« Previous Article Next Article »
Singapore’s ‘eyes and ears’
To work in the MFA, you must be interested in global affairs,
says Mr Yuen.
PHOTO: MFA
HAILING from a lower middle-income family, Mr Yuen Siu Hong knew that a scholarship was his ticket to an overseas education.
And thanks to his stellar A-level results, he received several scholarship offers.
But the Hwa Chong Junior College alumni decided on an Overseas Merit Scholarship (Open) from the Public Service Commission, as he felt that a career in the civil service was "the perfect way" for him to contribute to society.
While studying at Stanford University in the United States, Mr Yuen took a keen interest in current affairs, and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) after he graduated in 2004 with bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering.
"I realised that I wanted a dynamic career which would always keep me on my toes and challenge me on a day-to-day basis," says Mr Yuen, whose first assignment was with the North-east Asia directorate.
His duties ranged from monitoring developments in Japan, Korea, Greater China and other countries to handling Singapore's bilateral relations with them. He also coordinated high-level visits.
He says: "During my two years at the MFA headquarters, I handled the state visit by the Emperor and Empress of Japan to Singapore in June 2006, and I accompanied PM Lee Hsien Loong in his first official visit as prime minister to Japan in March 2007."
"Coordinating these visits has provided me with invaluable learning experiences as such visits are usually timesensitive and have little or even no margin for error."
The 27-year-old does not think that his engineering background is a handicap.
"I feel that the discipline that one picks up in university is but a way to hone one's analytical skills," he says.
"What is more important for an officer working in MFA is to be genuinely interested in global affairs and be able to analyse geopolitical implications of events around the world. This can be picked regardless of one's discipline."
Last year, Mr Yuen was posted to India where he is currently serving as the First Secretary in the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi.
On working overseas, Mr Yuen says: "Work in an overseas mission requires a huge dose of initiative on the diplomat's part, as he is expected to identify opportunities for bilateral cooperation and look out for areas of synergy that both Singapore and India can work on."
"We are our HQ's eyes and ears on the ground and the official representatives of Singapore in the foreign country."
His duties took on a deeper meaning last November when a Singaporean woman was killed in the Mumbai terror attacks.
"My high commissioner flew to Mumbai the next day to lead the team at our Consulate-General in Mumbai whereas the rest of us stayed behind in New Delhi to hold the fort," he says.
"Although I was not on the ground in Mumbai, it was nevertheless a very intense experience watching the developments unfold on major television channels in India. It really underscores the stark reality that the scourge of terrorism spares no one."
He is keen to dispel a common misperception. "Most people perceive MFA work to be glamorous," he says.
"While socialising and networking are important in the work of a diplomat, there is also a lot of hard work and preparation that goes behind every bilateral initiative, every high-level visit and every foreign policy decision."
Despite the intricate nature of his job, Mr Yuen relishes every challenge that comes his way. "I like the dynamic nature of the job where there is no dull day," he says.