SINGAPORE – Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam is no stranger to change.
In his 37 years in politics, he has served under four prime ministers, first as a PAP backbencher and then later in Cabinet. He entered politics in 1988, just before the global environment was about to change rapidly with the collapse of communism in Europe, and that of the Soviet Union a few years later.
In all that time, the PAP has remained successful as a party because it has “forced itself to change continuously” to stay relevant to evolving challenges.
Mr Shanmugam said this on The Straits Times’ current affairs podcast The Usual Place on April 16, when he was asked about how the PAP has evolved over the last four decades.
“This party has been successful because it accepts change. Many parties don’t have longevity because certain things worked and they stuck to whatever worked, and after a while, when things changed, they couldn’t give up on what they liked doing, or what they were comfortable doing,” he said.
Success has been possible only because the Government regularly takes stock and changes the way it does things as the external environment changes, he said during the session, which was hosted by podcast host Natasha Ann Zachariah and ST editor Jaime Ho.
Mr Shanmugam cited as an example how the Singapore economy has been restructured over the years.
He pointed to how Singapore has continued to prosper despite the various turbulent periods over the last three decades, such as the 1997 and 2008 financial crises, the 2002-2004 Sars outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We survived all of them. We have done well on any objective economic criteria. In terms of our quality of our people’s lives, they have improved,” he said.
While that does not mean that 100 per cent of Singaporeans are better off, Mr Shanmugam pointed out that the vast majority were.
“I would say 90 over per cent are better off, and we have to focus on the remaining percentage – just under 10 per cent. We have to focus on them, and we have to uplift them,” said Mr Shanmugam.
The 66-year-old veteran minister’s comments come weeks before Singapore heads to the polls on May 3.
He demurred when asked to give a grade for how the PAP government has performed in the last term, pointing out that it was up to people to judge.
But he cited a range of economic indicators such as the growth of nominal gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment figures, foreign investment, and healthcare and housing access, as proof that the Government has done its job.
For instance, Singapore’s nominal GDP has gone up by more than 30 per cent from US$370 billion in 2019 to over US$500 billion (S$655.7 billion) in 2023, and overall unemployment has come down from between 3 per cent and 4 per cent in 2019 to under 2 per cent, he said.
But he also said it is not all “hunky-dory” for everyone, and that the Government needed to continue to help people deal with problems today, including cost of living.
A top lawyer when he entered Parliament in 1988 at the age of 29, Mr Shanmugam first represented the Chong Pang ward under Sembawang GRC and later under Nee Soon GRC from 2011.
He led the PAP team in Nee Soon GRC, which won 61.9 per cent of the vote, at the 2020 General Election. He is set to lead the incumbents into a contest against opposition party Red Dot United at the upcoming election.
Asked about a desire among some Singaporeans to have more opposition voices in Parliament, Mr Shanmugam urged people to think about whether having more opposition voices would lead to better governance.
“There are many other countries with more opposition than Singapore. I think you’ll have to ask, are they necessarily better governed? Do they get better governance? I don’t think the answer is clear-cut,” he said.
Focus on governance
Mr Shanmugam urged people to channel their focus on how the PAP has governed.
“Are people’s lives getting better? Do they have security, peace, harmony (and) good jobs? Is the Government able to create good jobs through bringing in investments? Is it creating a good environment for our people to have better education, better lives and maximise their potential?” he said.
“And is all of this done in a free environment where there is open debate? And I think if you look at it like that, we are not anywhere near perfect, but I would say we do not do too badly.”
Proper governance, he said, is especially crucial in an increasingly challenging external environment.
GE2025 comes at a time when US President Donald Trump is upending the global trading system. He has imposed sweeping tariffs on all countries. Singapore is subject to the flat duty of 10 per cent that Mr Trump placed on goods arriving from all foreign countries, which took effect on April 5.
“It is very worrying. In my 37 years, I haven’t felt this concerned,” said Mr Shanmugam, adding that this was troubling both from a security and economic perspective.
“If you are serious-minded, you will be concerned… but then you got to be determined to act. And thankfully, we have built up reserves. We have an economically competent government and our people’s trust, so we can think long term.”
Looking out for talent
As he heads into his ninth general election, Mr Shanmugam has over the years also taken on an unofficial role of party recruiter. He added that part of adapting to change is in finding new talent.
This includes some of the new faces in GE2025 that the PAP is expected to field, including Mr Gabriel Lam, chief operating officer of moving company Shalom International Movers, and Mr Jackson Lam, the former PAP branch chairman in Hougang. Both men have come through Mr Shanmugam’s Chong Pang branch.
PAP new face Elysa Chen, executive director of charity CampusImpact and a former journalist, is also “from my area”, said Mr Shanmugam.
Over the years, he has also worked with or recommended many people that the party has fielded.
He cited as examples Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, incumbent MP for Sembawang GRC Vikram Nair, Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai and former politician Teo Ser Luck.
Mr Shanmugam said bringing in talent is extremely important for the party to succeed, and added that among the qualities he looks out for in potential candidates are sincerity and honesty.
“I wouldn’t put up somebody who I don’t think is honest, because the people deserve politicians who are honest, and when they speak in Parliament or when they speak to them in private, the electorate has got to know that they can trust this person,” said Mr Shanmugam.
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