SINGAPORE: The expectations, needs and aspirations of Singaporeans are changing rapidly, as is the world, and political leaders must always be in sync with the current generation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said of the ongoing leadership renewal within the Government while paying tribute to the three ministers who stepped down recently.
Leaders must be able to understand and identify with the current generation, to share and to shape their world view and to respond to their needs, as well as help achieve their aspirations and earn their trust, Mr Lee said during the appreciation dinner for Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Mr Lim Swee Say and Mr Lim Hng Kiang on Wednesday (May 30).
Advertisement“Only then can the leaders and the people work together to set new directions for Singapore, and create new possibilities for the future,” he said.
The three former Cabinet ministers stepped down as the minister for Communications and Information, Manpower and Trade and Industry, respectively, this May as part of a leadership renewal that has resulted in younger ministers heading two-thirds of ministries.
Mr Lee added that political renewal has always been a key priority for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and, given most of the third generation ministers – him included – are already in their sixties, they must renew the team “while we are still vigorous and on top of our game”.
“We cannot wait until our generation runs out of steam before handing over the reins to the next generation,” he reiterated.
AdvertisementAdvertisement“CHANGES PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT”
On a personal note, Mr Lee said making these changes is difficult for him as it is “not like moving pieces on a chessboard” but it involves colleagues, comrades and close friends. In terms of ministerial experience, they were losing “70 years of solid, battle-tested experience”, he added.
This latest round of changes is “particularly difficult” as the three former ministers are from his generation, and he had known them for decades, the prime minister noted.
He also pointed out that Dr Yaacob, Mr Lim Swee Say and Mr Lim Hng Kiang “still have much to contribute” but they “graciously agreed to retire” so the younger ministers can take over their responsibilities and there can be progress in the renewal process.
“Our duty is not only to look after the country well during our time in office; it is also to ensure that the country, and its future, stay in good hands after we leave office,” Mr Lee said.
“Their success will be our success too. And that is stewardship.”
PAYING TRIBUTE
Mr Lee also took the opportunity to thank the three former ministers in person during the dinner.
For Dr Yaacob, the prime minister noted that he had held several ministerial portfolios and “made a big difference” to the lives of Singaporeans.
In fact, he joined the Cabinet at a crucial time after the Sep 11 terrorist attacks and, as Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, provided “crucial leadership” for the Malay-Muslim community during a moment of anxiety and uncertainty.
He also pointed to the fact that during Dr Yaacob’s farewell lunch at MCI, the first group of people he thanked was the cleaning staff. “This speaks to the kind of leader and the kind of person Yaacob is,” Mr Lee said.
As for Mr Lim Swee Say, the prime minister said he had known him since their days in the Singapore Armed Forces. He had brought him into politics because of many suitable qualities: “Practical, persuasive and effective” as well as being “a little unconventional and irreverent”.
Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once wrote that Mr Lim was a “natural” as Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, Mr Lee recounted, and one of the many reasons why is because he is a “gifted communicator”.
Pointing to the “vivid slogans” the former minister coined, including “Upturn the downturn”, “Cheaper, better, faster” and “Better, betterer, betterest”, Mr Lee said these “punchy, folksy and effective” slogans brought home key points to Singaporeans.
In his tribute to Mr Lim Hng Kiang, the prime minister said he knew him the longest - since their days as contemporaries studying in Cambridge 45 years ago.
During his time in politics, Mr Lim had played key roles in major crises like the SARS outbreak in 2003 as Health Minister and the global financial crisis of 2008, and he had been a “steady, absolutely reliable hand” overseeing Singapore’s economy in the last 14 years at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
“He knows when to let things be, and allow the free market to make our economy competitive and efficient,” said the prime minister. “At the same time, he also knows how to step in when the market is not working, to achieve political or social objectives with just the right policy measure."
He added that while Mr Lim is a “laconic” man – “perhaps the only part of him that is unusual for a politician” - his point of view is always rational and incisive and his proposals are always pragmatic and with a human touch.
“That is why I always listen to his views very carefully.”
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