You will be pardoned for thinking the only ministers in town right now are Lawrence Wong and Teo Chee Hean. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and almost the rest of the Cabinet cavalry are abroad. Heck, even Lee Hsien Yang (not minister but could have been) has left. But that is another story.
PM Lee was in China. Unless you live on another planet, ok, maybe the moon, you will not miss this.
He was on CNA every other night, saluting one guard of honour or another in China.
He was in Guangzhou (Guangdong), Bo’ao (Hainan) and Beijing. He met President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
In PM Lee’s team were: Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and, among others, Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and National Development) Sim Ann.
Here is a significant note. In his absence in Singapore, two ministers stood in as Acting PM – Deputy PM Lawrence Wong from 27 March to 28 March and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean from 29 March to 1 April.
Another significant note, what PM Lee is probably seeking for taking all the trouble: Both he and President Xi agreed to upgrade ties between the two countries to an “all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership”. Singapore’s MFA said: “The upgraded partnership reflects both sides’ commitment to continually expand bilateral cooperation and pursue new collaboration in forward-looking areas such as digital and green economies.” Kan pei (salute) to the future of China-Singapore relationship.
Just around the same time as PM Lee and his team were in China, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam was on a working visit to New York City and Beijing itself from 20 to 27 March. In NYC, SM Tharman took part in the United Nations 2023 Water Conference as Co-Chair of the Global Commission for the Economics of Water (GCEW), and Co-Chair of the final Interactive Dialogue on the Water Action Decade. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu was with him.
Over in Beijing, SM Tharman spoke at the China Development Forum and met with economic and financial leaders.
This mid-term Parliament break has been useful. But there are only seven days left before the Parliament prorogue ends on April 10. President Halimah Yacob will then make her last address for the current term of her presidency. A presidential election is due by this September.
And before we know it, the next general election will also be due – in 2025. The transition to the 5G PAP leadership is already in motion. Did Lawrence Wong carry the ground for his team’s commendable effort to overcome the pandemic? Did his budgets help? Will his public speaking skills stand the test -in open contest?
What we are witnessing is many races against time.
The first race – Covid-19 – seems over, for the time being. The second, Russian invasion of Ukraine, is now becoming a realpolitik chess game. As former Australian PM and envoy to Beijing Kevin Rudd said, Beijing, who can help, has no incentive to interfere with the war.
But life goes on elsewhere.
The fight or race against climate change cannot be stopped.
Trade, business and investments have to continue. PM Lee and team are trying to catch the next big wave of growth in the Chinese economy. He is planting the seeds for Singapore’s involvement before he steps down.
Tan Bah Bah, consulting editor of TheIndependent.SG, is a former senior leader writer. He was also managing editor of a magazine publishing company.