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Opinion | Don’t be so quick to mock Hong Kong’s misfortunes, Singapore. Your time could come, too

  • Hongkongers in a panic about the coronavirus epidemic are upset at being called ‘idiots’ by Singaporean minister Chan Chun Sing. He should understand Hong Kong is experiencing a complete breakdown in trust, which could happen to any city

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Why you can trust SCMP
A customer stands in front of empty shelves in the toilet paper aisle of a supermarket in Singapore on February 8. Photo: Bloomberg

Although the rivalry between Singapore and Hong Kong has often struck me as somewhat sophomoric, many people obsessively compare the two cities, especially when it comes to economic achievements.

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As the coronavirus outbreak spreads, people in Hong Kong who have had to queue overnight to get face masks are becoming bitterly aware of just how different things are in the Lion City, where the government is providing masks for citizens. It’s only four per household, to be exact, but in a time of crisis, few people are going to get bogged down in the details.
In the recently leaked 25-minute audio recording of Singaporean trade minister Chan Chun Sing’s remarks, at a closed-door dialogue with members of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, plenty of comparisons were made between Singapore and Hong Kong.
Now, if we in Hong Kong can get over being called “idiots” by Chan, who has been tipped to be the next deputy prime minister, we may be able to see the point of what he said, namely that the decision to give each household four masks was not an easy one to make.

Chan described the government initiative to distribute face masks as a “gamble”, which was taken to calm nerves. He also said the government had been in a bind because it had to conserve mask stocks to ensure an adequate supply for health care workers, while battling the perception that it didn’t care about Singaporeans.

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