Following President Halimah Yacob's announcement that she will not be contesting in the next Presidential Election, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat paid tribute to her, thanking the president for her "dedicated and unwavering service to Singapore and Singaporeans".

In his tribute, posted on Facebook, Heng praised the president for championing a more caring and compassionate society, including through the annual President's Challenge.

On the international stage, as Singapore's first female head of state, Heng said President Halimah served as a role model for girls and women in Singapore and represented the country with poise and dignity.

In particular, Heng expressed his gratitude for President Halimah's assent to tap into Singapore's past reserves during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"As the then-Minister for Finance, my team and I briefed President and the Council of Presidential Advisers and sought approval to use past reserves to fight the unprecedented crisis," said Heng.

He recalled how President Halimah asked "many tough questions" before she gave her consent to draw from the reserves for the plans and proposed measures.

He added:

"This enabled us to launch five budgets within a year to protect lives and livelihoods. We eventually used around S$40 billion from past reserves on measures such as the Jobs Support Scheme, without borrowing or incurring debt that would burden future generations."

Heng ended his post by thanking President Halimah for her "decisive support and leadership" which enabled Singapore to emerge stronger from the pandemic.

Here's Heng's post in full:

Top image credit: Heng Swee Keat/Facebook