DPM Heng Swee Keat has been making a lot of TV appearances.
He met with business owners, people affected by the Covid-19 outbreak like the drivers and more.
And most times, he gets asked, “The government’s aid is great but it’s not enough. Now, how?”
Well, it seems that he’s giving an answer to calls for more help from the government.
“Use What’s Available Right Now”
In Budget 2020, DPM Heng announced a series of measures to help firms and individuals tide over the Covid-19 impact.
But not everybody is happy about the measures.
In response, he urges firms to “just take whatever is on the table”.
He said, “All the measures which are really out there, make full use of it, make use of this downtime to raise our skill level.”
This coincides with the leaked audio from PAP Minister Chan Chun Sing who was telling business leaders in a closed-door meeting the same thing.
We Can Afford To Give More
DPM Heng assures that Singapore has the resources to do more, but they’ll only do so if the situation calls for it.
He emphasised that their response (read: gifts) is based on their assessment of the situation and how far the impact of the Covid-19 will be.
He added that at the current moment, it is “difficult” for the government to assess and predict how quickly the virus can be contained, and how painful the impact is.
In Other Words: Tahan.
DPM Heng promises that the Finance Ministry will be looking into the issues plaguing businesses in Singapore.
And that more will be revealed in the upcoming budget debate.
Meanwhile, businesses, including SMEs, can make use of the measures that already existed to help tide over the moment.
The general manager of PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road, Mr Richard Ong, only has this to say: Right now, every little bit counts. We all want more but what we are getting now is quite substantial.
