By Fiona Chan

FINANCE Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday that the Government has been 'alert and vigilant', since the financial crisis started, in making sure that Singapore's financial system continues to work well.

As long as it continues to function in an orderly manner, he added, the economy as a whole can go through the crisis 'without too much damage'.

To this end, the response of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has been measured but effective so far, he told reporters at the unveiling of the Lee Kong Chian statue at Hwa Chong Institution yesterday afternoon.

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