April 19, 2024
MANILA – Outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has opened so many doors for Singapore, giving it credibility and opportunities on the world stage, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
During an interview with the Singapore media on April 18, at the end of his four-day visit to the Philippines, the minister took the opportunity to pay tribute to PM Lee, who will hand over the reins to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on May 15.
“Prime Minister Lee and his reputation has opened so many doors for us. It has given us opportunities on the international stage. It has given us credibility.
“And his style of conducting foreign policy on the basis of realism, consistency, constructiveness, goodwill, trust – all these have been calling cards, attributes of our foreign policy,” said Dr Balakrishnan, in his first comments on the upcoming leadership change announced on April 15.
Dr Balakrishnan had arrived in the Philippines for his visit on the same day. Manila and Singapore, both founding members of Asean, are celebrating 55 years of diplomatic ties in 2024.
The minister said he was honoured to have served under PM Lee, who first appointed him as acting minister for community development, youth and sports in 2004. Dr Balakrishnan became a full-time Cabinet member the year after.
He later served as minister for environment and water resources from 2011, until PM Lee named him foreign minister in 2015.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime for me to have served under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,” said Dr Balakrishnan.
Like all Singaporeans, he wanted to say a big thank you to PM Lee, he said.
PM Lee has continued to fly the flag of Singapore internationally, the minister said, adding that he has been present at almost all of PM Lee’s meetings with leaders.
Dr Balakrishnan said he has always been struck by “how much people wanted to listen, to pick (PM Lee’s) brains, to glean advice from his wisdom and his experience”.
He described PM Lee as an erudite leader with wide interests, who is always curious as well as disciplined and data-driven. Above all, PM Lee is “driven by a powerful sense of duty, of mission and compassion”.
Singapore has been “very blessed” to have a man like PM Lee not only as a leader domestically, but also as “a respected statesman on the international stage”, he added.