Politics 'more direct, personal way' of public service

PAP new face Jeffrey Siow is most senior civil servant to step forward ahead of polls

- Hariz Baharudin

For PAP candidate Jeffrey Siow, keeping Singapore as a place where there are opportunities for everyone is crucial.

It is a conviction shaped by personal experience. Raised in public housing, including growing up in a one-room rental flat in Henderson when he was young, Mr Siow rose through the ranks of the public service over 24 years.

He served as principal private secretary (PPS) to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from 2017 to 2021 and later became Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Manpower.

The Singapore system gave him the opportunity to transcend his circumstances, the 46-year-old said.

"If you happen to be born in another place, in another country — you can work as hard as you can, you can be as talented as you can, and you may not have the same opportunities," he noted.

"It's absolutely important that we keep Singapore this way — that anyone and everyone can have the opportunity to rise up in life, as long as you have the ability and you are prepared to apply yourself."

That belief, and a sense of duty to keep such opportunities alive, was among the reasons he decided to take the plunge into politics.

Speaking to The Straits Times hours after he was unveiled as a PAP candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC on April 14, Mr Siow said he had been content in the civil service and had not seriously considered entering politics — until recently.

He retired on April 2 after more than two decades in public service, making him the most senior civil servant to step forward ahead of the coming election.

Over the course of his career, he held various leadership roles including managing director of Enterprise Singapore.

"It was just the right time. Having been in the public service for 24 years, and having done various jobs and reached leadership positions, I think it was just time for me to take a different tack," said Mr Siow.