Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport, was on what was probably the toughest Channel 8 talk show for public figures on Jan. 19, 2015.

"Hear Me Out", a show hosted by tough-talking Bryan Wong and Y.E.S. 93.3FM DJ Lin Pei Fen, managed to get Minister Lim Swee Say to share his private love story and film director Jack Neo to reveal that he contemplated suicide during his extramarital affair scandal.

And how well did Teo perform? She passed with flying colours.

Teo confidently communicated the government's stand on transport issues in a lucid and folksy manner that makes you wonder why the government is not asking her to do so for the Channel 5 viewers too.

Multiple ERP gantries? Crowded trains? Buses branching? She provided reasonable and empathetic replies to the frustrations highlighted by Wong.

Importantly, Teo's television performance may have set the example for other female politicians in PAP to emulate. Below are three observations. 

1. She was comfortable in her own skin on TV

Teo belongs to a new crop of female political office-holders who are self-confident and bilingual on television.

Minister Grace Fu, Minister of State Sim Ann, and Parliamentary Secretary Low Yen Ling are three such examples.

Happily married with children, these female office-holders are more open with sharing with the public their challenges of juggling family life, work and politics.

When asked if she had any regrets in politics, Teo said that she prefers to look forward. Since she made a decision to enter politics, it is a choice and responsibility that she has to bear.

When asked whether her family resents her entering politics, Teo said that her kids were young and adapted quickly to their mother working late.

Teo however feels a sense of guilt towards her husband, who had to adapt and made even larger changes to his lifestyle compared to hers.

For instance, he had to handle responsibilities normally managed by the wife/mother in a traditional family.

2. She is not afraid to talk about more feminine stuff, like her appearance and dress sense.

When asked whether there were any changes in her appearance and dress sense, Teo joked that she did not have so many white tops previously.

But she emphasised that appearances and dress sense played an important part in politics. Teo shared that she would dress differently for parliament, grassroots activities, and festivals.

In fact, Teo believes that if she wore a saree on certain occasions, she was also displaying respect to her Indian friends and their festivals.

 Source: Josephine Teo Facebook

3. More importantly, the interview showed that she does not need to be a Lim Hwee Hua to succeed in politics. 

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Minister Lim Hwee Hua, our first woman minister, gave one the impression of a competent technocrat.

But this is not enough for a media-savvy and demanding electorate who wants their politicians to communicate and inspire them.

Remember the pre-General Election television forum in 2011?

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Yes, it was the forum where SDP's Vincent Wijeysingha first made a distinct impression on the national stage.

Accompanying then Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was a first-term PAP MP who was known more for her union work.

Now, it's a Tharman and Josephine travelling band annually as they hit the airwaves and dialogue sessions to explain to the public details about the past three Budgets.

Eerily, or coincidentally, Teo now holds two portfolios similar to Lim -- Finance and Transport.

As the second most senior politician in the two Ministries, she is probably using the same office space too.

Will Teo encounter similar "bad luck" with electoral politics like her predecessors (Dr Seet Ai Mee and Lim Hwee Hua)?*

Teo seems well-prepared for the electoral battle ahead.

The next GE will tell whether the electorate prefers this new style of communication by female politicians.

*Dr Seet Ai Mee was made the Acting Minister for Community Development in 1991 before losing her seat in the same year to Ling How Doong of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Lim was luckier than Seet - she was the first woman minister in Singapore in 2009. Three years later, she was part of the Aljunied team who lost to Workers' Party.

You can watch the full interview on Toggle.

Top photo from Toggle.

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