Shanmugam Says He Has Lived In A Rental Flat & GCB, Empathy For Constituents Unchanged

Minister Shanmugam Grew Up In Rental Flat, Moving To GCB Doesn’t Change Ability To Serve Or Empathise

Questions of varying natures have been asked about the Ridout Road properties rented by Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.

While most had to do with the procedures and the possibility of preferential treatment, some also touched on the subject of empathy.

On Monday (3 July), Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam was asked in Parliament about how politicians living in large properties can connect with the layperson on the ground.

Responding to the question, Mr Shanmugam shared that he had lived in flats 0n opposite ends of the spectrum — from a rented public apartment to private properties.

However, he maintained that his empathy for his constituents hasn’t decreased as the size of his houses increased. The minister stressed that he hasn’t forgotten his challenging experiences despite how successful he has become.

Shanmugam says he’s “straddled the gap” after living in both rental flat & GCB

Speaking in Parliament on Monday (3 July), Mr Shanmugam argued that an individual’s ability to serve should not be judged on how affluent they are or where they live.

The minister was responding to a question by Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai, who asked if ministers living in “large private properties” would be able to relate to the people. Mr Pillai also asked if such a phenomenon would give rise to a “picture of inequality” in Singapore.

Identifying himself as someone who has “straddled the gap”, Mr Shanmugam said he grew up in a rental flat along Jalan Bukit Ho Swee. He subsequently spent his teenage years in a three-room unit in Ghim Moh.

After working for 20 years as a lawyer, Mr Shanmugam purchased a good-class bungalow (GCB) on Astrid Hill in Bukit Timah.

The physical distance between the Ghim Moh flat and the Astrid Hill GCB is apparently just 1km. But according to Mr Shanmugam, “the psychological and financial distance…is oceans wide”.

Reflecting on the disparity and his upbringing, the minister declared that the circumstances in which he grew up are “seared” into him.

You never forget them, regardless of how successful you become.

A product of a system that allowed for social mobility

As someone who has lived in “both extremes”, Mr Shanmugam shared that inequality is a topic that constantly occupies his mind.

In his view, the way to patch the gap is to allow for social mobility so others can move up the ladder.

In fact, Mr Shanmugam admitted that he was a product of such a system, which “allowed a poor Indian kid to become a successful lawyer”.

And like many others who reaped the benefits, Mr Shanmugam said he has given back to society.

In the two to three years prior to becoming a minister, he claimed to have paid about S$2 million in taxes.

Shanmugam says it continues to be a privilege to serve

Summing up his points, Mr Shanmugam said that one’s ability to serve should not be determined by how rich they are or where they’re staying,

A person’s ability to serve should not depend on where he lives or how poor or rich he is.

As for himself, the Law and Home Affairs Minister believes that the homes he has lived in have not had a bearing on his “ability to serve and empathise”.

Even though he has served as the MP for Chong Pang for 35 years, Mr Shanmugam said it was and continues to be a privilege to serve Singapore and its citizens.

In return, his residents judge him not by where he lives or how much he makes, but by his heart and commitment to serve.

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Featured image adapted from MCI Singapore on YouTube.