DPM Heng receives top May Day award from NTUC

• DPM Heng Swee Keat received the Medal of Honour at this year’s May Day Awards organised by NTUC
• The top award recognises people who have given distinguished service to the labour movement
• A total of 143 May Day awards were given out

SINGAPORE — Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was on Wednesday (April 28) awarded the Medal of Honour at this year’s May Day Awards organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

Mr Heng, who is Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and the outgoing Finance Minister, was presented with this year’s top award during a ceremony at Downtown East.

The Medal of Honour is conferred on special individuals who have “rendered distinguished services to the labour movement”, NTUC said in a press release.

The awards were hosted by NTUC president Mary Liew and secretary-general Ng Chee Meng.

Former Medal of Honour recipients include Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, as well as former Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who retired from politics last year.

NTUC said that Mr Heng has played an instrumental role in ensuring that Singapore’s economy is able to continue providing an environment for businesses to thrive and generate jobs for workers.

It added that his policies formulated to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 have been both pro-worker and pro-business, and have enabled workers to be equipped with the necessary skills to remain employable.

“Since the onset of Covid-19, he has helped many businesses stay afloat and saved workers’ livelihoods through his five decisive and incisive Budgets,” said NTUC.

Writing on Facebook on Wednesday evening, Mr Heng said that he is deeply humbled by the award, which he accepted on behalf of the tripartite partners who came together to improve the lives of workers.

"This award will serve as a constant reminder that the welfare of our workers and their families will always be at the heart of what we do."

The award comes after Mr Heng decided to take himself out of the running for prime minister, two-and-a-half years after emerging as the frontrunner to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Heng had said that he would have too short of a runway — given that he would be near his mid-60s when he takes over as prime minister after the Covid-19 crisis is over.

In an interview with LabourBeat, a blog under a media company that is a subsidiary of NTUC Club, Mr Heng said his experiences in the early years of Singapore’s independence and the nation’s rapid economic transformation in the later years have led him to see how important jobs are in uplifting families.

“When residents come to me at meet-the-people sessions, I see how helping one person secure a job makes a lasting difference to everyone in the family… This is why I fully agree with the labour movement that ‘jobs are the best form of welfare’,” he said.

Mr Heng said that his conviction that the fortunes of workers and businesses are intertwined had been shaped by hearing stories from Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, while working as his principal private secretary, as he recounted his fight for workers’ rights.

This belief had also been shaped by Mr Heng’s encounters with unions, workers and businesses though his various roles in the civil service.

He added that “stronger businesses create better jobs and prospects for workers; stronger workers with skills and experiences enable companies to make the most of opportunities and grow”.

When Mr Heng was asked what he wants to be known for whenever his name is mentioned, he said that it is not so much about what an individual has contributed.

“What matters for Singapore is for leaders to set aside our personal interests and ego, to focus on the big picture and what is in the best interest of our nation,” he said.

“When everyone has a stake in our nation and our future, we are then able to draw out the best from everyone, and enable each of them to make an impact,” he said.

The annual May Day Awards are organised to recognise individuals and organisations who have contributed to improve the lives and working conditions of workers.

Alongside Mr Heng, 142 other individuals and organisations also received awards for their contributions.

They include Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Transport, as well as Mr Aubeck Kam, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Manpower.