Singapore is not under a total lockdown and despite restrictions, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that "life still goes on" -- including general elections.

During a question and answer session with the media following a doorstop on Mar. 27, The Straits Times asked how the traditional activities of a Singapore election, such as voting and campaigns, would be affected.

PM Lee replied that in a total lockdown like the UK or until recently Wuhan, China, it was impossible to hold elections. But if there wasn't a lockdown, other activities still continued, adding:

"People are working, people can travel, people can conduct the poll, and countries have been conducting elections."

He pointed out that elections have been held in other places during the Covid-19 outbreak, such as Israel and some American states.

No possibility ruled out yet

Despite the likely logistical difficulties after safe distancing measures were enforced in public places like shopping malls, supermarkets and even workplaces, PM Lee believes that these are "solvable problems".

Said PM Lee:

"I think that we have to weigh conducting an election under abnormal circumstances, against going into a storm with a mandate which is reaching the end of its term. We have to make a decision on that. I would not rule any possibility out."

He added that he will judge the situation once more when the electoral boundaries have been reported and the electoral rolls are certified and republished.

Adjust the way a GE is normally held

Lianhe Zaobao asked how the government would ensure that the election, if it is called soon, could be held safely under the current circumstances.

PM Lee stated that if mass gatherings cannot be held, they would have to "adjust the way we usually hold our GE."

He added that with the widespread use of the Internet, and with mass media, information could still be disseminated and holding an election could still be done.

Mandate sought

PM Lee emphasised that no one knows how long the virus situation will last.

He said that if he was certain that it could be settled within the "next few months", then it would be ideal to delay the election until then.

But due to the uncertainty over how long it will last, perhaps until the end of the year or even beyond, PM Lee said that there was a question about the need for "new-elected leadership" to handle this large-scale challenge.

Stated PM Lee: "If necessary, then the real issue we should be considering is how to hold the GE under the safest and efficient circumstance in view of the current situation."

He also said that Singapore was headed into a "very big storm" and said that he wanted the strongest team and mandate, and the "longest runway" so the country had leadership to see it through. He added:

"You have to make a judgement in this situation with an outbreak going on with all sorts of exceptional measures implemented in Singapore -- is it possible for us to conduct an election and to get this done, so that we clear the decks and we can go through and deal with whatever lies ahead of us."

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Top image from MCI.