'Their wisdom and quiet dedication will be deeply missed': SM Lee on Teo Chee Hean & Heng Swee Keat stepping down

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong has paid tribute to fellow Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat who are stepping down from politics.

In a Facebook post put up on Apr. 23, SM Lee described Teo and Heng as "inspiring mentors" and role models to their younger colleagues.

He also gave an overview of his interactions with them throughout his tenure as Prime Minister.

Have known Teo since university days

According to Lee, he has known Teo for a long time — since they were in university.

He highlighted how both of them have worked closely together, for more than 40 years, first in the Joint Staff in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces, and later in political office.

SM Lee added, "Chee Hean was a steady presence in Cabinet and a pillar of strength in my 3G team."

The former Prime Minister of Singapore noted that throughout Teo's time as Deputy Prime Minister from 2009 to 2019, and as Senior Minister afterwards, he could rely on him to deal with the thorniest issues "sensibly and even-handedly".

Such issues included the Covid-19 pandemic, managing complex "cross-cutting" topics like population policy, developing future plans for climate change or conducting sensitive negotiations with Singapore's neighbours.

While discussing such matters, Teo spoke his mind and never hesitated to express views that were different from his, SM Lee highlighted.

"I always valued Chee Hean’s thoughtful reactions to my ideas, his strategic clarity, and sound judgment," SM Lee added.

Heng was a "dedicated minister" who exemplified public service spirit

As for Heng, SM Lee said he is grateful for how Heng answered his call to join politics in 2011.

A former civil servant with many years of experience, Heng was a "dedicated minister" who exemplified the spirit of public service, SM Lee pointed out.

He wrote:

"In his ministry portfolios, Swee Keat made many policy innovations, combining policy mastery with a political touch.

He had natural empathy for others, and pioneered new models of public engagement, deepening government-citizen partnerships to shape policies. These have become the hallmark of the 4G’s style of governance."

SM Lee also noted how Heng had delivered a record five budgets within a year during the Covid-19 pandemic, which helped the government to save lives and livelihoods.

However, the pandemic also disrupted the government's succession plans, SM Lee said, which prompted Heng to make the "selfless decision" to step aside as the leader of the 4G team, so that the team could choose a younger leader with a longer runway.

"Still, Swee Keat continued to contribute actively in Cabinet with his expertise and experience. For that, I will long be grateful," SM Lee wrote.

He then concluded his post by thanking both Teo and Heng, and noted that without them, Singapore "could not have achieved so much".

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Top photos via Lee Hsien Loong/Facebook