He had to take a break earlier in the year after being hit by a car – it was a hit-and-run incident – and upon returning to work, he received few assignments as a result of COVID-19. Most often, he had no cash to take home. That night, he told me his children had been hungry for the entire day and were waiting for him to bring food home. Of course, we immediately went to the 24-hour FairPrice nearby, and bought them groceries and milk powder to tide through the night. We disbursed local ComCare the next day and enrolled the children in our milk powder programme.

Hence, when I hear of the cash assistance being tripled and the introduction of various schemes such as the grocery vouchers, Temporary Relief Fund and Self-Employed Income Relief Scheme, I was very happy. I know families like the one I just described will benefit from these measures. The only request that I had at that time was to have the help disbursed sooner than later, and therefore in today's Solidarity Budget, I am pleased that some of the most essential help will be delivered within this month, much sooner than expected. Thank you.

These enhanced measures, amongst others, such as the one-year waiver of Government fees and charges, and reprieve from loan repayments, will increase cash flow for them and over a more sustained period of time.

To fund these help measures, the Government will have to, for the second time in our post-Independence history, withdraw up to $17 billion from our reserves and we can expect a total fiscal deficit of about $44.3 billion in this financial year. Just to get a sense of proportion, this deficit alone is more than half of last year's total public expenditure! I must say that our Government and leaders have been very focused, single-mindedly, wholeheartedly, battling this COVID-19.

And as we thought that we have gained grounds in battling down this COVID-19, I think, all of the sudden, we realise that there is a spike in the infection cases. It is almost as if we have been working so hard to keep our house in order but because of what is happening around us, around the world, we are seeing this spike of infection. I can only imagine how demoralising it could be for our frontliners, for all the Government officials, the social workers, everyone, who have been involved in this fight. And therefore, I must express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to all of you who have worked so hard. And I feel that personally, when I see the measures being introduced, it is almost as if whenever we see a new problem appeared or a new gap that has emerged, immediately, our Government will find the resources to go and plug that gap and help Singaporeans to tide through. I feel that this sincerity is something that we can see and I hope that all Singaporeans will be able to appreciate this. This is a very extraordinary time and we must continue to stand together to render our support.

Therefore, with all of these funds put aside to help Singaporeans, I think this is a very decisive move and a much needed one.

As we battle this unprecedented crisis, I am thankful that our past and present leaders have been judicious in managing our reserves, painstakingly saving up for "storms" like this and resisted siren calls in the past to spend our reserves. Because of this, we can now confidently dip in to help Singaporeans.

Extraordinary time calls for extraordinary measures. About two months have passed since we had our first COVID-19 case and the economic consequences are already dire. We now have an extremely generous package to battle the virus. But with the pandemic expected to last for up to a year or more, I wonder how many more packages we will need and how much more might we have to dip into our reserves for.

As much as I believe it is necessary for us to draw on our reserves to help Singapore and Singaporeans get through this storm, I wonder if this is also the beginning of a long slippery slope down. Will we have enough to leave behind for our future generations? How do we moderate ourselves and is there a red line beyond which we shall not draw further from our reserves?

Essentially, how can we sustain help and at the same time, not deplete this pot of gold for our children and theirs?

In a crisis of this scale, Government's intervention is critical. But we must also not diminish the power of individuals. All of us have the power to help and contribute towards a sustainable future for the next generation.

Over the past months, we saw various ground up initiatives, such as sourcing and distributing masks and hand sanitisers to the elderly. In recent weeks, we continue to see Singaporeans coming forth to offer ideas and support. Take, for instance, when the application for Temporary Relief Fund commenced, Community Centres were overwhelmed on the first day. A call for volunteers to help with form filling and crowd management saw many responded. Similarly, we now have volunteers who have stepped forth to man the reusable mask collection centres. Others took their own initiative to collate and circulate lists of useful official websites offering critical information during this period of information explosion. This helps Singaporeans to get the right information from the right channel and in a most timely manner. Because of these big-hearted Singaporeans who volunteered, we have been able to pool community resources, close gaps and do more for those who need help.

But the potential for individuals to play a part is more than this. If there is a silver lining to this crisis, it is the opportunity for us to show our solidarity, transform our capabilities and strengthen our resilience.

Most immediately, as we approach the "circuit breaker" starting tomorrow, we should all stay home and do whatever we must to encourage our family and friends to stay home. Simply, if we do not cooperate and the spread worsens, this one month "breaker" and the pain that everyone must endure will be a wasted sacrifice. We will then have to draw from our reserves further and leave even lesser for our future generations. So, care for yourself, care for others, stay home to show our solidarity with those on the frontline.

Secondly, affected Singaporeans can make use of the downtime and Government incentives to train and upskill, so that we are ready to take on new jobs after the recovery. At the Temporary Relief Fund applications at the Community Club, I observed that a number of applicants who lost their jobs or suffer reduced work do not wish to take up skills training, despite the incentives. The hesitance is understandable as they are preoccupied with the immediate challenges and as they still harbour hopes that they can return to their jobs once this crisis "blows over". However, I would urge that we keep the "big picture" in mind. Even without this COVID-19, the advent of digital economy is certain. So, why not take this opportunity to get ourselves ready for that inevitable future?

Similarly, enterprises of all sizes can take this opportunity to transform. As companies get hit by COVID-19, many realised that they were not ready to offer their services and products online. As a result, their businesses are disrupted. Taking the enrichment education sector for example, I came across an informal survey by a fledgling platform company Beecraft. Nine out 10 of the companies in the enrichment/education sector surveyed reported low technology adoption, meaning that they have been predominantly using the traditional means of teaching. Anecdotally elsewhere, I hear of similar feedback. Amongst those surveyed, they cited financial support being most important in helping them drive their digitalisation effort. Government funding is available. Hon colleagues in this House will know of the many schemes that IMDA offers. With COVID-19, the imperative for digital transformation cannot be any clearer. Just as it is an opportunity for the IMDA to step in and catalyse the transformation, I hope companies will take this opportunity to make use of the support available and up their own game.

This is a period of great many adjustments. Government is adjusting, so are businesses and people. We are heading into the "circuit breaker" for at least a month.

I am glad that our thoughtful Government made sure that essential services will continue so that life can go on. But we also need to reduce the need for interactions and administrative load on some of our public agencies.

Based on case trends at our weekly Meet-the-People Sessions, mainly mine, could financial assistances, including ComCare and MediFund that are expiring during this "circuit breaker" period be automatically renewed for another month? Could the social visit passes and long-term visit passes of Singaporeans' foreign family members that will be expiring in this period also be automatically renewed for another month?

In essence, could Government processes that typically see high public interface be adjusted so that Singaporeans in need may have peace of mind as we all hunker down during this period?

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the global economy is tumbling drastically. To cope with the dire economic situation, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced three Budgets within a short span of two months, namely, Unity, Resilience and Solidarity Budget, totalling $59.9 billion, to help Singaporeans deal with the outbreak. This is the largest Budget since Independence, roughly 11% of our GDP. The series of packages are timely, for individuals, families, workers and businesses. We can do so because our Government has been planning for rainy days over the years, allowing us to acquire this economic capability.

Our reserves are strategic assets accumulated over a long time. Generations of Singapore leaders have been practising fiscal prudence to achieve sustainable economic growth. Although faced with political pressure, the Government has been upholding the principle of tapping on reserves only during extraordinary times. As the pandemic worsens and creates multiple external shocks, economic activities have also been affected. At this critical moment, the Government drew decisively on reserves to stimulate the economy. This is what the people need.

However, the battle against COVID-19 will be long-drawn and the unprecedented fiscal expenditure has also caused some concerns. Is there a mechanism under the current reserves safeguard framework to define how we can effectively use the reserves and the amount? On one hand, the amount must be sufficient to allow the Government to alleviate the situation; on the other hand, we must also ensure that our future generations will have enough funds to cope with future expenditures so that they are not left with nothing.

With the unexpected advent of COVID-19, we have seen many community organisations voluntarily make and distribute reusable masks for the elderly and the vulnerable. We have also seen many Singaporeans express their sincere gratitude to frontline healthcare workers, encouraging them. This demonstrates the warmth in our society and is commendable.

Besides the Government, public agencies and communities, businesses and individuals should also play their part. During this period, we must first take care of our own health and stay at home. This is the best contribution you can make to the country now. Ensuring our own health is the best we can do for our healthcare workers, allowing them to see the light at the end of the tunnel and take a breather. Taking care of our health can also reduce the need to tap on our reserves. This is being accountable to our future generations.

During this period, Singaporeans should make use of the Adapt and Grow Scheme as well as other schemes to undergo training, upgrade skills and be prepared for economic recovery. With the outbreak, businesses should also recognise the importance of digital transformation, use resources wisely and take the opportunity to transform and strengthen capabilities, and innovate continuously to stay competitive.

Over the weekend, I took a walk in the hawker centre and talked to the residents. Many of them were feeling a bit worried about the closing down of non-essential services, but they showed understanding nevertheless. I think the more difficult the situation is, the more resilient Singaporeans should be. This is a chance to demonstrate our strength. I believe as long as we are united and uphold our Singapore Spirit of solidarity, we will eventually beat this virus and emerge stronger.

(In English): Over the weekend, I was at the hawker centres in MacPherson. Many were concerned about the impending "circuit breaker". But almost everyone understood the need and agreed that we should all cooperate, bite the bullet and rough it out for this one month. Almost every conversation ended with a "加油". If we can do this together, we can overcome and emerge stronger. Singapore Together, Singapore United. 新加坡，加油！

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, I would like to thank Deputy Prime Minister and the MOM for broadening the criteria of allowing our self-employed persons (SEPs) earning an income as an employee to also qualify for Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS). This was the point that I had wanted to bring up and appeal and I am happy for the adjustment.

The Resilience and Solidarity Budget demonstrates the Government's determination and resolve to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on jobs and the economy as best as it can. I would like to make some suggestions based on the feedback from my residents over the course of the week.

The first is to lower the age for auto-inclusion for SIRS. Automatic payout is given to eligible SEPs aged 37 and above. Would the Government consider including SEPs aged 30 and above as well? At that age, Singaporeans would be planning for marriage or would be married with a child on the way or have at least a child to support. Some of their parents or in-laws might be retired and need their support too. Hence, allowing for auto-inclusion from 30 years old and above will greatly help to relieve the burden on affected families and also reduce the administrative workload on Government officers so that they can devote more resources to other urgent appeals.

Second, some unemployed residents hope to qualify for the COVID-19 Support Grant, which was targeted at employees who lost their jobs due to the contagion. While they had not lost their jobs earlier due to COVID-19, the crisis has definitely made their ongoing search for jobs much harder. I feel that as long as they are actively looking for jobs, whether these are permanent or part-time positions or on fixed term contracts, or are still attending training, they should be also assisted under this scheme.

Second, some unemployed residents hope to qualify for the COVID-19 Support Grant, which was targeted at employees who lost their jobs due to the contagion. While they had not lost their jobs earlier due to COVID-19, the crisis has definitely made their ongoing job search much harder. I feel that as long as they are actively looking for jobs, whether these are permanent or part-time positions or on fixed term contracts, or are still attending training, they should be also assisted under this Scheme. Sir, in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Resilience Package is to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) will help the self-employed to cope with the current difficulties.

I would like to suggest that the SIRS auto-qualifying age be reduced to 30. Those who had lost their jobs even before the outbreak also appeal to the Government to accommodate them, so that they can receive the COVID-19 Support Grant, too.

(In English): With stricter safe distancing measures and the greater vulnerability of our seniors, we would want our elderly to stay at home more. How can we ensure that our needy seniors or seniors living alone can get the help they need? How is the Government empowering VWOs to pool their resources to assist them, such as helping them to buy groceries or sending meals to them? Could we make better use of technology in this area?

I support the Resilience and Solidarity Budget and its measures to help our workers and the unemployed. There will be some who might fall through the cracks and need to be given special consideration in view of their particular circumstances. I trust that our leaders would exercise due diligence and flexibility. I support the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Allow me to begin my speech in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The COVID-19 crisis has evolved so rapidly and shaken us to the core. This situation drove our Government to act swiftly and issue new regulations and legislation to contain the spread of this outbreak. At the same time, the Government also coordinated support to assist those who are facing the fallout from this crisis.

This began with the Unity Budget which was then supplemented with the Resilience Budget. Today, Deputy Prime Minister Heng announced the Solidarity Budget. The Government also gave a commitment that there will be a sustained effort to help those facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The impact of this crisis is becoming clear and we can see many people from various job sectors being affected. Within the Malay/Muslim community, those affected include Geylang Serai bazaar entrepreneurs and the asatizah.

Many Malay/Muslim workers, families and students also face challenges arising from this crisis.

I think we need to have a targeted approach to assist the Malay/Muslim community and mobilise the resources within our community, like the Malay/Muslim bodies, to come up with holistic support. Therefore, I am heartened that the SGTeguhBersatu team was set up to ensure that the COVID-19 national assistance schemes will reach our community. I am also glad to be involved in this task force.

I see opportunities for many of our community members to go to the ground and work hand-in-hand to help everyone ride through these difficult times.

For instance, one group that I am concerned with are the young people who are about to complete their studies and enter the workforce. It is likely that they will face difficulties getting suitable jobs with good pay. Observers have said that the graduating Class of 2020 will be affected beyond the duration of this crisis. Their careers and income potential may be affected throughout their lifetime.

Therefore, there has to be sustained efforts to help them so that they can use this difficult period to continue upskilling and enhance their competitiveness. In this regard, the Government has announce the SGUnited Traineeship Programmes and the SGUnited Jobs Initiative. These efforts can help new graduates gain employment. We must also ensure that young Malay/Muslims are aware of these available opportunities and make use of them. At the same time, I feel that Malay/Muslim bodies like MENDAKI and AMP can also play their part to strengthen support for these young people, perhaps through their available programmes. MENDAKI, for instance, has the Future-Ready and mentoring programmes that can be enhanced to supplement the Government’s efforts.

In conclusion, I feel that the Government has announced many efforts to reduce the challenges that are being experienced by people from all walks of life. The Malay/Muslim community can be helped to seize available opportunities and can continue receiving support using the resources within our own community. May these efforts help us overcome any challenges that come our way together and continue to contribute to the economic recovery and development of Singapore.

(In English): Just a few days ago, I met a resident seeking some assistance as he had lost his job in the midst of this COVID-19 crisis. He seemed disheartened but not defeated, and we spoke about the various support measures available. He was the last resident I was meeting for the night and I heard a child’s voice as he walked out of my Branch. His wife and son were waiting for him outside. I walked out too and saw a familiar face saying hello to me. I had met the boy just a few weeks back when I sent some cupcakes over to his pre-school because we had cancelled the regular birthday celebrations. He was lively and happy, innocent and clearly oblivious to the challenges his parents were facing.

It hit me how much things had changed since I last met the little boy, how fast things have become a lot more challenging in just a few weeks. The issues his father is facing is not unique and I have met many residents in similar situations.

At one point, especially before the announcement of the Resilience Budget, I was feeling rather helpless because people were really struggling and I was concerned if enough is being done to help them.

The extensive $48 billion Resilience Budget therefore came as a much welcomed relief. Many felt that the measures were generous and gave much hope to different groups of people within the community. Details of the specific measures have come in and we have started to roll out some of these measures like the Temporary Relief Fund.

However, the challenges brought forth by COVID-19 is multi-faceted and the Government needs to also step in with various new legislation to make the system work. For example, the proposed new law to compel landlords to pass on property tax rebate to tenants and the proposed law to provide relief to parties with contractual obligations and have difficulties performing them because of COVID-19.

It has become even more stark, in the past few days that the worst is not over. Numbers of those infected by COVID-19 continue to rise and the Government has had to announce further measures, in particular the circuit breaker, to protect our people. This will bring many things to a standstill and cause massive disruption to our routine affairs. Construction projects cannot proceed, cases in Court would have to be postponed and more businesses and more individuals will be affected further as non-essential services have to be shut down. I am therefore heartened that the Government has announced the Solidarity Budget to augment the existing support and, in particular, to address the side effects of the circuit breaker.

There are so many aspects of life that would be affected especially in light of the recent measures, I would therefore like to ask how the Government plans to manage all the knock-on effects of the crisis. Would there be a coordinated effort to assess the challenges faced by the different sectors and come up with a recovery plan? Are there lessons we could learn from the lockdown in other countries?

Further, it is apparent that more funds would have to be injected to continue to support businesses, individuals and families affected by the disruption. Deputy Prime Minister Heng has announced that he has gotten in-principle approval from President Halimah Yacob to draw down a further $4 billion from our Reserves on top of the earlier $17 billion dollars that was approved.

I would like to ask if this will be something sustainable and what is the Government’s assessment now on our fiscal ability to weather this massive storm?

I am truly grateful for the stewardship of the Government as we navigate through these challenging, unchartered waters. I have always been so proud of being Singaporean but now more than ever, I am proud to be part of this great nation.

It has been oft said that this is the crisis for this generation. We may not have to physically go to the battlefield and pick up weapons to fight the enemy. But we have our own burden to bear and we will do this together. SGUnited is one of the taglines we have chosen to capture the spirit of togetherness. Let it not be mere lip service but an actual effort by all of us to do our part. Employers should tap on Government support like the Enhanced Jobs Support Scheme to retain their employees and let them continue to earn a living. Employees need to be understanding and help support the businesses where necessary so that there will still be a job to go to after this crisis is over. Landlords should work alongside tenants to help them retain the premises and pass on the property tax rebates to their tenants. Let us not take advantage of each other and give indulgence to each other where possible. We definitely have this compassion in us, as can be seen from the numerous ground-up initiatives by Singaporeans. I have heard of businesses and young people from different academic institutions banding together to put up a list of job and internship opportunities to help their peers who have had their overseas internships and studies cut short due to COVID-19. I have seen Facebook posts from people personally offering to cook or give food to those who may be struggling during this period, so one would never go hungry. These efforts are heartening.

The COVID-19 crisis has brought about carnage but, at the same time, also allowed for many good things to blossom. This crisis is pushing us to do all the things we know we should have been doing but have resisted for so long.

Some of us have championed flexible work arrangements and asked employers to allow for opportunities to work from home. There was much inertia but now, we are pushed to look at digital solutions and make it happen. We have spoken about wanting to make Singapore clean, educate people with better social habits, how we want to be like Japan. Now, public hygiene has come to the forefront and we have the opportunity with SGClean to make this vision a reality. For the longest time, we have wanted people to use their own containers to buy food from stalls or restaurants. Now, we have been pushed to do so more pervasively as the "tabao" option will be a common feature.

Like many Singaporeans, I am anxious and overwhelmed with all that is happening. However, I am also hopeful as I have faith in the strength of this leadership and the compassion and resilience of the people. Let us make the best of this crisis, learn the important lessons from the challenges that come our way and emerge stronger as a nation. Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the Supplementary Budgets.