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Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Forum: Let's not drift into identity politics
I read with interest the article, 'Identity politics gained more prominence in GE2025, unity is S'pore's key strength: SM Teo' (May 21). Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean's caution about the greater prominence of identity politics in GE2025 deserves serious reflection – not only by politicians, but also by all Singaporeans. Singapore's success has never depended on erasing differences. Instead, it has come from weaving them into a common fabric – one that values diversity but insists on shared purpose. This is not an easy feat. Few countries have managed to hold together such a mix of cultures, languages and faiths without slipping into polarisation or paralysis. Yet today, the threat is less about overt conflict and more about subtle drift. Identity politics – once a foreign narrative – now laps at our shores. It speaks the language of justice and representation, but when untethered from national interest, it can erode trust, segment the electorate, and turn community into cleavages. The airing of legitimate concerns – be they cultural, religious, linguistic or socio-economic – is paramount in a maturing democracy. But when electoral strategies begin to revolve around who one is, rather than what one stands for, politics assumes a negative narrative. We must remember that no group in Singapore is an island. The HDB housing blocks, the hawker centres, the LRT and MRT trains – all are daily reminders that our lives are deeply interwoven. Elections, too, should reflect that. Campaigns must speak to what unites us, even as they address what distinguishes us. We cannot outsource this responsibility. Singaporeans must value leaders who articulate inclusive visions over parochial appeals. Educators, media and civil society must resist negative imported narratives that amplify cleavages and division over dialogue. And political parties must remember that their legitimacy rests not just in representing interests, but also in reinforcing the social fabric. Irwan Jamil More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Identity politics gained more prominence in GE2025, unity is S'pore's key strength: SM Teo
SINGAPORE – Identity politics over race and religion gained more prominence in the 2025 General Election, and it is something Singapore should be careful about, said Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on May 20. It goes against the nation's multiracial and multi-religious society where everyone has a place, lives together and does better as a country together, he said. 'We live side by side. By and large we go to schools together. We have many, many more opportunities together. So unity is the core of our strength,' he said, speaking to reporters during an interview at the Ministry of Home Affairs building on May 20. Yet in the recent election, identity politics as well as external issues which had been imported into domestic politics had become part of some parties' political agendas. Some candidates even said that this was the motivating factor behind their entry into politics. 'We also saw some attempts of foreign interference into Singapore politics because they noticed that within Singapore, political parties were prepared to make use of this chip,' SM Teo said. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had called a press conference a week before the May 3 polls to ask all political parties to clarify their stance on two fundamental principles: that identity politics has no place in Singapore, and that religion and politics should not mix. This came a day after the Government moved to block access to Facebook posts by two Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act detainee for attempting to interfere in the election. They, along with a Singaporean self-styled religious teacher based in Malaysia, Mr Noor Deros, had spotlighted several opposition politicians in social media posts, including WP's Faisal Manap, who contested Tampines GRC. Fortunately, SM Teo said, during the election, Singaporeans saw the importance of cohesion, harmony and unity, and the issues of identity politics did not become over-emphasised. 'It is very easy to create divisions based on race and religion, and that's why we treat them so sensitively,' he stressed. 'It's much more difficult to build unity, harmony, consensus, and it's even more difficult to rebuild harmony once that sense of community – one community – breaks down. So we should be very careful with that. 'And perhaps after this GE all the political parties ought to have a careful look at what this is all about and resolve whether or not this is a direction in which we want Singapore politics to go. I would be very wary if we went down that line.' While it is valid to discuss the issues that all the communities in Singapore face, this should not lead to identity politics where different groups try to outbid one another and champion particular communities, he said. Giving one example, he said that during GE2025, one political party said Thaipusam should be made a public holiday. Other political parties then tried to 'outbid them' by suggesting more public holidays. 'So you support something, somebody outbids you, somebody else will outbid you. And then what happens? It is very easy to go down this line, and this happened during this election. This was the agenda of some of the parties.' During the election, the WP had asked that Thaipusam be reinstated as a public holiday. The Progress Singapore Party proposed increasing the number of public holidays from 11 to 14. It suggested that the new holidays should represent each of the three major ethnic groups in Singapore, with possible additions including Chinese New Year's Eve, the day after Hari Raya Puasa and Thaipusam. External conflicts should not be part of Singapore's quarrels either, said SM Teo. They are a chance for Singaporeans to show compassion and extend help, but should not become a cause because 'these are not our quarrels', he noted. Singaporeans have, in fact, come together to help the victims of the Syrian war and Palestine conflict, regardless of race and religion, he pointed out. Unity is Singapore's core strength as a small nation, SM Teo added. While Singapore lacks resources, it can pull all its strengths together so that it can project itself as larger than it is, and be strong when facing the world. Policies like the Ethnic Integration Policy in Housing Board estates contributed to Singapore's unity, he said. Singaporeans have become more enlightened as a people living side by side, going to schools together and enjoying many more opportunities together, he added. Different communities in Singapore also work together to tackle radicalisation, which has evolved with the internet and social media platforms indoctrinating people rapidly, teaching them to build bombs and carry out acts of terror. SM Teo spoke about how a self-professed white supremacist was educated by the Religious Rehabilitation Group – a voluntary group of Islamic scholars and teachers – and eventually changed his mind about attacking Muslim targets. In January 2024, a Secondary 4 student who identified as a white supremacist and was radicalised by far-right propaganda received a restriction order for planning attacks overseas. SM Teo, 70, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, is stepping down from the Cabinet and politics. Both he and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat confirmed their retirement from politics on Nomination Day on April 23. SM Teo said he would continue to help and assist in any way that would be helpful. Singapore is quite unique because in many countries, the party that wins power often tries to burnish its own reputation by condemning everything that the former party did, he said. 'We can see that in so many countries, they rubbish everything the previous government did, and so there's no continuity, whereas here we have continuity,' he said, pointing out that as Coordinating Minister for National Security, he consulted former deputy prime minister S. Jayakumar. 'It's a wonderful resource... We build on what we did. And that is, again, one of the strengths that we have in Singapore,' said SM Teo. He is happy to see that PM Wong has put together a strong team of good people. There are people who stand for election because they want to do good for their fellow Singaporeans and improve their lives, 'who derive happiness from seeing other people happy'. There are also others who 'feed on anger and unhappiness', SM Teo said. 'So you have to discern between the two, who you really want to represent you, what kind of Parliament you want, and what will really improve your life.' His advice to the new parliamentarians is to uphold truth, honesty and integrity. 'I think we have many strengths today,' he said. 'We have found a formula over many years which helps us to be united, synergise and multiply our strengths so that we can stand up to the world and be taken seriously, and this is something which we should continue.' He added: 'I want them to succeed, we want them to succeed, because we want Singapore to succeed.' Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times covering topics such as community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
‘The thing that I remember most is the people,' says SM Teo
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean is retiring from politics after an illustrious career spanning more than three decades. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO 'The thing that I remember most is the people,' says SM Teo SINGAPORE – When Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean was in the Ministry of Home Affairs, he took a keen interest in the footwear of his officers. He was happy to see that they had nice boots that could be removed easily so they could enter people's homes, but would not slip off when they were chasing people. It was also important that they were comfortable, as the officers spent so much time on their feet. He also looked into the weight of their communication sets, and whether their body-worn cameras would cause heat stress. 'These kinds of things are important to the person on the ground because it helps them to get the job done better,' he said. Whether as an MP looking after his residents, or an architect of national policy, SM Teo's philosophy has been to make sure that he understands the ground and helps everyone do their job better. When he was with the Education Ministry, he gave the teachers proper staffrooms with their own workstations, instead of having them share desks. Speaking to the media at the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 20, SM Teo said his approach is always to try to understand the situation, down to the last person. This was the last interview for SM Teo in his current capacity before his retirement, following an illustrious career spanning more than three decades. A giant in the public service with a lifetime of contributions to Singapore and Singaporeans, SM Teo is a core member of Singapore's third-generation political leadership team, serving as deputy prime minister from 2009 to 2019. He has been Coordinating Minister for National Security since 2011, and was appointed Senior Minister in 2019. Asked what he would miss most, he said without pausing that 'the thing that I remember most is the people'. These include the volunteers in his Pasir Ris constituency – 'wonderful people who have their own problems but still find time to help others'. He recently featured on social media one of his 'favourite families' that faced crises but continued to serve. 'They continue to serve the community, with heart and soul, and they still continue to do so. 'These are ordinary Singaporeans doing extraordinary things, out of all the goodness of their heart.' The people he misses are also the officers he has interacted with across the many different agencies and the Public Service Division. 'You know, sometimes I tell officers – you want to be in the public service, you must be the type of person who derives happiness from seeing other people happy... We have many, many officers like that, committed, dedicated, particularly in uniformed services,' he said. Those in the uniformed services are prepared to lay down their lives to save others, he added, and leading these organisations has been a 'very special privilege'. There are also his friends from abroad who have worked with him on different matters. 'Sometimes, we have our differences, but we find a way of working together,' he said. 'We may disagree, but there is no need to be disagreeable.' As a small country, it is not easy for Singapore to stand up and be taken seriously, noted SM Teo, who has helped forge ties or guide sensitive negotiations with other nations. 'So, you must be very clear what your own interests are. You must also understand what their interests are,' he said. 'And you can think that through and try and identify areas where you can work together.' In a valedictory letter to SM Teo on May 6, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had thanked the Senior Minister for dedicating his entire 53-year career to safeguarding and advancing the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans. PM Wong also said in the letter that SM Teo's contributions to defence, climate action, diplomacy and security have left an indelible mark and helped Singapore to stand tall in the world. SM Teo started out as a navy officer in 1972, eventually leaving the armed forces as chief of navy in 1992 to enter politics. His first Cabinet appointment was as minister of state for finance as well as communications in 1992. He has also been minister for home affairs, defence, education, and the environment. He was first elected in the 1992 Marine Parade GRC by-election as a member of then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's team, before moving to contest Pasir Ris GRC during the 1997 General Election. He has been re-elected there five times since. He is stepping down because he thinks succession is important, and also for his residents, he said. 'When you become a Member of Parliament, you commit to your residents. You work for them 100 plus per cent for five years,' said SM Teo, who is well known for his late nights at Meet-the-People Sessions, not leaving till the last person has been seen. 'If you see that there are people who can serve the residents more energetically and better than you can, then you should let the residents be served by them.' In his over three decades in politics, he has had to make many tough decisions. 'Decisions are never easy, because they all have to balance many different factors and they impact the individual lives of people and their interests,' he said. 'For politics in Singapore, you are a Member of Parliament first before you are a minister. And so you cannot make policy and then go hide in your ivory tower... you have to meet your residents,' he added. When the Government introduced MediShield Life, for example, he visited four homes in one night, and they were all thankful for it. There are long-term issues that take much time for the results to be seen, one of which is education, he noted. 'If our education system is good, it has got nothing to do with me because my predecessors made the decision,' he quipped, adding that if the education system is bad in future, it would be his fault. SM Teo, who was education minister from 1997 to 2003, said he was happy to have revamped the careers of teachers and elevated their status. Another achievement was establishing the Institute of Technical Education colleges to give the students better facilities and a sense of hope for the future. He has been tasked with handling many sensitive issues over the years, including the Oxley Road debate and, more recently, the review of the use of NRIC numbers in the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority's Bizfile service. While Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong is known as Singapore's 'task force man' looking after the economy and trade, and former politician Khaw Boon Wan was 'Mr Fix-It' for his knack for solving hot-button issues, could SM Teo be called 'Mr Firefighter' for his ability to defuse crises? 'Well, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter,' he said with a chuckle. 'My father brought me to all these exhibitions when the old Kallang Airport closed down... and there were fire engines down there. So, I climbed into a fire engine and wanted to be a fireman.' On his plans after his retirement, SM Teo said he would assist in any way that PM Wong feels he can be helpful. Looking back on his lifetime of service, he said it has been a satisfying journey. 'I think I have been able to contribute in some ways,' he said. 'But one must have a certain humility about all these things, because many people travel on the journey with you, and you cannot do any of these things on your own.' 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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘The thing that I remember most is the people,' says SM Teo
SINGAPORE – When Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean was in the Ministry of Home Affairs, he took a keen interest in the footwear of his officers. He was happy to see that they had nice boots that could be removed easily so they could enter people's homes, but would not slip off when they were chasing people. It was also important that they were comfortable, as the officers spent so much time on their feet. He also looked into the weight of their communication sets, and whether their body-worn cameras would cause heat stress. 'These kinds of things are important to the person on the ground because it helps them to get the job done better,' he said. Whether as an MP looking after his residents, or an architect of national policy, SM Teo's philosophy has been to make sure that he understands the ground and helps everyone do their job better. When he was with the Education Ministry, he gave the teachers proper staffrooms with their own workstations, instead of having them share desks. Speaking to the media at the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 20, SM Teo said his approach is always to try to understand the situation, down to the last person. This was the last interview for SM Teo in his current capacity before his retirement, following an illustrious career spanning more than three decades. A giant in the public service with a lifetime of contributions to Singapore and Singaporeans, SM Teo is a core member of Singapore's third-generation political leadership team, serving as deputy prime minister from 2009 to 2019. He has been Coordinating Minister for National Security since 2011, and was appointed Senior Minister in 2019. Asked what he would miss most, he said without pausing that 'the thing that I remember most is the people'. These include the volunteers in his Pasir Ris constituency – 'wonderful people who have their own problems but still find time to help others'. He recently featured on social media one of his 'favourite families' that faced crises but continued to serve. 'They continue to serve the community, with heart and soul, and they still continue to do so. 'These are ordinary Singaporeans doing extraordinary things, out of all the goodness of their heart.' The people he misses are also the officers he has interacted with across the many different agencies and the Public Service Division. 'You know, sometimes I tell officers – you want to be in the public service, you must be the type of person who derives happiness from seeing other people happy... We have many, many officers like that, committed, dedicated, particularly in uniformed services,' he said. Those in the uniformed services are prepared to lay down their lives to save others, he added, and leading these organisations has been a 'very special privilege'. There are also his friends from abroad who have worked with him on different matters. 'Sometimes, we have our differences, but we find a way of working together,' he said. 'We may disagree, but there is no need to be disagreeable.' As a small country, it is not easy for Singapore to stand up and be taken seriously, noted SM Teo, who has helped forge ties or guide sensitive negotiations with other nations. 'So, you must be very clear what your own interests are. You must also understand what their interests are,' he said. 'And you can think that through and try and identify areas where you can work together.' In a valedictory letter to SM Teo on May 6, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had thanked the Senior Minister for dedicating his entire 53-year career to safeguarding and advancing the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans. PM Wong also said in the letter that SM Teo's contributions to defence, climate action, diplomacy and security have left an indelible mark and helped Singapore to stand tall in the world. SM Teo started out as a navy officer in 1972, eventually leaving the armed forces as chief of navy in 1992 to enter politics. His first Cabinet appointment was as minister of state for finance as well as communications in 1992. He has also been minister for home affairs, defence, education, and the environment. He was first elected in the 1992 Marine Parade GRC by-election as a member of then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's team, before moving to contest Pasir Ris GRC during the 1997 General Election. He has been re-elected there five times since. He is stepping down because he thinks succession is important, and also for his residents, he said. 'When you become a Member of Parliament, you commit to your residents. You work for them 100 plus per cent for five years,' said SM Teo, who is well known for his late nights at Meet-the-People Sessions, not leaving till the last person has been seen. 'If you see that there are people who can serve the residents more energetically and better than you can, then you should let the residents be served by them.' In his over three decades in politics, he has had to make many tough decisions. 'Decisions are never easy, because they all have to balance many different factors and they impact the individual lives of people and their interests,' he said. 'For politics in Singapore, you are a Member of Parliament first before you are a minister. And so you cannot make policy and then go hide in your ivory tower... you have to meet your residents,' he added. When the Government introduced MediShield Life, for example, he visited four homes in one night, and they were all thankful for it. There are long-term issues that take much time for the results to be seen, one of which is education, he noted. 'If our education system is good, it has got nothing to do with me because my predecessors made the decision,' he quipped, adding that if the education system is bad in future, it would be his fault. SM Teo, who was education minister from 1997 to 2003, said he was happy to have revamped the careers of teachers and elevated their status. Another achievement was establishing the Institute of Technical Education colleges to give the students better facilities and a sense of hope for the future. He has been tasked with handling many sensitive issues over the years, including the Oxley Road debate and, more recently, the review of the use of NRIC numbers in the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority's Bizfile service. While Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong is known as Singapore's 'task force man' looking after the economy and trade, and former politician Khaw Boon Wan was 'Mr Fix-It' for his knack for solving hot-button issues, could SM Teo be called 'Mr Firefighter' for his ability to defuse crises? 'Well, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter,' he said with a chuckle. 'My father brought me to all these exhibitions when the old Kallang Airport closed down... and there were fire engines down there. So, I climbed into a fire engine and wanted to be a fireman.' On his plans after his retirement, SM Teo said he would assist in any way that PM Wong feels he can be helpful. Looking back on his lifetime of service, he said it has been a satisfying journey. 'I think I have been able to contribute in some ways,' he said. 'But one must have a certain humility about all these things, because many people travel on the journey with you, and you cannot do any of these things on your own.' Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
CNA
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Q&A with Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean ahead of his retirement
SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean announced last month that he is stepping down after 53 years in public service, including 33 years in politics. In a wide-ranging interview with the media on Tuesday (May 20) ahead of his retirement, Mr Teo said finely tuned coordination across ministries remains key as the country deals with cross-cutting issues like climate change and national security. The 70-year-old – who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security – reflected on his political career as well, including his time as Education Minister from 1997 to 2003. Before he entered politics in 1992, he served in various roles in the Singapore Armed Forces and was appointed Chief of Navy in 1991. Q. In your 33 years in politics, what was the toughest decision you had to make? A. Decisions are never easy because they all have to balance many different factors. They impact the individual lives of people and their interests. So you have to understand that and take that into account. And for politics in Singapore, you are a member of parliament first before you are a minister, and so you cannot make policy and then go and hide in your ivory tower. Some of the issues which we are able to tackle in Singapore, which many countries face difficulty in doing, are really the long-term issues … if you don't take action now or next year or in two years' time, you lose one year or two years or three years or four years or five years, and then by the time the issue you have to confront the issue already, you have lost four or five years, because it takes that amount of time for this kind of policy to actually come to fruition and for the gestation period. So education is really one of them, and I spent about six, seven years in education. And it was a very satisfying period. The two things I'm happiest with from the Ministry of Education are, we completely revamped the teachers' career schemes. Salaries was one thing, but also the careers, to have the teaching track, the leadership track and the specialist track, so that we were able to develop teachers much more fully and holistically. And also in the course of that, I think we managed to raise the status of teachers in society, and I think that was very important for the teachers and our whole school system. The other one I'm really very happy with is ITE (Institute of Technical Education). I mean, ITE was the idea of Dr Tay Eng Soon to change from VITB (Vocational and Industrial Training Board), which was really a secondary vocational school, to a post-secondary Institute for Technical Education. So that was a very important move that he made. But the structure of each of the individual centres was still like a secondary vocational school. It was about 1,500 students, and there were 10 to a dozen centres all over Singapore. So we decided that we could actually build ITE colleges and bring a different approach to ITE education to the students. And so every time I go to ITE Central or East or West, I feel a great sense of joy, and to see the students actually have the type of facilities that they have, and it gives them a sense of hope for the future. And that's very important. Everybody has a chance. Q. With your vast experience across the different ministries, how do you think that has shaped your perspective or your approach towards governance and leadership? A. Some of it comes not just from the ministries, but from my own experience previously in the Navy. It was a very collegial type of organisation. And so, you know, people have this idea that (because) you come from the armed forces, you just tell people what to do and things get done. It doesn't work that way in our armed forces, because we have a National Service armed forces, and an ORNS (operationally ready National Service) reservist armed forces. You can't just tell people what to do. You actually have to work with them, get them on board, and you actually do a lot of persuasion to get things done, especially with our reservists - they may be older than you are, so you actually have to work with them. And there's a lot of interpersonal skills and leadership team building involved. So this is one of the characteristics of our armed forces, which is different from professional armed forces. And the reason it's important in the armed forces is you need to do this in order to continue to have strong armed forces and to continue to have people who committed Singaporeans to National Service and reservist, because if you mistreat people, then your support for National Service will collapse immediately. You can see that in some countries. So this is very important. And so, you know, when you see people come out (of the) armed forces (to) go to other fields, this is what they bring with them as well. My approach is always to try and understand the situation, listen to people, what they have to say, and go right down to the end, the last person who's delivering a service, understand what he's doing, because if you're not helping him to deliver the service, it doesn't get done. So when I was at MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs), for example, I took a great deal of interest in what kind of shoes the officers wear … These are very basic but important things, that they're comfortable because they spend a lot of time on their feet. Their communication sets, how heavy a load are they carrying, all kinds of things that they're carrying, you want them to carry, these body-worn cameras - is it going to overheat, cause them more heat stress? These kinds of things - it's important to the person on the ground because it helps him to get the job done better. So you've got to understand some of the issues that he faces, and if you can help him to do the job better, he will do the job better. So these are some sort of issues I tried to understand a little bit more about. I did that in the SAF, I did that with the teachers too. So, one of the things I'm happiest about, I gave the teachers proper staff rooms with their own workstations. Before, they were sharing desks (with) piles of stuff on their desk. You give them a proper working environment. Q. Was this the same approach that you took as well when you were tasked to handle sensitive issues over the years, whether it was Oxley Road or even the most recent incident of the disclosure of NRIC numbers by BizFile? A. Well, that's a totally different set of issues. You're talking about how you lead an organisation versus how you deal with certain of these other issues. Well, the other types of issues, from time to time, the PM (Prime Minister) had asked me - PM Hsien Loong - and then PM Lawrence (Wong) asked me to deal with some of these issues, because he felt that I would bring a certain objective eye to it, and I would deal with it firmly but fairly … So I try and do my best, and that's important, because this is part of transparency in an organisation. One of the most important things in government is integrity and trust that the government is doing the correct thing. And so, if something goes wrong, you must deal with it. And you know, as parliamentarians as well - when we all get elected to parliament, the most important thing is that we're honest with each other. If we want to have a debate, it must be based on truth and honesty. That's important, because otherwise, what's the basis for debate? And that's why truth, honesty, integrity in parliament when we say something to each other, (it's) so important. Q. From your own experience as Coordinating Minister for National Security, what do you think is the relevance of this coordinating minister role moving forward? And do you think the 4G team is equipped to take on a role like this? A. I think the answer to both is yes. There's always coordination required across the ministries, and in some cases, more so than others, because there are no issues which are just a single issue which is dealt with by a single ministry. They're always quite cross-cutting. Even housing, you say that's MND and HDB's (Ministry of National Development and Housing and Development Board) issue, but actually there's family break-up, therefore the different halves of the families require housing. It's a social issue. It's not just a housing issue. And if parents and children live together, and then they can't agree with each other, and they break up and they want separate housing, that also is a social issue. It's not just a pure housing issue. So there are no issues which are so pure, they are single ministry, single agency issues, and in many of them, you have to work together. So one of the things I always advocated for was a stronger, a better coordinating function in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). And so we have the PMO Strategy Group, and that brings together some of the key cross-cutting issues that we have to deal with, like climate, population - these to name a few. But then we also have national security. So we have a national security secretariat, and they work on these issues in a more holistic way and try to help the individual ministries and agencies do their job better. You do need this function. How it is to be carried out - it can take on different forms at different times, depending on the urgency of each of these issues and also depending on the people that you have. Q. As you step down after five decades in public service, what is one key lesson that you've taken away for yourself and that you will share with this new team of leaders? A. Unity is one of the key things - working together, that's key. And this is one of the characteristics that we have in Singapore, working together as a Cabinet, working together as a parliamentary team, working together as a civil service, working together as a country. And this is a key and core strength that we have. It is an advantage of being small, and it's a core and key strength that we have which allows us to face the world with confidence. I mean, if we were quarrelling and fighting with each other all the time, where do we have energy to actually improve the lives of people? And how do we face the world? Well, COVID-19 was a very interesting example. We actually drew on what I would describe as three sets of reserves. We think of our financial reserves. You know, we had five budgets. DPM (Deputy Prime Minister) Heng (Swee Keat), Minister for Finance, put together five budgets within a year or so, and we were able to support Singaporeans, companies, small businesses, gig workers (to) get through this very, very critical period. And we did so without going into debt. It's quite remarkable. Many countries did so, but they became much, much more in debt after that. And you can see many countries are in that predicament right now. So we have one set of reserves, which are financial reserves. It's always very easy to spend them, and you can get into a bidding war on how who will be more generous in spending the reserves. But that's a very dangerous thing to do, and that's why this government put into place certain checks, self-checks, on how you can use those reserves, because it's very tempting. And of course, even if you have two keys, you can still unlock it, but It's just a bit more difficult. So that's one set of reserves. The other set of reserves that we have actually lies in our organisational capacity. So when we had to deal with COVID, we drew on companies, we drew on civil society, we drew on the public service. We drew particularly on the People's Association and their networks in the community. And we drew on what we consider our reserves - SAF and the Home Team, and we were able to work very, very strongly together. But the other set of reserves that we drew on was really our social reserves, our sense of community, so people look after each other. And these were things which, as I said, the People's Association helped to build up. It was a very powerful network, and it helped people. We distributed masks, we organized mass vaccination. We brought food to people who are quarantined at home, alone at home, old folks, and we supported each other. So when we think about reserves, these are the reserves that we've built up over the years, and these are things which we should continue to strengthen and not rubbish them or diminish them. They are very, very important for us, and it showed how we could come through COVID together.
