Many projects need long-term planning to get done: DPM Heng

It is easy to take for granted how things get done in Singapore, but there are often constraints and issues to deal with, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Jan 25.

- Wong Pei Ting

These include finding the budget to fund projects, he added.

"I was finance minister for five years, and the constant challenge is that money is never enough there are more things that we want to do," DPM Heng observed.

"But we can all contribute our efforts, save up for the future. We will not only get what we want and what we need done, but in the process, we will also build a deeper bond of friendship and trust."

The anchor minister for East Coast GRC made this point at the launch of the East Coast, Our Place To Bond exhibition on the sidelines of the Chinese New Year Carnival at Heartbeat@Bedok on Jan 25.

The exhibition highlighted what residents, grassroots volunteers and the five East Coast GRC MPs have achieved in recent years.

In his speech, DPM Heng observed that many public transport and public housing projects "take years of meticulous planning and strong determination to bring to fruition".

For instance, the fruits of his Budget 2020 announcement on the expansion of the land transport network are only now showing, he noted.