'Not somebody who imposes my values on others': Shanmugam reveals most misunderstood things about him

He might be known for his hard stance against issues like the death penalty, but that's not all there is to Minister for Law K Shanmugam. 

During an interview with the South China Morning Post published on April 8, the Minister for Home Affairs tackled a wide range of topics including the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the death penalty for drug traffickers, as well as the wealth gap in Singapore. 

On a more personal note, he was also asked: What do you think is the most misunderstood thing about you?

Pausing for a moment, he replied: "I think that is something you should ask others who know me.

"They will have a better sense. I'm not quite what, sometimes, is publicly thought about me by some people."

He went on to say that he's probably an economic liberal. And on social policy, "probably middle ground, maybe slightly conservative, in terms of values".  

He went on: "But I'm not somebody who believes in imposing my views or values on other people, or on their lives. 

"The portfolios have required me to take a tough line, but the one motivating factor, which I think is the same for all the other Ministers, is that ultimately, is it good for the broader Singaporean public?" 

As far as expressing his views goes, the Law Minister said he tends to be "far more direct" in putting forward his views.

That being said, the 64-year-old added that he's also not afraid of taking on alternate views — provided the other party is open to a "focused debate". 

"My view is that you need to apply the logic to different viewpoints, in the public arena. You have viewpoints, let's debate. Either you're right, or I am right. Maybe, sometimes, both of us are partly right. But you must be prepared to debate." 

On leadership transition in Singapore 

During the interview, Shanmugam was also asked about his assessment of the leadership transition in Singapore. 

"I think they are doing well," he replied, referring to the 4G leaders. 

Bringing up the example of how training is required for occupations such as police officers and journalists, Shanmugam said that it was the same for leaders in Singapore. 

"We think some degree of training is generally useful, some degree of experience is useful before you become a Minister or Prime Minister." 

Bringing up PM Lee Hsien Loong's experience in politics, Shanmugam said: "He came into politics in 1984, he started as a Minister of State. Then, he became a Minister, then Deputy Prime Minister. Look at the Ministries he has been in – Trade and Industry, Finance, Defence – a variety of Ministries." 

"How many countries are there where people have 20 years of experience in Ministerial portfolios? There will be some, but it's not common. And then, he becomes Prime Minister. By then, he has pretty much seen most of the problems." 

He further explained that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also brings with him a wealth of experience — having worked as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, with a further 12 years' experience as a Minister of State. 

Although Shanmugam himself has worked alongside three Prime Ministers, he declined to comment on whether he will continue to stay in office, explaining that the answer is a "combination of my views on whether I want to stay, together with the views of the next Prime Minister". 

"That is not a discussion I can have in public," he said. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com