George Yeo is irreplaceable: K. Shanmugam
Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam paid tribute to George Yeo, the man he is replacing as Foreign Minister.
Mr Yeo is leaving the Cabinet after he lost his Aljunied GRC seat at the recent elections.
"George is a polymath, a uniquely gifted individual of a type who comes along once in several generations. Interested in history, culture, a thinker, a true renaissance man. I can go on. But perhaps all that needs to be said is: He is irreplaceable," said the 52-year-old Minister.
He was quick to point out that he does not see himself as a replacement for Mr Yeo as they are two different people. However, he indicated that he accepted the role because he was confident of doing the job well.
"I am not George Yeo and will never be George Yeo. I would not have accepted PM's request to be the new Foreign Minister if I thought I couldn't do the job."
Minister Shanmugam, who will retain his portfolio as Law Minister when the Cabinet is sworn in on Saturday, highlighted Singapore's small size as one of his areas of focus in international relations.
"If you look at history, tiny states need to protect themselves. Otherwise they disappear. Think of it as being in a jungle with animals of different sizes. If you are small, you are usually the first to be eaten. The bigger, fiercer animals are kings."
He added, "Our task is not only to stay alive, but also to prosper in this environment."
The Minister also noted that as much as Singapore must prosper in the international environment, we should not adopt a winner-takes-all approach. He recognised that counterparts have to get something, with a more equitable deal better for long-term relations.
Taking a page out of his former profession as a litigator, he compared the interests of a client to that of Singapore.
"In litigation, a good lawyer who really has his client's interests at heart, will not advise a fight in every case. It is usually better to try and negotiate a fair deal rather than fight."
"In foreign policy, the best approach is to identify your interests, and also identify your counterparts' interests. Then you find some way in which both interests can be accommodated, with adjustments."
However, he acknowledged that there should be no compromise on respecting Singapore's core values and interests.
"Whether I can do that is for other people to judge, but generally, being a litigator would not be seen as a disqualification for a ministerial position, whether as Foreign Minister or otherwise," he said.
