Even non-S'poreans reassured by PM Lee's soothing Covid-19 address delivered in 3 languages

His second speech on Covid-19 was shared to the Subtle Asian Traits Facebook group.

Matthias Ang | March 13, 2020, 05:37 PM

On Mar. 12, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave his second address to Singaporeans regarding the outbreak of Covid-19.

He stated that the situation in Singapore remains under control, but Singaporeans need to plan for a possible spike in Covid-19 cases.

And it appears that his speech has been well-received by people outside of Singapore, who have called his speech calming and reassuring.

Shared to 1.7 million-strong Subtle Asian Traits Facebook group

On Mar. 13, a member of Facebook group Subtle Asian Traits, Benita Lim, shared links of PM Lee's speech in English, Mandarin and Malay to the page.

In her caption, she stated that PM Lee's speech was "the clearest, kindest and simplest message put out by any authority so far".

She also added that her purpose for sharing his speeches to the group was to help others communicate the Covid-19 situation to "the older generation", given that PM Lee and his late father are highly respected among Asians within the older circles.

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

SAT members praise PM Lee's speech

PM Lee's speech was generally well-received by members of the group.

Many highlighted how reassuring the speech was despite not being Singaporeans themselves, and compared the response to their own countries'.

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

One member even compared PM Lee's style of delivery to that of a father talking to his family.

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Others also praised the delivery of his speech in multiple languages.

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Screenshot from Subtle Asian Traits

Not the first time PM Lee has been praised by foreigners for his delivery

This is not the first time PM Lee has been praised by non-Singaporeans for his delivery.

His initial address on Covid-19 was also commended by foreign media and public health experts.

At that time, the speech was noted for being an example of good risk communication and how PM Lee did not hide any facts, nor hesitate to talk about how the situation might worsen.

This led the speech to have its desired effect in calming people down.

Top photo Ministry of Communications and Information, screenshots from Subtle Asian Traits Facebook