Tributes pour in for outgoing PAP sec-gen Lee Hsien Loong

About 3,000 PAP cadres, activists and guests – including several who featured in a video sharing personal stories and interactions with him – paid tribute to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Nov 23.

People’s Action Party chairman Heng Swee Keat lauded the outgoing party chief for his contributions in a speech on the first day of the biennial PAP Awards and Conference.

SM Lee has been secretary-general of the PAP since 2004, and has served the party and its Teck Ghee branch since 1984.

Mr Heng, who is Deputy Prime Minister, noted that the party had successfully completed the third handover of the premiership since Singapore’s independence, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong taking office in May. PM Wong is currently the PAP’s deputy secretary-general.

“Thank you, secretary-general, for four decades of guidance, wisdom and foresight,” he said.

As prime minister, SM Lee led the country through the global financial crisis of the late 2000s, and through the more recent Covid-19 pandemic.

“He led our development into a smart nation and a global city that connects Asia with the rest of the world,” said DPM Heng. This has been particularly challenging in more recent years, as big power contestations have intensified.

“Our transformation efforts have positioned our companies and workers to seize new opportunities in the global economy, and our relationship with the NTUC remains strong, in fact stronger than ever,” he added.

SM Lee has also shaped a caring and cohesive society to share the benefits of growth with all, said DPM Heng.

He pointed to policies such as SkillsFuture, the Pioneer Generation Package and ComCare that “reassure Singaporeans that we walk with them as they chase their dreams”.

Addressing the attendees in a 1½-minute-long speech, SM Lee expressed his gratitude.

“Whatever I have done as secretary-general and as PM, I have done with your help and support, and could not have been done without them,” he said. “It has been a tremendous honour and privilege for me to serve. I am very happy that we have reached this point.”

“I wish you all the best, I wish the party all the best, and I think we all have to work hard. There is a general election coming next year,” added SM Lee, who is slated to deliver a speech at the party conference on Nov 24.

A video paying tribute to SM Lee was unveiled at the dinner banquet, stitching together short interviews with past and present MPs, ministers and other party members.

Some, like former minister Khaw Boon Wan, who is also a former PAP chairman, commented on SM Lee’s involvement in transforming Singapore and flying the nation’s flag high. Former MP Lau Ping Sum shared about SM Lee’s carefulness and meticulousness when preparing for the National Day Rally speech, going through it more than 25 times.

Amid the serious anecdotes, the video also unveiled SM Lee’s softer side, such as when he gave former minister Lim Boon Heng a device to help him breathe easier after he was often down with flu.

 

Former MP S. Vasoo said that when his parents passed away, SM Lee gave him the encouragement to look forward and see things from a different perspective to manage the loss and grief – “Never give up, Vasoo”, he said.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam noted that SM Lee always has a “humorous take” and is “very witty”, while Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Nadia Ahmad Samdin said that SM Lee allows himself up to 20 minutes of TikTok videos in one sitting.

A media release from the party stated that SM Lee led 10 successive central executive committees (CEC) over a 20-year tenure.

He is expected to step down from the role of party chief this weekend, paving the way for PM Wong to lead the party into the next general election, which is due by November 2025.

Party cadres will gather on Nov 24 to vote for the 38th CEC and renew the party’s leadership.

On the evening of Nov 23, party cadres and activists gathered at the Expo in Changi for a night of tribute and celebration.

As part of the party’s 70th anniversary celebrations, a postcard set has been commissioned with 70 iconic moments in Singapore’s journey, said DPM Heng.

On behalf of the party, DPM Heng presented SM Lee with a gift of a watercolour painting, depicting a scene where SM Lee is engaging with Singaporeans during a walkabout at a hawker centre.

 

He is pictured carrying a baby while taking a wefie with a young family, surrounded by individuals from different ages and backgrounds.

“The party is grateful to secretary-general Lee for his exemplary leadership, service and contributions to the party,” said the PAP.

All attendees also received a porcelain cup as a door gift, an acknowledgement of SM Lee’s well-known “magic cup” that he would sip from while delivering speeches to the country in different languages. The cup bears an illustration of the four PAP prime ministers – Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, SM Lee and PM Wong.

 

The PAP also recognised 448 activists for their dedication and service to Singapore.

Besides serving their residents in the constituencies across Singapore, they were also recognised for championing causes important to Singaporeans, such as women’s development, caring for seniors and sustainability, the PAP said in its statement.

The highest honour of the evening was the Meritorious Service Star Medal awarded to former Tanjong Pagar MP S. Vasoo, who was elected in 1984 and retired in 2001.

 

He has served the community for 40 years and remains a stalwart in Teck Ghee, helping to strengthen the community and improve the lives of residents, noted DPM Heng.

“Dr Vasoo was dedicated to uplifting low-income families and is affectionately known as the ‘poor man’s MP’,” he said.