Davos 2021 postponement was requested by WEF, not the Govt: Lim Tean

Singapore — Opposition Peoples Voice (PV) leader Lim Tean pointed out on Thursday (Feb 4) that the postponement of Davos 2021 was requested by the World Economic Forum.

The conference was set to be held in May 2021. However, due to the international Covid-19 situation, it was announced on Wednesday (Feb 3) that it would be pushed to August.

Mr Lim, the PV secretary-general, took to Facebook to share his thoughts on the situation. He points out that the wording in the report shows that the WEF was the party that requested the reschedule, rather than the People’s Action Party. He says that the PAP should have taken the initiative to reschedule but it had not done so.

He notes that this was a missed opportunity on the PAP’s part to show its thoughtfulness and express its concerns for the safety of the people. He ends by saying that this forum “SHOULD have been an opportunity for the PAP to show with action how determined they are to put Singapore safely back on track with the health and well-being of the people firmly in [the] first place”. He suggested that discussions could have been done via Zoom rather than in person.

Davos is the informal name of the annual four-day conference held by The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The aim of the conference is to engage the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

The conference is usually held in Davos, Switzerland, but due to the international Covid-19 situation, the conference was changed to take place in Singapore. The country had reported low to zero community infection cases, which made it a viable location for the forum. It was originally planned for from May 25 to 28, after being shifted back from the original schedule of May 13 to 16.

However, the WEF announced on Wednesday (Feb 3) that the conference would be further pushed back to Aug 17 to 20. It stated that the current Covid-19 situation was making it difficult to ensure that participants can join the conference. The Ministry of Trade and Industry responded that the Government understood the obstacles faced by the WEF and has agreed to the reschedule.

Denise Teh is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG