Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, 64, announced his retirement from politics on Wednesday (April 23).

He said on Facebook that he would not be contesting the General Election on May 3 and thanked Singaporeans for their trust in him.

He also reflected on his journey in the public sector, which included a stint in the police force before joining politics.

Here are 10 things to know about him.

He became a politician in 2011

Heng's political journey began with the 2011 General Election. The then 50-year-old was part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Tampines GRC and won with 57.22 per cent of the vote.

He became MP of the Tampines Central ward and was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Education 11 days after the election — the first new MP to be directly appointed as a full minister since 1984.

As the Minister of Education, Heng abolished the ranking of secondary schools and naming of top scorers for national examinations.

In the 2015 General Election, he retained his parliamentary seat with 72.06 per cent of votes from Tampines GRC, and became Minister of Finance on Oct 1, 2015.

He announced the government's plans to increase GST to 9 per cent during his 2018 Budget speech.

He justified the move by saying, "even after exploring various options to manage our future expenditures through prudent spending, saving and borrowing for infrastructure, there is still a gap".

Deputy Prime Minister in 2019

On May 1, 2019, Heng took over the role of Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) from Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

From 1985 to 2019, there were always two concurrent DPMs.

Earlier in November 2018, Heng was elected as PAP's first assistant secretary-general and leader of the fourth-generation team (4G).

These appointments were seen by political observers as precursor for Heng becoming the next prime minister.

Delivered the Budget during COVID-19

Heng delivered the Unity Budget after the Covid-19 outbreak on Feb, 18, 2020, to address long-term economic uncertainties amidst the pandemic.

Subsequently, he announced the Resilience, Solidarity and Fortitude Budget throughout the year. Measures included a cash grant of $9,000 for eligible self-employed persons as well as $3,000 for lower-income recipients.

In total, the government dedicated close to $100 billion — or nearly 20 per cent of GDP — for these initiatives, which Heng called "a landmark package, and a necessary response to an unprecedented crisis".

Prior to 2020, the only time government reserves had to be used was during the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.

Moved to East Coast GRC in 2020

Heng was announced as the anchor minister contesting in East Coast GRC, a move which surprised political observers as he was expected to run for a third term as MP in Tampines GRC.

His speech to unveil PAP's manifesto in East Coast GRC was underwhelming. He fumbled his lines, and his speech was cut off as he and his team had overshot their allocated time. The plan became popularly known as the "East Coast Plan" among Singaporeans and on social media.

Subsequently, Heng's team won 53.41 per cent of the vote against the Workers' Party.

On April 8, 2021, Heng stepped aside as leader of PAP's 4G team, withdrawing himself from the run to be Singapore's next PM.

He cited age and health concerns as reasons for the decision, although political analysts also attributed his withdrawal to the PAP's lower-than-expected result in East Coast GRC in the last General Election.

Heng has continued serving as DPM and MP for East Coast GRC. He was also the Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies between 2020 and 2024.

Collapsed in Parliament

He had a major health scare when he collapsed during a Cabinet meeting in May 2016. 

His first words when out of six-day coma were "is there a Cabinet meeting today"?

Heng was discharged from the hospital in June and resumed duties in August.

Life before politics

Heng was born to a Teochew family on April 15, 1961. He grew up in a kampung in Redhill with chickens and pigs at home. He has jokingly called it the part of Singapore with gangsters and shared that there were several hundred homes in his kampung.

Though Teochew, he speaks Hokkien more fluently.

Heng was a student at Raffles Institution before studying economics at Cambridge University from 1980 to 1983 on a Singapore Police Force (SPF) scholarship.

He also holds a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Worked in the police force

After graduating from Cambridge, Heng returned to the SPF and served in various roles, and was a commander of the Jurong Police Division.

Heng also did a five-year stint in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), before leaving in 1997 with the rank of Assistant Commissioner.

Lee Kuan Yew's Principal Private Secretary

Heng was appointed as Principal Private Secretary to Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1997.

Lee Kuan Yew once described him as "the best principal private secretary I ever had".

Heng's last job before joining politics was as Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore from 2005 to 2011.

Met his wife at Cambridge

Heng met his wife, fellow Singaporean Chang Hwee Nee, when they were studying at Cambridge.

A President's Scholar, Chang was at Cambridge reading economics in Jesus College, which was next to Heng's Christ's College.

"I always had the privilege of escorting her back from student events," he aaid in an interview with The Straits Times.

Chang, 62, is chief executive officer of the National Heritage Board and the couple have a daughter and a son in their 20s.

In his peers' words

Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng recalled Heng's "demanding attention to detail", making multiple revisions to their local manifesto during the 2015 General Election.

"He was very meticulous about the words we used. He wanted to make sure we could and would deliver on our promises to the residents," Baey added.

Former colleagues and fellow MPs said Heng would work in the trenches with them and had a habit of sleeping in the office during crunch time.

"He's willing to make this adjustment in his personal life, that's his level of commitment," said Baey.

Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said in 2018 that Heng is a careful and deliberate leader who wants to understand the deeper reasons behind why people have come to have some views.

Shanmugam also said Heng is a person "of the utmost integrity" who works very hard and is brilliant.

A schoolmate described Heng as being very well liked, genial, serious and hardworking.

His nickname was Sweat — a combination of his name Swee Keat and "symbolic of his industrious nature", said the schoolmate.

"He's that kind of a sweet guy that that's the most fun people would poke at him. He continues to respond to that today."

jengjee.hoon@asiaone.com

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