People's Action Party Tanjong Pagar candidate Chan Chun Sing has responded to Progress Singapore Party chief Tan Cheng Bock's challenge to a verbal debate about handling the Covid-19 crisis.

Tan's challenge was reported by Yahoo Singapore and Today, and they came after Chan's comments that the opposition was not prepared to handle the crisis.

What Chan said previously

Chan said on July 4 that he had perused the manifestos from the opposition parties and found that proposals on how to get through the pandemic were “glaringly missing”.

In response, Tan said on July 5 he was prepared to go on a debate alongside Singapore Democratic Party chairman Paul Tambyah to see if the opposition would have been able to handle the pandemic better than the ruling PAP.

“We will challenge it. So I think we are prepared, Paul and I, we are prepared to go on TV and debate on this. So if he's prepared, Chan Chun Sing can bring the health minister (Gan Kim Yong)... and we will debate this thing out, see whether the opposition is as good or if not even better than the way they managed Covid-19,” Tan said.

Asked to share his proposals or arguments in the debate, Tan said: “No need, we will debate it in the House.”

Chan Chun Sing responds

Shortly after Tan's challenge was reported, Chan responded in a July 5 Facebook post suggesting a debate was not necessary.

He wrote:

Why not present their plans to the voters now on how they intend to help Singapore and Singaporeans get through this most serious health and economic crisis in decades?

Am sure voters will want to know before polling day to make a decision. CCS

Tan is a retired doctor and Tambyah is an infectious diseases expert.

Tambyah was recently elected to be the president of the US-based International Society of Infectious Diseases.

Top photos via Chan Chun Sing & West Coast PSP