Heng Swee Keat's experience, credentials a plus, health and lack of charisma biggest concerns: survey

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat’s experience and economic qualifications are his strongest leadership characteristics but his health and charisma are the biggest areas of concern for Singaporeans, according to a new poll commissioned by Yahoo News Singapore.

In the survey of 916 Singaporeans conducted by market research consultancy Blackbox Research, respondents were asked to name the characteristics that they thought would make Heng a good choice to be the next prime minister.

From a list of these qualities, 46 per cent of the respondents chose “experience”, while 44 per cent chose “economic credentials/qualifications”. Heng’s characteristics of “calm” and having “intelligence” are viewed favourably by 43 per cent and 40 per cent of the respondents, respectively.

Another 35 per cent of them felt Heng “understands ordinary people”.

Heng, 57, was appointed as the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) first assistant secretary general, after a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) on 23 November last year. He is now considered the leading candidate to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who turns 67 in February.

Speaking to Singapore media on 1 December 2018 on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires, Lee said the 4G ministers have decided Heng is their leader, and PAP MPs have also endorsed the decision. Lee, however, didn’t confirm to the reporters that Heng would take over his post.

But in a statement to The Economist more than two weeks later, Singapore’s High Commissioner to the UK Foo Chi Hsia made the first explicit official acknowledgement that Heng will be the country’s next leader.

Foo said in the statement on 18 December 2018, “The ruling party has indeed settled on Heng Swee Keat as its next leader… Provided the party wins the people’s support in the next general election, due by April 2021, Mr Heng will take over from Lee Hsien Loong as prime minister.”

On the flip side, the respondents were also asked, “Do you think there are any characteristics that you think Heng Swee Keat lacks or that concerns you with regards to his readiness to be the next Prime Minister?”

Given the same list of qualities, the No. 1 area of concern chosen by respondents was “personal health” (43 per cent). “Charisma” was listed as the next biggest area of concern (23 per cent).

On 12 May 2016, Heng collapsed after suffering a stroke during a Cabinet meeting. The father of two was discharged from hospital after six weeks and resumed his duties as Finance Minister in August 2016.

On the day he was appointed PAP first assistant secretary-general, Heng told reporters that he has made “a very good recovery” from his stroke.

On the question of whether Heng has what it takes to be the next prime minister, 60 per cent of the respondents expressed confidence in him, with 13 per cent saying they were “very confident” and 47 per cent feeling “quite confident”.

About 23 per cent of the respondents said they weren’t confident of Heng being PM, with 17 per cent saying they were “not very confident” and 6 per cent expressing that they were “not confident at all”.

The remaining 17 per cent of the respondents were neutral on the question.

The Blackbox survey was conducted from 14 to 26 December last year. Those aged 50 and above accounted for 40 per cent of the respondents, 28 per cent came from the 35 to 49 age category, and 24 per cent were from the 25 to 34 age group. Those in the 15 to 24 age group comprised 8 per cent of the respondents.

The poll also revealed that three times as many Singaporeans prefer Heng over Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing as the next PM.

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