Ambassador Heng Chee Chan
Singapore Envoy Says Ambassadors
Should Work Like Entrepreneurs
by John Shaw
Singapore’s ambassador to the United States, Heng Chee Chan, said that Washington diplomacy remains intensely interesting to her even after having spent nearly a decade working on Embassy Row. In an interview with The Washington Diplomat, Chan compared Washington diplomacy to an intricate chess match, although at other times it can resemble a frantic scramble—but it’s always highly intriguing and very consequential.
“The amazing thing is that not that much has changed over the past 10 years. But it’s not at all boring or stale. The personnel changes. The issues change. I’m as fascinated and seized by issues as when I arrived. The language of politics here is so lively. It puts one on edge all the time. It’s one of the reasons it’s so interesting here. And I never take anything for granted because things change so fast,” she said.
Chan is often mentioned as one of the stars of Embassy Row and is cited as an illustration of how hard-working, purposeful and creative ambassadors can give their countries a stature and recognition that goes beyond what their economic and political clout might normally command.
Soft-spoken, precise and engaging, Chan studied at both the University of Singapore and Cornell University. She served as executive director of the Singapore International Foundation and director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. She was also the founding director of the Institute of Policy Studies and a professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.
Chan has received a number of awards, including Singapore’s National Book Award for “The Dynamics of One Party Dominance: The PAP at the Grassroots” and “A Sensation of Independence: A Political Biography of David Marshall.”
She began her diplomatic career in 1989 when she was appointed Singapore’s permanent representative to the United Nations, serving concurrently as ambassador to Mexico and high commissioner to Canada.
In July of 1996, Chan moved to Washington to serve as her country’s ambassador to the United States. Chan said that when she first arrived, one of her chief goals was to soften Singapore’s image as a stern, harsh, repressive nation. The U.S. news was then full of reports of the caning of Michael Fay, the Ohio teenager who was flogged six times and served a short prison term for vandalizing cars and stealing highway signs.
Chan explained to American journalists that caning is mandatory under Singapore law in cases of vandalism and is viewed as a tool to preserve order. But she was very eager to talk about things other than the Fay case.
“I wanted to get a better image for Singapore, and I wanted to have good relations with the press,” she said. “I think the hard part is when you face a wall, breaking down that wall, getting through it.”
She believes that Singapore’s resilience during the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and 1998 made an impression on Washington and allowed her to present a positive image of her country. “Singapore weathered the financial crisis easily, and the strength of Singapore became so apparent.”
Chan said that one of the first things she learned on Embassy Row was that ambassadors in Washington must work with an assortment of institutions and interests. “America is a very diverse society, and there are multiple levels of power—federal, state, local. The ambassador must comprehend this. There are great demands on your time. You must manage your time well,” she said.
“I imagine for an ambassador to be effective in any capital, you have to play many roles—that’s given. But it’s especially true here,” she added. “This is a system that is open to interests and to intense lobbying within the system. Ambassadors have to pay attention to this in a way that is unlike any other country.”
Chan argues that ambassadors should view themselves as entrepreneurs. “As an ambassador, you are really a political entrepreneur. You have to see opportunities and use them to enhance your representation and the presentation of your country,” she said. “Every ambassador has to decide how best to advance their bilateral relationship with the U.S. You have to play to your strengths. Each ambassador brings a different style.”
Chan said an effective ambassador must have strong, high-level contacts in both in Washington and back in his or her home capital. “For an ambassador to be effective, you have to be effective on the ground in Washington. You also must have good relations with your own bureaucracy and cabinet ministers or it’s hard to achieve much,” she said. “You must enjoy trust at home and show that this trust is deserved by what you accomplish here.”
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