‘He eats, lives and breathes S’pore’

Can you describe your first mee­ting with Mr Lee?

Mr Heng Swee Keat: My very first meeting was when he interviewed me for the position of Principal Private Secretary (PPS). It was quite an unnerving meeting because he was asking very sharp, pointed questions about my educational history, about why I chose to study certain subjects and my views on certain issues ... It lasted for almost half an hour and at the end of it, he said: “I don’t need you now, but in two months’ time, go brush up on your Chinese because we’re doing this very important project with China and you’d better be able to read and speak Chinese fluently.” So he was very sharp in trying to read into the person and he’s very decisive.

Did this impression of him gel with everything you heard and read about the man?

Mr Heng: Very much so. During the time I worked with him, I had the opportunity to attend many meetings he had with various global leaders in politics and business in various fields and he made the best of every meeting that he had, either in learning something important or conveying a certain point of view in a very convincing way.

What kind of boss was he?

Mr Heng: He demands very high standards, not just of me, but of everyone ... Once he asked me to check up something and, in response, I wrote him a three-paragraph note and he was quite upset. “Why are you wasting my time? I only need one sentence.” That is his way of cutting through to an issue and he expects officials to be able to understand what is important in that particular situation and what is not, and to be able to get to the nub of the issue quickly. You see that in the way he holds his meetings all the time. Everyone who came for his meeting came very well prepared because that was his expectation. They’re not there for a chit-chat session. They were there to discuss something important and profound. He expects you to do your homework thoroughly.

Was that his expectation of you as his PPS? To pre-empt what he wanted?

Mr Heng: Yes, to anticipate what he would need and to be able to respond quickly and to understand what is needed at any time. Because in certain situations for decision-making at that particular point in time, you only need that piece of information, and on other occasions, you might need more information. But to be able to understand what matters and what doesn’t is something that is very important to him.

Would you say that was your biggest challenge as his PPS?

Mr Heng: Very much so, I think to understand how he operates and what he needs. When I worked for him as PPS, he was Senior Minister then and his job as Senior Minister then was to help Prime Minister Goh (Chok Tong) in this transition and to mentor younger ministers and he took great effort in doing that. He was very proper about protocol and about how he dealt with various issues. For instance, when PM Goh asked to see him, he would always go to PM Goh’s office. He made it very clear that he was no longer in charge and all the key decisions were taken by PM Goh and his role was that of mentor and ... goal-keeper.

What was his main focus as Senior Minister?

Mr Heng: His focus at that time was very much to pass on his knowledge and experience of governance, so he spent a lot of time talking to the younger ministers and sharing his experience with all of them ... He was also at that time writing his memoirs. His main purpose for writing his memoirs was to pass on his observations about how Singapore succeeded despite the odds and how we can continue to be successful to a much wider audience, to all Singaporeans. And he took great pains in writing his memoirs and conveying these very profound insights that he had over many years of his involvement in governing Singapore.

Did you assist him in any way when he was writing his memoirs?

Mr Heng: He had an officer who was doing much of the research work, but from time to time, I was asked to help out in checking certain facts and in reading the earlier drafts of his memoirs. But he had a fantastic memory. I remember he asked us to check the spelling, the name of a general whom he met in Russia and the name was a very complicated name, but he recalled the exact spelling as well as the year and the month that he met this general and it was quite astounding.

How else did he surprise you?

Mr Heng: He has a very deep way of reading. He once asked me about an article he read many months ago. I was very surprised he remembered that particular article. Later on as we discussed why he was interested ... I realised it was because he has a very clear mental map of the world and how the map was changing. He was like someone who was looking for pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, a moving jigsaw puzzle, and how changes may mean a different shape of the puzzle and he was constantly looking out for clues as to how it might change. And when he reads any particular article, it is with the view of looking for those clues, it was not random reading. He was one of the most profound readers and I think that is why he is able to connect very disparate pieces of information. He is able to connect the dots and make it very coherent and he’s able to then articulate it in a way that people can understand. That is how he has been keeping himself up to date, looking out for changes and evidence that his views may no longer be valid. He had a very young and lively mind at that age — he was 75 at that time. He was always revising his opinion, looking out for changes and anticipating what might be next.

He travelled extensively. What was his aim? What was he looking for?

Mr Heng: Because he had such profound insights, many global leaders in politics, business and other fields always sought out his views. But he was not flattered ... by this attention to his views; neither was he bothered by criticisms. He (has a) very simple motivation, which is to get these global leaders to understand the relevance of Singapore, so we can expand our external space, and in doing that, he helped Singapore punch above our weight.

I was once on a trip with him in the United States for several weeks and every day I was conveying observations and ideas that he picked up along the way to the officials back home to ask them to study and this could range from how we could create better jobs to the type of plants that could give better shade. I was very moved by how he spent every waking moment learning (and) thinking about the relevance of that in Singapore and those ideas that might be used for Singapore.

What was his focus during that trip?

Mr Heng: His aim was very simple, which is first to convince the corporate chiefs of what Singapore was doing and how we were making ourselves relevant to the world. And if we are making ourselves relevant to the world, the corporate chiefs would invest in Singapore and, in return, it would create dynamism in the economy and create jobs for Singaporeans. He was very effective in doing that and, at the same time, he was also meeting up with political leaders across the spectrum, so they understand our special circumstances and why we had to do things in a certain way.

He was also not averse to meeting the media, some of whom were very critical of him ... In one of the sessions, how he put across the circumstances of Singapore, why we had to do things in a certain way and why our part of the world is very different from America — he was very convincing and some of these journalists were very critical, but I thought (they) went away with a far deeper understanding of Singapore.

He has always been very clear that we need external space for Singapore to be successful. He was always very concerned about protectionist sentiments, especially during times of economic crisis. During the Asian financial crisis, there was an external pushback against globalisation. He spent a lot of time understanding the situation and then going out to convince investors and policymakers of the right course of action. He is a real model of lifelong learning. I remember during the global financial crisis, he read a lot of technical analysis, he asked very sharp questions and, at the end of it, he came to his own conclusions. And he was able to overlay on all this technical analysis a certain political perspective of the causes and consequences of the crisis and ... able to put it across in a simple way.

Years later, I met many bankers who told me that the speech he gave was the best that they ever read about the Asian financial crisis. Because of his grasp of a certain issue, he was able to convey to many of these corporate investors in a way that yes, Asia is going through a difficult patch, a crisis, but you have to look at the long term and you look at the long-term dynamism of the region, the structural reasons have not been affected. We will have to go through a period of reform, but it will emerge stronger ... he was proven right. Many of those investors who acted on this had benefited from it and by preventing a protectionist sentiment from taking over and helping to convince policymakers in the region to make changes and convince investors that this remains the place to invest, it helped in putting across very important messages globally.

What were some of the views of foreign political leaders and businessmen about the man himself?

Mr Heng: I remember one meeting where he met one of the most successful venture capitalists from Silicon Valley. Mr Lee told him: “I’d like to learn from you why Silicon Valley was so entrepreneurial.” The venture capitalist told him: “But Mr Lee, what I’ve achieved pales in comparison to what you have achieved. I have invested in some very good companies, but you have the entrepreneurial quality that turned an entire country from a small trading port to one of the most successful global cities in the world and I’m here to learn from you.”

One trait you most admire?

Mr Heng: I am very moved by his dedication and commitment to Singapore. During the whole period that I worked with him, I saw him at work first hand and even though he was no longer Prime Minister, he put every waking moment into making Singapore successful. He eats, lives and breathes Singapore. He spends every waking moment thinking about how Singapore can continue to be successful. He was always worried about the future and how we can position ourselves better. If you recall ... during the Asian financial crisis, many people were writing off this part of the world. He had this very deep conviction that we can be successful as a nation, but we have to do the right thing. And if we do the right thing and stay together, we can overcome the odds, and the best is yet to be. So the thing ... is a very deep drive in him to make Singapore successful and he is completely dedicated to this cause.

Best advice?

Mr Heng: There were one or two pieces of advice he had given me that benefited me greatly. It was a very deep learning experience for me, working with him and learning through the process of osmosis. He analyses issues and he’s a very deep thinker and cuts to the crux of the matter. In all his discussions, his favourite word is “So?” and if you tell him fact A and he says: “ So?” “Well, then fact A means B is likely to happen.” Then he says: “So?” Then you continue to say that if fact B, then C is likely to happen. And he will end with: “So what does that mean for Singapore? What action should be taken now, knowing these facts and implications of these facts?” He was peeling the layers of the onion and getting everyone to think very deeply what the implications are and then peeling it layer after layer until you get to the core of it ... That’s an amazing quality.

The other one is his ability to take disparate pieces of information and connect the dots into a very coherent picture. Because of his profound understanding of history, human society and how countries compete and cooperate, he has a very coherent world view. And with that coherent world view, he is able to slot pieces of information that he picked up and see how that mental map is changing all the time ... When you are able to see something slightly ahead of others, it gives us a certain edge in being prepared. And it gives us the ability to take action a little earlier and that is one of the reasons Singapore is successful.

The other very impressive thing is he is extremely persuasive. In the late 1990s, the US and China had a very difficult situation to deal with and because there was a major conference in Singapore, many officials were here. Both American and Chinese officials had asked to meet Mr Lee. I recall the officials were very concerned about the meeting because each side, the Chinese and the Americans, had strong views and so did Mr Lee. He was able to give an analysis of what was at stake and how the situation should be resolved for mutual benefit and he was able to put it across in a language and a perspective that was acceptable to each side and yet the entire narrative is completely consistent.

Each side went away feeling that this indeed is what we should be doing. I remember it was quite an amazing meeting to be able to bring different parties together to discuss what was a very delicate situation in a way that each side could appreciate and it shows a certain ability to get into the minds of both sides — to understand the perspective of the Chinese side ... the American side and to yet have a very coherent picture. He was not saying one thing to one side and another thing to another side. It was a very consistent analysis.

He helped defuse that very difficult situation and he also helped each side to understand ... So to be able to move from the current to the future and to make sure that particular episode did not affect the long-term peaceful trajectory.

Was there a clear line drawn in your relationship with Mr Lee between personal and professional?

Mr Heng: He always draws a very clear line between personal friendships and professional matters. When I was working for him, there were several of his good friends from overseas who came. Many of them had joined multinational companies and they came to lobby for their firms for Singapore to buy a particular product or invest in particular companies. He would very politely tell them: “Thank you very much for your proposal, but this is a matter the officials and ministers will have to decide on and I will pass this on for them to evaluate and they will evaluate objectively.” And indeed, in every instance, the evaluation of the merits of every proposal was done very objectively and very thoroughly, regardless of whether it was a proposal that was sent to Mr Lee.

But at the same time, he values friendship. Once, there was a young Prime Minister from one of the island nations who was in Singapore to call on Mr Lee. Going strictly by protocol, Mr Lee would not need to see him. In fact, officials had recommended that there was no need for him to see this young Prime Minister. When I submitted the recommendation, Mr Lee said: “No, I will see this young man because his father and I went back many years, when we were both fighting the British for independence, and it is a friendship that I value and I will see what I can do to help this young man govern his country better.” So he was very clear when it came to friendships, and national interest it was very different, but when it came to being friendly to others and remembering friends of the past (with whom he) had gone through difficult struggles ... he was quite prepared to spend his personal time helping this young man.

As his PPS, we had a slightly different relationship. He’s very nurturing and I benefited a great deal from discussing, in the meetings, discussing matters and issues ... at meetings. Often, after important meetings, he would ask to see me and ask what I learnt from the meetings. He would then explain to me why he said certain things in a certain way, his analysis of the meeting, what was at stake, what did we learn, what was useful for Singapore and how we might follow up on those meetings. So it was a learning process which I valued deeply.

Was it his way of testing your knowledge of these issues?

Mr Heng: Clearly he was testing if I appreciated what the meeting was about. At the same time, he’s also very open about hearing the views ... contrary to popular perception, he is very decisive, but very open-minded.

Once he had a meeting with officials on a very special project which the Prime Minister had asked him to oversee. Certain decisions were taken. Later on, I found out some new facts and those new facts changed our analysis of the situation and changed what we should be doing.

I was a very young officer then and had just worked with him for a few weeks ... I decided to write him a note to explain what the new facts meant and why we wanted to reconsider the decision to do something else and, to my surprise, he said: “Yes, that’s a good analysis and let us do this new course of action.”

I have observed him in many meetings where he’s extremely open-minded and he consults very widely and ... with people who he felt had a deep understanding of issues and has a feel for the ground. In all key issues, he would draw up a list of people who could provide insights into these issues and would have the creativity to propose new solutions.

Those meetings were always fascinating because you will see the to-ing and fro-ing of views. The people always came very prepared ... with very good analysis, and you see how Mr Lee changed his mind after evaluating all the information. So I will say he is very open-minded.

He’s both very persuasive and persuadable, but you have to do so with very thorough analysis. It’s not an idea that is just at the seat of the pants. It has to be properly thought through and the implications have to be thought through and that’s why (there’s) the series of questions such as “So? What does this all mean?”

Is he a different man with his family?

Mr Heng: I find his love for Mrs Lee very moving. They have been married for many years and, on all the overseas trips, Mrs Lee will be at his side and they were a very loving couple. Mrs Lee was always very supportive in ways big and small. We enjoyed a number of private dinners where some of the staff would join the couple and it’s really wonderful to see the rapport they had and how they would sometimes tease each other over the choice of food or over funny things that happened during the day. So there’s a certain warmth and love that were very moving.

What about with his children?

Mr Heng: I don’t get to interact with them as much, but in terms of work and his relationship with Mr Lee Hsien Loong. Mr Lee Hsien Loong was then Deputy Prime Minister and he was very proper about everything ... if there was a matter to be discussed and it was under Mr Lee’s purview, it went through officials like myself. It was a very proper relationship.