COMMENT: Is the reaction to Heng Swee Keat’s illness over the top?

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. Photo: Reuters/Nicky Loh

Why does it seem as if we are already speaking of Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who collapsed in a Cabinet meeting due to a stroke last Thursday (12 May), in the past tense?

And why has his illness, as grave as it is, seemingly taken on the dimensions of a national crisis?

The day after his collapse, nine representatives from the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) conducted prayers for Heng’s recovery. As far as I can recall, they did not do this when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was stricken with prostate cancer in early 2015. After all, PM Lee carries far more political weight, having been in the Cabinet for almost three decades, while Heng became a full-fledged minister only after the 2011 General Elections.

At a community event on Sunday, where Heng had been scheduled to be the guest-of-honour, organisers Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society went one step further. They did not invite another guest to replace the 54-year-old. Instead, they set up a guest book for well-wishers to pen messages to the former Education Minister.

Society chairman Lee Kim Siang was even quoted by The Straits Times as saying, “We want to show that we respect our guest-of-honour. It’s not right that just because Mr Heng is now unable to come, we get another person to replace him.”

The national broadsheet ran a large picture - measuring almost a third of a page - of 300 guests at the event silently praying for him. No one doubts the sincerity of the well-wishers, but it looked more like a respectfully observed minute of silence.

I have never met Heng, nor have I covered many stories related to his education and finance ministries. But colleagues and friends who have encountered him testify to his humble and sincere nature. God willing, Heng, who is currently recovering from neurosurgery and is still hospitalised at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, will return to serve Singapore again.

Minister for Community development, Culture and Youth Lawrence Wong and Heng Swee Keat, co-chairmen of the SG50 steering committee. Yahoo file photo

As my colleague P. N Balji pointed out, Heng was likely a frontrunner to succeed PM Lee. His unfortunate sidelining might have thrown a spanner in the works of Singapore’s leadership succession, given that a stroke is no minor ailment.

Nevertheless, the heroic portrayal of Heng on social media and in media reports feels over the top.

At least eight current and former Cabinet members have spoken at length about Heng, including Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who called him “one of Singapore’s finest sons, and a leader with much promise”. Granted, Tharman has known Heng for 20 years, while many of the Cabinet members would have been deeply affected when they saw one of their own collapsed before their very eyes.

PM Lee even released a letter of appreciation to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, praising the paramedics who responded to the 995 call when Heng became unwell. All credit to the paramedics, but given that their colleagues also save the lives of ordinary Singaporeans on a daily basis, it renders the impression that they were singled out because of who they were attending to.

Why the effusiveness?

Heng Swee Keat, speaking at a political rally in 2015. Yahoo file photo.

Perhaps it has something to do with the social media age, where everyone feels the urge to express their feelings about major events at once. Public figures like our Ministers are almost obliged to pen something on Facebook or Twitter, no matter if they are merely platitudes. If not, they may be criticised as insensitive or for lacking openness.

Ordinary netizens then take their cue from our politicians. In this case, the dramatic nature of Heng’s collapse also made it a big story that everyone wanted to have their say on.

And perhaps it also reveals the importance of the Finance Ministry portfolio, where Ministers typically serve long tenures. For example, before Heng, Tharman occupied the hot seat for eight years. His predecessors Lee Hsien Loong and Richard Hu served for six years and 16 years, respectively. By comparison, the Transport Ministry has seen three different Ministers in the last decade.

By all means, let us continue to keep Heng in our thoughts and prayers. But perhaps we could all tone down our responses. After all, surely a man as modest as Heng would prefer the fuss to be kept to a minimum?