Vivian Balakrishnan has spoken about and defended Singapore's policies overseas as our foreign affairs minister, and believes deeply in the values held by Singapore's ruling party, the People's Action Party (PAP).

However, he has not always seen eye-to-eye with the party, and even actively disagreed with and spoken out against some of its policies in the past.

Sitting down with Mothership, Vivian shared about his political journey, his thoughts about his opponents, his work as a foreign minister, and what he thinks young voters should know.

A critic of government's policies

Vivian's political career first began in the 2001 General Election (GE), when the five-member PAP team for Holland-Bukit Panjang (now Holland-Bukit Timah) Group Representation Constituency (GRC), of which he was a part, was elected to Parliament uncontested.

But his encounter with the government started long before that, in a Straits Times forum letter he wrote in 1984.

In the letter, he criticised the Graduate Mothers Scheme, a government plan by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, to incentivise educated women to get married and have more children. The scheme also granted graduate mothers priority for their children in top schools, as well as generous tax benefits.

A 23-year-old medical student at the time, Vivian opined that the scheme “actively” discriminates against “the children of less-educated mothers, less-educated men and even graduate men who marry non-graduates”.

He further criticised the scheme as inevitably developing a rigid class system in Singapore should it be allowed to take place.

The divisive scheme received considerable backlash then, even from those within the Cabinet, and the PAP’s vote share in that year’s GE dropped by 12 percentage points. The scheme was dropped shortly after.

Joined PAP because he wanted to "stand up & be counted"

Given his difference in viewpoints regarding some of the PAP's policies, why did Vivian choose to leave his comfortable position as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in 2001 and join the party?

One reason cited by Vivian for his decision to join politics was the September 11 attacks in America.

Saying that he watched the second plane crash into the World Trade Centre live on TV, Vivian said he felt a "sense of crisis", as he was watching "a moment of war", and that he knew "race, language and religion would be part of that narrative".

"So that night actually sealed the deal. At that time I was already the CEO of SGH. I was doing well, and quite frankly, well paid," he said. "At times like this, is the time to stand up and be counted."

Goh Chok Tong told him not to compromise his values

Vivian shared that his political journey started when he was recruited by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Knowing that Vivian had his differences with the party, Goh gave Vivian advice that he remembers to this day, "You must not compromise your values to join us. Because if you compromise, you lose your value to us."

Goh added:

"You come in, you make your arguments. If you convince us, we will change or adjust policies. But on the other hand, if we convince you, you must be intellectually honest enough to change your position.”

Goh’s words had a lasting impact on Vivian, he said:

"It showed that, contrary to popular belief, the PAP actually starts with no preconceptions, no fixed ideologies. In fact, the most important thing was values and intellectual honesty, and actually the bravery to change."

Vivian also highlighted Goh's words in a Facebook tribute post on Jun. 25, after Goh's retirement from politics was announced.

In a 2013 interview, Vivian shared that he had also "voiced public opposition to linking votes and upgrading" in the 1990s, and that he continued to disagree with the PAP on specific issues.

He also noted that discussions with Goh, and interviews with both Lee Kuan Yew and then-Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he was "impressed" that the PAP "does not screen your views".

US-China relations concern Singapore's future

It didn't take long in the interview for Vivian to start speaking passionately about his current portfolio, as the foreign affairs minister.

As he has held several portfolios in a number of ministries — Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, and now Ministry of Foreign Affairs — we asked him what his favourite was.

While Vivian couldn't pinpoint one single ministry that he liked the most, he took that opportunity to elaborate on his work in his current ministry at length.

So passionate about his role as the foreign affairs minister, Vivian hardly needed any prompting from us before diving into a nearly 10-minute speech, complete with follow-up questions to himself, about Singapore's foreign relations.

We got to listen to, up close and personal, a lesson about the utmost importance for the world's two major powers — the United States and China — to get along with each other, and for Singapore to maintain good relations with both of them.

"For us in Singapore, watching America and China and what's happening now, it is a real concern. It's not just an academic exercise."

Expanding on Singapore's stakes in both countries, he said the city-state is in "a unique position", not only because both America and China are invested in the country, and vice-versa, but also, although Singapore is so small, it is able to speak to them "openly, constructively, and in a way that is relevant".

He added, "If this formula for peace and prosperity that has prevailed for seven decades unravels, we will definitely face significant challenges."

Does not make sense for Singapore to fall into "the trap of racism and xenophobia"

When asked about some people in Singapore who might not necessarily have the most positive impression of China, especially since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vivian said "it does not make sense in Singapore for us to fall into the trap of racism and xenophobia".

This is because "we're all equally vulnerable", he said, and that the pandemic is "a worldwide problem", the virus is "nature's way of reminding human beings that at the end of the day, we're all the same".

"Whatever labels you want to stick on each other. Whatever suppose that political ideologies you want to play up, we're all the same."

Singapore has been anticipating pandemic, it's not a black swan event

Some, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, have said that the Covid-19 outbreak is an example of a black swan event, or an unforeseeable or unexpected event that makes a huge impact.

Vivian, however, had a different opinion.

"No it's not, it's not. It's not a black swan," he said.

"I define a black swan event as something unexpected. For me, a pandemic is something expected.

If you even trace my speeches and even PM Lee's speeches in the last few years, and count how many times we have — PM Lee and myself — have used 'pandemic' in our speeches to foreign audiences, you will find it's there."

He added that Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the man who coined the term "black swan", has himself said that Covid-19 is not a black swan event.

Perhaps Vivian is referring to the fact that Singapore has been anticipating a potential crisis like a pandemic for a long time.

Indeed, Vivian said that Singapore has been preparing for this type of event for years.

"Actually, if we look at it objectively, at our preparations since 2003 ... we have built the National Centre for Infectious Disease (NCID), we have increased the number of ICU beds, the stockpile of essential medications, the number of infectious disease specialists, the number of isolation beds.

Actually, on all the things we could have foreseen ... over the last 17 years, we have prepared for it."

Singapore has taken care of its migrant workers well

The only problem that Singapore has had when it comes to Covid-19, said Vivian, has been the dormitory clusters.

"And even that, frankly, if you try to rewind time, could anything have been done differently?" he asked.

Vivian compared the dormitory clusters to the Covid-19 outbreaks onboard luxury cruise liners and aircraft carriers:

"The fact is, as long as you have people interacting, working, shopping, cooking, sharing meals intensely, you will have a problem with a virus which is infectious, and particularly infectious even before symptoms arise.

So, you know, I know a lot people talk about conditions and, you know, how many people to a room. Actually, it's not so much beds but the nature of the activity that matters."

When we asked whether he has had to navigate Singapore's relationship with countries such as India and Bangladesh, where the majority of Singapore's migrant workers hail from, Vivian said that he has had "good conversations" with the other foreign ministers:

"Actually, they all took cognisance of the Prime Minister's reassurance that these migrant workers have built Singapore, literally with their hands. Now that this unfortunate thing has happened, we will take full responsibility. We will give them the best possible medical care. We will look after them.

Even to this day, I don't think any Prime Minister in the world has given that kind of undertaking to migrant workers — that you will continue to receive your pay, you will continue to remit your pay back to your families back home, we will give you the best possible care, we will monitor you, we will test you, we will look after you.

The fact that Prime Minister Lee, I think, is probably still the only leader who has done that, was of enormous value. By the time I spoke to the foreign ministers, they already knew that. They were reassured by that.

And they said, 'We understand. We know you're going to look after them. Thank you very much.'"

He concluded, "So, no, it has not been a source of any foreign policy problems, not at all. In fact, it's just been another vote of confidence."

He also noted to us that he expects Covid-19 to not even be the biggest pandemic Singapore faces in the near future, and that we need to learn from this the prepare for the future:

"...I think this is not even the biggie. I'm actually worried about the next pandemic. And I'm very concerned with using this as a learning opportunity to be even more prepared when the big one arrives."

Voting for overseas Singaporeans

Vivian's portfolio as foreign affairs minister involves taking care of the well-being of Singaporeans overseas.

And during this GE2020 period, there have been some complaints online from overseas Singaporeans about the difficulties of voting due to Covid-19 restrictions. In fact, there has even been a Facebook group formed for overseas voters, which has nearly 1,000 members as of July 4.

When asked why digital voting is not an option for overseas Singaporeans, Vivian said that there is "something sacred" about the experience of voting manually:

"The fact that we live in a small, compact place and we vote manually, and both sides can monitor the vote, can track that ballot paper from the voting station all the way to the counting station, and then the candidates can look at each vote as it is opened, the piles stacked up — there's something sacred about that human, manual experience.

And it's important for us to understand democracy, voting, is not just a technical exercise. It is a very human experience."

But, he said, "I think that's something that will come in due time. We're not yet ready for that."

When asked about whether the full participation of Singaporeans in the election is more important than the sacredness of manual voting, Vivian said that we should aim to find a balance:

"I think we should try to do both — maintain the sanctity, the experience. At the same time, look at whether technology can enable us to widen the opportunities of participation. But for now, it is still manual."

Government will keep trying to increase options of overseas voters

He recognised the inconvenience of overseas electors needing to go to the embassies, and the inability of running elections at all overseas missions.

And, like the diplomat that he is, Vivian said he understands how these Singaporeans feel, and that the government will have to "keep trying" for each election to increase the avenues for overseas Singaporeans to vote.

He shared how he responds to people who email him about this issue:

"Well, my first sentence to all the emails that come to me is, 'Thank you for taking your responsibility as a citizen so seriously.' And I mean it in all sincerity.

And to the maximum extent where we can help them, provide them information, or enable them to vote, we will do so. But I cannot make a promise — I mean, well, it's too late anyway, it's beyond my hands. It's the elections department that decides which overseas embassies are open for election — but you know where I stand. I want to expand participation as widely as possible."

In light of Covid-19, MFA is taking efforts to ensure that voting is safe for those overseas:

"Because it's going to be held in our premises, my first concern is safety, public health. In particular, in countries who may not have the situation as well-controlled as us. So that's what we're focused on — that it will be safe for voters and safe for my staff."

The opposition will offer "all kinds of promises" to get elected

Speaking of the election, Vivian's team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC is set to go against the opposition team led by the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in the upcoming General Election.

While he recognised that SDP always gives his team "a strong and robust rap", and that he expects "they will do no less" this time, he cautioned first-time voters not to be taken in by fancy promises, which candidates do not necessarily know how to fulfil:

"Examine everybody's ideas carefully. Look past the headline of, you know, 'I promise to do this for you, and there is no trade off.' There is always a trade off. And the decision on what trade-off is a values decision."

He further said that in the case of the PAP, they "call a spade a spade" — a phrase that he most notably used in 2012, when he called out the Public Utilities Board for referring to floods as "ponding".

Drawing daylight between the PAP and the opposition, he said as the PAP takes their responsibility seriously as the government, they "cannot make empty promises", or "say something and don't deliver".

Delivering on promises means trade-offs

He reiterated that having to deliver something will definitely cost something — resources — and that the government has to make these decisions based on trade-offs.

Vivian referred to Malaysia's Pakatan Harapan coalition, whose leader former-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had allegedly admitted that they included “all kinds of promises” in their manifesto as they had not expected to win.

In addition, the temptation to make promises that sound good, but which the party might not completely believe in, is "the clear and present danger for any democracy", Vivian said.

He added that the SDP "will offer all kinds of things", and might even say to "do away with GST for a time".

As for the PAP, Vivian said their values have always been to "uplift the vulnerable, look after seniors, and always always provide more opportunities for people who are less well off in order to maintain social mobility".

Singaporeans are sophisticated voters

In terms of a message for first-time voters, Vivian said that he would agree with what some of them may feel about political participation diversity.

"I would say, I agree! The greater the level of participation, the greater the diversity of ideas, the better.

But we must have an honest to goodness debate. And it must be based on values, and a realistic assessment of the circumstances facing us, and the difficult choices confronting us.

So that's a conversation which we need to have more, especially with first time voters."

Ultimately, Vivian says, he trusts Singaporean voters:

"I honestly believe the Singaporean voter is a sophisticated voter who knows what he or she wants, and how Singapore should achieve it.

The purpose of voting in a democracy is you must trust your electorate. And I trust them."

Top image by Angela Lim.