Heng Swee Keat Appears at East Coast GRC’s MPS After Pulling Out of PM Race; Chats With & Reassures Residents

By
Megan
-

For some, Mr Heng Swee Keat’s decision to pull out of the prime ministerial race came as a shock. 

But during an East Coast GRC Meet-the-People session (MPS) on Monday (12 Apr), the former Prime Minister-in-waiting assured residents that the show will go on, and that while he may not be the next Prime Minister (PM), he is still their Member of Parliament (MP). 

(PM and MP essentially are flipped versions of each other, if you think about it?)

Here’s all that you need to know. 

Heng Swee Keat Appears at East Coast GRC’s MPS After Pulling Out of PM Race; Chats With & Reassures Residents

Mr Heng had begun at the Community Centre where he met up with his volunteers and had dinner together before starting his usual walkabout before the MPS.

Understandably, many residents were concerned about the news and were wondering what this meant for them and their constituency. 

One man asked, “Are you going to leave?”

Mr Heng, however, made it clear that he wasn’t, saying, “I’m still here, I’m still your MP.”

In a Facebook post uploaded on Monday (12 Apr), Mr Heng thanked volunteers for their commitment, and expressed appreciation to residents for their care and concern. 

Some residents had even personally given him “thank you” cards, expressing their gratitude for all his years of service. 

Mothership reports that on the whole, residents felt that was ultimately the decision was his choice which had to be respected. 

Heng Swee Keat’s Decision to Step Down as 4G Leader and Pull Out of PM Race

Mr Heng explained that he decided to step down partly due to his age, saying that the next prime minister should have the benefit of a “sufficiently long runway” in taking up the role. 

Singapore’s first PM, Lee Kuan Yew, was 35 when he took up the position; Goh Chok Tong was 49, and our current PM Lee was 52. Mr Heng will be turning 60 this year. 

He said that he “[stands] ready to support the next leader”. 

In response, PM Lee said that he respected Mr Heng’s choice. 

PM Lee also added that Mr Heng had performed his work exceptionally as Minister for Finance, especially in the past year. 

Mr Heng had played important roles in coming up with key initiatives, such as spearheading five Budgets in 2020, a year of immense economic difficulty. 

Mr Heng will remain as Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, as well as assistant secretary-general to the People’s Action Party (PAP).

His finance portfolio will be relinquished during the next cabinet reshuffle. 

The 4G team issued a statement respecting Mr Heng’s decision, and declared that they would need more time to select another leader. 

They requested for PM Lee to stay on as PM until a new successor is selected and is prepared to take over, to which PM Lee agreed.

Feature Image: Facebook (Heng Swee Keat)

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Megan
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