Singapore’s battle against coronavirus is proving an emotional one, at least for National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who appeared to choke back tears while paying tribute to those on the outbreak frontlines yesterday in parliament.
Wong, who co-chairs a taskforce leading Singapore’s fight against the virus, was thanking workers in fields such as healthcare, transportation, tourism and the media for providing services to their fellow citizens during the outbreak when he appeared to lose his composure, wiping his eyes and sipping his drink before continuing.
“Words are not sufficient to express our appreciation for so many Singaporeans going all out to fight the virus. But I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who is doing their part,” Wong finally managed to say after regaining his composure.
Other ministers and members of parliament clapped their hands and armrests in a show of encouragement and support. Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu handed him what looked like a piece of tissue paper.
In his speech, Wong also urged members of the public with complaints about how the COVID-19 situation is being handled to be accurate in their feedback “so that the agencies do not have to waste time and resources to check for each and every information.”
“From time to time, there will be public feedback, there will be public complaints. They take all of these in their stride, if there are lapses, they will try to rectify them as quickly as possible,” he said.
Many netizens shared his sentiments online, praising public service staff for working tirelessly.
“Thank you Government, Healthcare officials, Frontline staff,cleaning personnel and all those invisible heroes, who is working day and night for our safety,” Facebook user Sailaja Ameen wrote.
“Thank you, Dr Wong & the selfless SG United Team. Your relentless effort is keeping us all afloat in this, unprecedented, monumental challenge,” Lena Wang wrote.
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