SINGAPORE - Singapore's resources may be limited, but its opportunities are endless - this is the gist of a message engraved in a black leather briefcase that Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has carried with him to 10 Budgets over six years.
It is one he believes the Finance Ministry (MOF) has demonstrated time and again.
Mr Heng, who steps down as Finance Minister on Saturday, recounted in a Facebook post on Friday how the bag - commissioned by his daughter from a local leather craftsman - has come to hold more than just each year's Budget statement.
"Each time I open the bag and see that message, I am determined that while we must work within the reality of our limited resources, this need not and will not hold us back from recognising, seizing, and creating opportunities for our people," he wrote. "I am also reminded of my duty to my children's generation and generations to come."
He added that the briefcase is not the well-worn one he uses for everyday work. Every Budget season, the black bag is dusted off and polished before transporting the Budget statement to Parliament House. The message in it, inscribed on a metal plate, is a reminder that his daughter believed to be important.
Her exact words: Our resources may be limited, but our opportunities are endless.
MOF has shown the power and truth of these words again and again, Mr Heng wrote.
He recounted how in 2016 - a year which marked Singapore's 50th Budget, and also Mr Heng's maiden Budget speech - the country set its mind to caring more for the vulnerable elderly, made taxes more progressive and laid the groundwork for industry transformation that will help Singapore recover from the pandemic today.
Last year, the Government also rolled out five Budgets, racing against time to implement support for companies and people.
"Each time, MOF showed that though our resources are limited, our opportunities are not. Our opportunities are of our making," Mr Heng said, adding that his ministry's officers have stewarded the country's fiscal resources, made extraordinary contributions in fighting the pandemic and cared for him and his family.
In his farewell message to MOF staff, Mr Heng stressed that public servants must grow the reserves of Singapore's greatest resource - the strength and spirit of its people.
He said they must never forget their duty to safeguard Singapore's resources, and urged them to make time for themselves and their families.
"My black bag will not carry any more Budget statements, but it will always hold this belief to break past our limits and focus on our opportunities," he wrote.
Several other ministers also penned their thoughts on their moves following the Cabinet reshuffle, which was announced earlier this month.
In a letter to his colleagues at the Education Ministry (MOE), Mr Lawrence Wong spoke of how he benefited from feedback and insights gleaned from interacting with students and teachers.
"Sometimes after turning over a stone, we may find there are good reasons to put it back in place," he wrote. "But we should continue to pick up the stone again for a close look from time to time, as our circumstances change."
His one regret, he added, is that he had not had the chance to meet many people in person before departing to helm the Finance Ministry, given that a large part of the time was spent operating remotely.
Mr Ong Ye Kung, who leaves the Transport Ministry (MOT) for the Health Ministry, spoke of his "short but meaningful homecoming", as MOT was where he started his public service career.
The day after he joined the ministry, he visited Changi Airport, knowing that this would be his key preoccupation. On Friday - his final day at MOT - he went there again to speak to workers on the frontlines.
"They know they are in harm's way. But I see in them resilience, sense of duty, and pride," Mr Ong said, adding that this spirit is reflected in all transport workers whom he has gotten to know.
