Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, praised outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, saying he has "a once-in-a-generation mind."

Speaking at a Singapore Police Force (SPF) event in honour of PM Lee, Shanmugam thanked PM Lee for supporting the Police and Home Team.

He said:

"For me, it is a great privilege to have worked with such a person who is not only brilliant, but as a person, a really wonderful human being...

He is above all, a very good man."

Worked with him for 16 years in cabinet

Shanmugam shared that having worked with PM Lee for 16 years as a minister in his cabinet, it was "a deep sense of duty" that motivated PM Lee to spend almost all of his public life in service to Singapore.

He added:

"I don't think he spends much time thinking about anything unrelated to Singapore. His focus is on our challenges, our problems, what we need to do, and so on."

He also commented that PM Lee is probably Singapore's most popular politician.

"Singaporeans know that this man is not in politics because he likes power or looking to be rewarded," said Shanmugam, adding that PM Lee was in politics out of a deep sense of obligation to Singaporeans.

He recalled how PM Lee would have preferred to go into the field of mathematics.

Shanmugam pointed out that PM Lee was a Senior Wrangler at Cambridge, but returned to Singapore "out of a deep sense of obligation".

"And he has a once in a generation mind. I think we have  been incredibly lucky to have had him as Prime Minister."

He said PM Lee demonstrated understanding of various different fields, ranging from economics, science, technology, to social issues.

He cited the example of the pandemic, a period in which PM Lee was "correcting the math and the science, and asking the questions".

Shanmugam also thanked PM Lee on behalf of the Home Team and the Police Force, saying:

"[PM Lee] has been a tremendous supporter of Police and the Home Team as a whole. And he has always been very clear on the importance of making sure that people live in a safe and good environment."

The dining-in event held on Apr. 17 at the Senior Police Officers' Mess is part of a long-standing police tradition.

Such events are held to honour individuals who made significant contributions to the SPF.

PM Lee last attended an SPF dining-in in 2014, he said in a Facebook post about the event.

Lawrence Wong to succeed as Prime Minister

PM Lee will step down from the prime minister role on May 15, 2024, and hand the torch to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

PM Lee has agreed to continue to serve as a senior minister in DPM Wong's new Cabinet.

Top photos via PM Lee/Facebook & K Shanmugam/Facebook