Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Ng Chee Meng, presented transport minister Khaw Boon Wan with the labour movement’s highest award — the Medal of Honour — at the NTUCÂ May Day Awards ceremony, that was held at at the University Cultural Centre in Kent Ridge on May 3.
Khaw, who received the award for his contributions to Singapore’s workforce and tripartism, joins the likes of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and senior ministers Teo Chee Hean who had received the honour in 1999, 2014 and 2017 respectively.
Among other praises for his contributions to Singapore in his 41 years of public service, NTUC said that Khaw “affirmed and nurtured” the longstanding symbiotic relationship between the ruling party and the labour movement, as he served as chairman of the People’s Action Party from 2011 to 2018.
In a statement released on social media, the minister expressed his thankfulness to the labour movement for helping him make a difference in Singapore. He wrote: “I am blessed to have worked alongside people who work not for themselves, but for the larger good.
“The NTUC and the unique Singapore way to the Labour Movement have allowed me to make a small difference to Singapore during the past 41 years. Without the NTUC, my achievements would have been severely diminished.
“I am grateful to receive the 2019 May Day Medal of Honour by NTUC. I receive it in great humility, and on behalf of all my former and current colleagues.”
Read his statement in full HERE.