SINGAPORE — Singaporeans and the nation’s first-generation leaders went through life-and-death struggles together and their close bonds cannot be replicated unless the country went through the same experience, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Saturday (June 15).

The best way for the current and next generation of leaders to earn the trust of Singapore is trust them with the truth “no matter how unpopular,” he added in a speech at the “Building our Future of Singapore Together” dialogue co-organised by government feedback unit Reach and CNA.

Mr Heng noted that with the fourth-generation leadership poised to take over the reins in the next few years, there are three sets of questions on the minds of Singaporeans.

These are what the 4G leaders believe and care deeply about; how do they want to lead Singapore and its citizens to improve their lives and how they will work with Singaporeans.

“Each generation of leaders has to earn the right to lead by itself, for itself,” he said. “I know — and my colleagues know — that we have to earn your trust. I mean to do so by working with you, for you, for Singapore.

“These words express our deep-seated beliefs, the reasons why we decided to enter politics.”

He noted that the years before Singapore’s independence were marked by violence and upheaval.

For instance, during the race riots of 1964, neighbours who had known each other for many years suddenly became suspicious of each other.

After Singapore’s separation from Malaysia, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his team knew they had to mobilise Singaporeans for the country to survive.

They did so by speaking to Singaporeans frankly, explaining the challenges and choices Singapore faced and why certain tough measures had to be taken, said Mr Heng.

“Mr Lee and his colleagues squared with the people, never hid the bitter truths, and carried the ground,” he added.

“They did not earn the trust of people with empty promises. They earned their trust the hard way – by trusting them with the hard truths and leading from the front.”

Singaporeans trusted the pioneer leaders because they saw them stand up to powerful adversaries, including the communists and communalists.

“They never flinched in a tough neighbourhood. Just as soldiers sharing the same trenches in battle come to trust and rely upon each other without reservation, the overwhelming majority of Singaporeans came to give their whole hearted support to Mr Lee and his team,” said Mr Heng.

“This kind of relationship between leaders and the people cannot be replicated, unless we go through again the same kinds of life-and-death struggles.”

Mr Heng, who is also Finance Minister and Acting Prime Minister in PM Lee Hsien Loong’s leave, said that as Singapore developed, how its citizens related to the Government has changed.

As Singaporeans came to feel a greater sense of ownership of their country, they wanted to a stronger say in how they were governed, not only during elections but also in-between them as policies were developed and implemented, noted Mr Heng.

“The bonds of trust between the founding generation of leaders and Singaporeans were forged in battle. But as our society matured, successive generations of leaders had to win the hearts and minds of Singaporeans in their own way, in accordance with the tenor of the times.”

Mr Goh Chok Tong, who took over from Mr Lee Kuan Yew, responded to the needs of a changing electorate with a more consultative leadership.  

Among others, under Mr Goh’s leadership, the Government created the Feedback Unit and introduced the Nominated Member of Parliament scheme so that more views could be heard in Parliament.

Mr Heng noted that when PM Lee took over in 2004, he took this further with a more inclusive style of governance.

For instance, PM Lee revamped the Feedback Unit to become Reach, whose focus shifted from asking for feedback on government policies to getting Singaporeans to share their views on issues that mattered to them.

Mr Heng noted that even while the style of governance has changed over the years, there were a few constants in the successive generations of leaders.

“First, winning and retaining the trust of Singaporeans remained the essence of government,” he said.

“And second, explaining the trade-offs and challenges we faced, and telling people the truth remained the essence of political leadership – even on difficult matters like population or tax or HDB leases,” he added.

“I believe that trust between the people and the Government is absolutely essential. And the best way to win your trust is to first trust you with the truth — no matter how hard or unpopular."