PM Wong thanks Teo Chee Hean & Heng Swee Keat for decades-long service to S'pore

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong penned two valedictory letters for Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on May 6, thanking them for their contributions to Singapore and Singaporeans.

Regarding them as "two giants of public service", PM Wong wrote in a Facebook post that their decades of service "have helped build the strong foundations that my team and I now stand on, as we chart the way forward to Singapore."

Both DPM Heng, 64, and SM Teo, 70, announced their retirement from politics on Apr. 23 nomination day for the recently concluded 2025 general election.

DPM Heng left the administrative service, the highest tier of civil service in Singapore, to enter politics 14 years ago in 2011.

SM Teo, who is also the coordinating minister for national security, left his armed forces career and entered politics 33 years ago in 1992.

DPM Heng 'consistently upheld ethos of service above self'

In his valedictory letter to DPM Heng, PM Wong said DPM Heng had dedicated his entire working life, which spanned over 40 years, to serving Singapore and Singaporeans.

Before joining politics, DPM Heng held key positions in the administrative service, including as the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

After being elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines in GRC 2011, DPM Heng served as the Minister of Education between 2011 and 2015.

PM Wong highlighted two of DPM Heng's achievements during this time, one of which was his abolishment of secondary school rankings and piloting subject-based banding, "paving the way for the complete removal of streaming" from Singapore's education system.

Under DPM Heng's leadership, the government also rolled out SkillsFuture, "launching a national movement for lifelong learning".

Strengthens Singapore's economy

After DPM Heng became the Minister of Finance in 2015, PM Wong said he remained "a steady and trusted steward" of Singapore's fiscal resources, maintaining a balanced budget while building up Singapore's reserves.

Specifically, PM Wong praised DPM Heng's decision to deliver "an unprecedented five Budgets" in 2020 to "save lives and livelihoods", as well as "prepare Singapore to emerge stronger" from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Concurrently, DPM Heng also played "a key role" in upgrading Singapore's economy and strengthened ties with international partners to access new economic opportunities, added PM Wong.

He did so in his capacity as the Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, chairman of the Future Economy Advisory Panel, and co-chair of the annual Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation with China.

'Steadfast comrade, cherished friend'

Within the People's Action Party (PAP), one notable contribution that DPM Heng made was by steering the party's efforts to "connect more deeply with Singaporeans" through initiatives, such as the Singapore Together movement in 2019, said PM Wong.

Additionally, when the 4G team unanimously chose DPM Heng to lead the party in 2018, he accepted this responsibility.

However, after the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the transition, DPM Heng "selflessly stepped aside to let the team choose a younger leader with a longer runway", said PM Wong.

Similarly, DPM Heng also made the difficult decision to retire from public service, which PM Wong described as his "lifelong mission" and "calling", to make way for a new team to serve Singapore.

PM Wong wrote:

"I only wish that our partnership could have been longer. You have been a steadfast comrade and cherished friend.

We joined politics at the same time, but you were my senior and were always generous with your advice and unstinting in your mentorship.

It has been a privilege to serve alongside you in the Ministries of Education and Finance, in our fight against Covid-19, in cabinet, and in politics more broadly."

SM Teo 'left an indelible mark' on Singapore

In his valedictory letter to SM Teo, PM Wong thanked him for his "lifetime of service to Singapore".

Starting off as a navy officer in 1972, SM Teo had dedicated the entirety of his 53-year career to "safeguarding and advancing the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans".

"Your contributions, particularly in the areas of defence, climate action, diplomacy, and security, have left an indelible mark on our nation," wrote PM Wong.

For example, on defence and security, when SM Teo was serving as the Minister of Defence from 2003 to 2011, his "foresight in creating an integrated and networked force", coupled with the acquisition of advanced equipment for land, sea, and air combat, enabled Singapore's servicemen and servicewomen to fight more effectively.

Concurrently, SM Teo also led the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to make operational deployments that were beneficial for Singapore's security, such as Operation Flying Eagle.

The operation, which provided aid to Indonesia and Thailand in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, remains the largest humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation undertaken by the SAF, revealed PM Wong.

On climate action, SM Teo "set the direction" for government agencies to take a coordinated whole of government approach, "balancing tough trade-offs to formulate practical decarbonisation and net-zero goals" in his capacity as deputy prime minister and senior minister.

On diplomacy, SM Teo had guided "sensitive negotiations" and "successfully concluded three landmark agreements" with Indonesia, namely the Flight Information Region Agreement, the Extradition Treaty, and the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

These agreements were significant because they resolved "three complex, long-standing bilateral issues," contended PM Wong.

Led work on important & difficult issues

PM Wong also highlighted several "important and difficult issues" on which SM Teo led the work "with rigour and thoughtfulness".

These included the recent review of the disclosure of full NRIC numbers in ACRA's BizFile service, which SM Teo oversaw and delivered "a thorough and definitive account in parliament on what went wrong and how we could do better".

During the Covid-19 pandemic, SM Teo also led the efforts to manage the outbreak in the migrant worker dormitories, "responding swiftly and steadily to an urgent and potentially dangerous crisis".

"You approached each of these demanding assignments with thoroughness and clarity, never hesitating to hold individuals accountable when necessary, and making sure that the government will always have the moral courage and conviction to do the right thing, and to do right by Singapore."

Nuturing leaders within PAP

Within the PAP, PM Wong said SM Teo has been "a trusted mentor" to new MPs and instilled in them his "deep sense of duty and service".

PM Wong also shared candidly that he had "benefitted greatly from [SM Teo's] generous guidance and wise counsel" since entering politics in 2011.

Furthermore, SM Teo and his peers had also laid the foundation for PM Wong and his team:

"If I can take Singapore forward from here, it is only because earlier generations of leaders like you have worked hard to safeguard our future.

My team and I will do our utmost to continue your ethos – protecting what we have built, and bringing Singapore onward and upward."

Top images via Heng Swee Keat & Teo Chee Hean/Facebook