In the past year, people in Singapore put aside their differences to stand together to combat the pandemic. At the inaugural Temasek Shophouse Conversations held on 20 January, a hybrid event that brought leaders from the public, private and community sectors together to forge multi-sector collaborations to achieve common good, four leaders shared remarkable observations from the frontline.
The stories revealed the need for trust within communities and with public institutions. Drawing from lessons learned, the article highlights four actions we can build on to create a more resilient society to weather future storms.
Over the past year, many people have generously given their time, expertise and money. In his keynote speech at the Temasek Shophouse Conversations, DPM Heng Swee Keat shared that ComChest received more donations than it had the year before and a record number of donations through Giving.sg despite the recession.
On the frontlines, medical officers volunteered to help in the red zones – from migrant worker dormitories to Community Care Facilities (CCF) where COVID-19 patients were treated. Even after their rostered stints had ended, many chose to stay on.
Initiatives like KampungKakis, a ground-up that matches elderlies and needy families with volunteers or ‘buddies’ in their local neighbourhoods, that was launched during the pandemic also saw no shortage of volunteers. With stress and isolation taking a toll on mental health, these buddies would listen, share information as the pandemic evolved and help with navigating available resources. A glimpse at kampung spirit that many lament no longer exist.
These remarkable stories represent a fraction of tales of generosity in the face of adversity. What, then, can incentivise us to do the same in peacetime? Mae Tan, who co-founded KampungKakis, proposes to start with cultivating neighbourliness – a trait her parents had instilled in her when she was young. Simple acts of checking in, or helping to get groceries if needed, can help to build trust and a sense of belonging to the community.
Learning from the SARS outbreak in 2003, hospitals in Singapore developed Standard Operating Procedures and built inventories to ensure that we would be prepared should another health emergency arise. When the COVID-19 pandemic arose in early 2020, “I think at no point in time did I feel that I was compromising my safety or the safety of my staff,” said Assoc Prof Ong Biauw Chi. “At no point in time did we feel that we were compromising patient care because we didn’t have a piece of equipment that was necessary. Without experiencing and learning from SARS, things would have been different.”
At the height of the pandemic, Surbana Jurong was entrusted to develop CCFs and repurposed the facilities at the Expo to house over 8,000 patients. Despite putting together the care facilities in record time, Wong Heang Fine, Group CEO of Surbana Jurong, thinks this can be improved for future emergencies. “We learned that buildings were designed with a single purpose – and this made adapting the spaces extremely difficult. Mapping out how to repurpose these spaces in advance would help us to mobilise and adapt these spaces much faster.”
Surbana Jurong faced the challenge of putting together care facilities with 8,500 beds across 10 halls in 28 days. In addition, they faced supply chain disruptions and suspension of workplace activities due to border closures and Circuit Breaker measures. Wong, who led the team, explained that this was only possible because of cooperation and hard work of the authorities, suppliers and contractors.
“Through the Indonesian Embassy, we were able to get in touch with manufacturers who then supplied the beds for the facilities; NTUC opened their warehouse,” said Wong. “Our workers were on the ground 24/7. When I apologised for them needing to work over the weekend, they simply said, ‘Don’t apologise. It’s our community. This is where we live. It’s the right thing to do.’ I was very impressed and thankful because we could not have pulled this off without them.”
“I don’t know” – three simple words that can be hard to say. Yet, this show of vulnerability can make a difference. Amidst uncertainty, the phrase offers others some comfort to know they aren’t the only ones struggling to make sense of a challenging situation. It creates the space to encourage others to come up with ideas.
In the early months of the pandemic, various government agencies and their partners came together to set things up on the ground. From gazetting isolation areas in migrant worker dormitories to setting up CCFs, they acknowledged what they didn’t know and recognised the need to learn from others with more experience in specific areas.
For instance, in finding ways to support migrant workers during the crisis, agencies learned from and relied on organisations, such as Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC), that had a better understanding of cultural norms and the ability to communicate with the workers in their native languages. For one, being close to each other is especially important to migrant workers. Being in extended periods of isolation can thus be a bigger source of distress to them.
Without learning from MWC, the architects and engineers at Surbana Jurong would not have taken this into consideration in designing care facilities. “We were worried about fire safety. Safety for their belongings. The need for temporary laundry facilities. But setting up a good WIFI system was never on our minds,” Wong explained. On the advice of MWC, they scrambled to set up a good WIFI system which enabled migrant workers to stay connected, easing emotional distress.
These conversations show us what can be gained from putting aside our egos. Beyond the crisis, we can do more to listen and have open conversations to work together and draw on each other’s unique strengths to create better solutions.