SINGAPORE — It is not enough to have brilliant and capable individuals in power, Singapore must also get its politics right or the people will suffer, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam on Sunday (Nov 25).

Speaking to reporters after officiating the opening of a community healthcare centre in Khatib, Mr Shanmugam said he “worries a lot about succession”.

He noted that advanced countries - such as the United States and the United Kingdom - are far bigger and have more resources than the Republic, but have been divided by different viewpoints.

“The main issue is politics. Once you don’t get (it) right, then the people suffer”, he said.

“The individuals in power are brilliant, they are well meaning, they are capable…but the system (in other countries) as a whole prevents them from having the right solutions.”

He stressed that getting the politics right is critical in order to get the country going in the right direction.

“We have managed to avoid (going in the wrong direction) so far… managed to keep our politics clean and right… and that is my best hope for the 4G (leadership) in Singapore,” he added.

4G LEADERSHIP TEAM

The minister also said that he is “confident and optimistic” that the country is “in good hands” under the 4G leadership team led by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat and Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing.

On Friday, the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Central Executive Committee (CEC) announced its latest team of office-bearers. Mr Heng was named as the party’s first assistant secretary-general, while Mr Chan would serve as his second assistant-secretary general.

Mr Heng’s appointment sets the stage for him to take over Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as the PAP’s secretary-general, as well as the prime minister after the next General Election, which is due by April 2021.

Describing the finance minister as a “careful, deliberate person”, Mr Shanmugam said that Mr Heng seeks out information when issues come up, and “does not just look at (these problems) from a top level”.

“(Instead), he wants to understand the deeper reasons why people have come to some views. He asks for viewpoints from different people, and then he comes to a decision.”

Mr Shanmugam said that Mr Heng is “first of all, a person of the utmost integrity”.

“He works very hard and he is brilliant and he is very empathetic… Many others (in the party) have similar qualities… they will combine as a team.”

While Mr Shanmugam said that the PAP’s 4G team is strong and he is confident that it can do well, he noted that it needs to be “further strengthened by bringing in more people during the next elections”.

He said the 4G team is working very hard.

“I think people might remember when Swee Keat had his stroke, I put up a post that advised him that he is working too hard and that it was not sustainable to work at that pace. But he is back to working very hard,” said Mr Shanmugam.

In May 2016, Mr Heng suffered a stroke, and was out of action for several months. On Friday, he assured that he had made a “very good recovery”, adding that his health is “better than before”.

Mr Shanmugam also noted that both 4G leaders have given their entire adult life to public service, and exemplify the “true Singapore spirit” of upward mobility.

Mr Chan grew up in a rental flat with a single mother, while Mr Heng came from an extremely modest family in Bukit Merah.

“Their careers are an open book…You can start (from a humble background) and reach the very top,” said Mr Shanmugam.

When asked what he foresees as his role in the new CEC, Mr Shanmugam – who was appointed the committee’s treasurer on Friday – said many in the party will “continue to help and do our best”.

“This is about a collective team.  It is not about the individual.”

He is the longest serving Member of Parliament within the CEC, after PM Lee.