Coming GE crucial for S’pore to pick leaders for road ahead: DPM Teo
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean at a a media interview today (Aug 14). Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — With several Cabinet members in their early 60s, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who turned 63 in February, it is crucial for Singaporeans to choose a team in the coming General Election (GE) to lead Singapore into the future, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said today (Aug 14).
Speaking in an interview, Mr Teo, who will turn 61 in December, said: “I’m not talking about the next five years; I’m talking about a good leadership team 20, 30 years into the future.”
Apart from Mr Lee and Mr Teo, three others in the present 19-member Cabinet are in their 60s: Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang, 61, Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say, 61, and National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, 62.
Another five are between 55 and 59: Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim, 59, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 58, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, 56, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, 56, and Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, 56.
Referring to Mr Lee’s brush with prostate cancer earlier this year — he has since been given the all-clear — Mr Teo said: “The Prime Minister is already 63, and had a bout of illness recently ... Many of the senior members of the Cabinet are already in our 60s, and come the next General Election, a good many of us will be in our 60s.”
He added that Singaporeans “should do what we can to strengthen that team and not weaken it”.
Noting that the Constitution guarantees that there will at least be nine Opposition members, he said the coming GE is “not about making sure that there will be Opposition voices in Parliament”.
“If you reduce the number of people who can be on that team, you’re going to have a weaker team. The next Prime Minister, whoever he is, will have fewer people to choose from,” said Mr Teo, who is also the first assistant secretary-general of the People’s Action Party (PAP).
“It’s not the PAP or Government who will have a weaker team — Singapore will have a weaker team to advance Singapore’s interests on the international stage.”
Mr Teo said the ruling party has “always seen it as our responsibility to build this team”, it is “really important for Singaporeans to choose the team that will lead us in the future”.
Having a team with “integrity, stability, the ability to look into the future and execute for the present” is one of the reasons behind the Republic’s success, Mr Teo said.
Mr Teo was asked if the timing of the GE, which is expected to be held soon, could be seen as capitalising on the death of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, which triggered a massive outpouring of grief in March.
Mr Teo said Mr Lee’s death left a profound impact on Singaporeans, and allowed them to ponder over the past and present challenges faced by the nation.
“It helped us to reflect on … the fundamentals that have helped us succeed as a nation against all odds, and to do better than many other countries which are better endowed,” he said. “These are not small achievements. These are the achievements of all Singaporeans together, with Mr Lee and his pioneer cabinet helping to show the way.”
Mr Teo cautioned against taking these achievements for granted. “(A) stable, able, honest Government that works sincerely for the good of citizens, is that a given? You just have to look around and you’ll see whether that’s a given, or whether that’s something that you need to nurture,” said Mr Teo.
