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TWENTY years ago, standing as a candidate in the general election, he had to contend with questions about his youth and if it would inhibit his work as an MP.
'Experience is good when you have it, but I do not think that lack of it is fatal,' replied MrK.Shanmugam, then 29.
With the no-nonsense confidence that would later become his trademark, he further retorted: 'I would not be here if I thought I could not do it.'
Mr Shanmugam has demonstrated that he can 'do it'. From May 1, he will be Law Minister and Second Home Affairs Minister, the first time in 23 years that a backbencher has moved directly to be a full minister.
Speaking to The Sunday Times yesterday on the phone just before leaving for the United States on a business trip, he said the offer was made in December and confirmed in January.
He said of the new appointment: 'I'm looking forward to it. It's a job that has to be done, and one has to do it.'
And what would be his agenda? He said with a laugh: 'I do have some ideas, but the responsible thing is to go into it and understand the issues first.'
The Senior Counsel, who turned 49 on Wednesday, studied at the now-defunct Newton Boys' School and Raffles Institution.
He then snared a rare first-class law degree from the National University of Singapore and, at 38, became one of Singapore's youngest senior counsel.
Since then, the slim man with the sharp suits and ready smile has been a familiar sight in many high-profile cases.
Most recently, he represented the National Kidney Foundation against its former chief executive T.T. Durai to recover money paid out in bad deals.
He and long-time professional rival Davinder Singh are viewed as Singapore's 'twin titans' of litigation: the most formidable men you'd want by your side in court.
Mr Singh, a former MP who quit politics in 2006, said when contacted by The Sunday Times: 'There couldn't be a better choice (of Law Minister).
'He has a first-rate mind, is highly analytical and will bring fresh ideas to the Government. It will be a loss to the profession but a gain for Singapore.'
On what Mr Shanmugam will bring to the table as minister after two decades in private practice, Mr Singh said the legal industry has to keep pace with changes in the financial world.
'Someone like Shan will know what needs to be done. And because of his exposure to the commercial world, he will have very deep insight into commercial and legal issues.'
Mr Shanmugam is aware of his new responsibilities as a minister. He said: 'As a lawyer, you act for individuals. Your actions affect particular clients.
'Here, your actions affect a much larger group of people. Your responsibilities are much greater - you can do a lot of good, but your actions can also cause adverse consequences.'
He declined to comment on whether he had been approached before for the job. Neither would he comment on his pay.
He had argued last year in the Law Society journal, Law Gazette, that it was 'unrealistic' to suggest that private sector salary benchmarks are 'irrelevant when the best in the private sector are asked to accept public appointments'.
However, he isknown for doing pro bono work, taking on five or six cases for free each year.
This is on top of his work as an MP for Sembawang GRC, where he tackles the daily problems of residents in Yishun and Sembawang at Meet-The-People sessions on Thursday nights.
In Parliament, he has raised a variety of issues.
He argued in 2001 that the Immigration Act, which imposes a mandatory jail sentence on landlords harbouring illegal immigrants, was too tough as such sentences are usually reserved for grave offences such as mutiny, kidnapping and violent rape.
In 2003, he proposed affirmative action to enable more Malays to occupy important posts.
'The principle of meritocracy can be leavened with some affirmative action,' he suggested then in what he himself termed a 'mildly heretical' proposal.
'This will give a considerable psychological boost to the rest of the Malay society.'
Mr Shanmugam, a divorced father of two, remarried early this year. His wife is a clinical psychologist.
xueying@sph.com.sg
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