[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: She was the first woman to graduate with first-class honors in political science from the then University of Singapore and the first full-fledged ambassador for Singapore, but Professor Chan Heng Chee says her accomplishments were unplanned and at a personal cost .
“If I tell people that I didn’t really plan and work for it that way, you wouldn’t believe it. But it’s true. I keep saying I’m the accidental ambassador,” said Professor Chan, who spoke on The Heart podcast. of the Matter by CNA recorded on Wednesday (March 17).
She was responding to a question from CNA Executive Editor Lin Suling, who asked her about her views on women in leadership and whether she had to make sacrifices to get where she is today.
“I think later, did I pay a price? You know, I was an ambassador to the United Nations. And it affected my marriage. And I got divorced. I think if you say, do women pay a price? I guess so.
“Frankly, it happens to a lot of ambassadors. And now it happens to male ambassadors too, they told me, because sometimes there is a separation and distance,” said Professor Chan, who was previously married to architect Tay Kheng Soon.
READ: Comment: What’s wrong with being a single woman?
Drawing lessons from her own journey and expanding personal rewards, Professor Chan said that both men and women negotiating careers and families have to “decide how much ambition and goal they want to pursue, and how much they are prepared to achieve. That, and not that. have other things. “
She put off the idea of having children because of her job. “I always said, after the next book … If I had had children, I would have paused and raised my children. I may not have become what I am today.”
As the government embarks on a review of women’s issues to bring about a change of mind about gender equality, Professor Chan says there is still a lot of work to be done. Some men may not understand that their wives want a shared career and responsibilities at home.
Some women may also not support their husbands’ careers.
READ: Comment: Goodbye to those days, when women were ‘pieces of meat for men to cut’
“It’s a conversation that two people should have, two in love. And two people who want to share a good life. It’s not easy. I’m not sure there is a formula,” said the 78-year-old.
Hear Chan Heng Chee’s full conversation on CNA’s Heart of the Matter podcast:
RISING TO THE TOP
Professor Chan was inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014 and was Her World’s first Woman of the Year in 1991.
What enabled you to rise to the top the way you did, at a time when it was not customary for women to do so?
She attributes her success to having the freedom to do whatever she wants because her parents were open to their daughter trying new things as long as she was a “good girl and got good grades in school.”
“I grew up at a time when there were far fewer limitations. I didn’t have a tiger mom, I didn’t have a helicopter mom, and I didn’t have parents,” said Professor Chan.
He then took on a variety of vacation jobs: writing for newspapers, working at an advertising agency, and tutoring. One thing led to another and he found himself working in diplomacy, where he says all of his previous skills were put to excellent use.
Professor Chan was Singapore’s longest-serving Ambassador to the United States, a position she held for 16 years and, prior to that, was Singapore’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
A highly decorated and illustrious career led to her receiving the inaugural Asian Society Outstanding Diplomatic Achievement Award, the inaugural 2012 Outstanding Diplomatic Achievement Award in Foreign Policy, and the United States Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, after leave your appointment in Washington.
Currently, she serves as Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chairs the Lee Kuan Yew Center for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
READ: Review on women’s issues goes beyond the law, aims to ‘deeply root’ gender equality in society: Shanmugam
When asked about how women are viewed in the workplace and whether negative stereotypes still exist, Professor Chan agreed that there are different attitudes towards women who are ambitious and want to do well.
“If men try hard, that’s fine, he works really hard. And if a woman does the same, my God, she’s clawing … Unfortunately, that’s what women have to struggle with. If she works and tries hard. , some people say it is too. ” ambitious. If you don’t work and try hard, your family members may say, hey, you have a good degree, why don’t you go out (to work)? “, He said.
2021 has been declared the Year of Celebration of SG Women and Professor Chan says that her wish is that women help other women, that those at the top of the ladder help others to progress.
CHANGING SOCIETY AND POLITICS
In her book, Professor Chan spoke extensively about how Singapore society is changing and expanded on her idea of what she called “the rise of youth” in the 2020 general election.
The elections came at a time when Singapore is in its youthful heyday, with a significant increase in the population of young voters aged 25-44, his books highlight.
She describes this group as tech-savvy and socially conscious voters who have a strong sense of fair play and justice.
People wearing masks on Orchard Road, Singapore, on February 3, 2020 (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
On how this will affect governance, Professor Chan says it will make it more difficult because this generation is affected by the information they consume through the porous, borderless world of the internet.
“They will argue, and yes, they sound heated and intolerant … They want justice, but you know, justice for me, but I am intolerant of your situation. It is not contradictory. It is about human beings. And that is why the job of governing is very difficult, “he said.
This intensity of diverse opinions will mean that the 4G leadership has to find a way to reach out and find consensus, even if it’s a big task.
READ: Social Media Sites, Instant Messaging, Most Popular Modes of Political Participation at GE2020 – IPS Survey
“Building consensus is much more difficult today, because everyone reads something else. They have so many channels and sources of information.”
However, the leader who stands out, says Professor Chan, is the one who is able to connect with people, someone with a human touch and who makes people feel heard and cared for, especially the struggling segments of the population. because of the structural changes of globalization.
Despite the return of what she calls a “re-politicized” electorate where interest in various policies is returning, Professor Chan’s assessment is that Singapore remains a “soft politics” compared to other parts of the world.
She believes that the Singaporean government is doing a “good job of being inclusive” and has made a concerted effort to “put a floor to the bottom” so that people do not “fall below a certain level”.
