SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed the global fuel crisis on April 2, telling Singaporeans of the measures the government is taking to deal with the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.
He warned Singaporeans concerning fuel disruptions as well as a more unstable global environment, adding that a ministerial committee had been formed to coordinate a national response. Led by Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam and advised by Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Gan Kim Yong, the Homefront Crisis Ministerial Committee is not only updating contingency plans but also formulating new ones as the situation unfolds.
Since then, Mr Shanmugam has talked about how there could be “inevitable price rises” for food and other products, warning that even if the war ends very soon, disruptions are likely to continue.
“Mr Taskforce”
Various cabinet members make up the committee, including Minister of Sustainability and Environment Grace Fu,c Minister of Trade and Industry, DPM Gan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing.
However, many Singaporeans online zeroed in on the inclusion of DPM Gan, referring to him as “Mr Taskforce” and “Taskforce Man,” given the number of times he’s been part of these monitoring and response committees.
At a time when the Deputy Prime Minister, now 67, could be expected to be slowing down, he has found himself yet again near the helm of another taskforce.
In 2020, at the onset of the Covid pandemic, then Health Minister Gan, together with Lawrence Wong, who was Minister for National Development at the time, were tasked to co-chair a multi-ministerial committee to manage the crisis.
Last year, he was appointed to lead the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, and in the past, he chaired a Ministerial Committee on Ageing.
“Maybe it’s just me, but I really thought DPM Gan was gonna be in ORD mode soon. Until he was appointed DPM and subsequently involved in one task force/ministerial committee after another, with the latest one being HCMC. Grandpa Gan ain’t having much of a break,” a Reddit user wrote.
“No task force is complete without my GOAT (greatest of all time) Daddy Gan,” joked another.
“At this stage, he is really Mr Taskforce, not in name only. I don’t think the previous DPMs helmed as many task forces as he has,” added a third.
Another compared him to former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, a former politician who was also considered to be a safe pair of hands who could be called on as a reliable crisis manager. Mr Khaw handled the SARS crisis, housing shortages, and MRT reliability issues.
“This guy is like the current Khaw Boon Wan,” the Reddit user opined. /TISG
Read also: Singapore braces for ‘hard times ahead’ as PM Wong warns of fallout from Iran war
