‘It’s OK not to be OK’: Singapore PM’s former top aide Chng Kai Fong opens up about mental health during pandemic

Chng Kai Fong, managing director of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, reflected on his own struggles at a technology conference on Sunday

The former principal private secretary to the PM described his emotional and mental state in 2020 as one he had never experienced in over 40 years of life

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Office workers walk through Singapore’s financial district amid the coronavirus pandemic in September. Photo: EPA

Published: 2:16pm, 23 Nov 2020Updated: 6:55pm, 23 Nov 2020

It is not often a top bureaucrat in Singapore publicly discloses personal vulnerabilities, but the coronavirus pandemic is upending what is seldom discussed outside close circles.

Chng Kai Fong, managing director of the island’s Economic Development Board (EDB) and a former top aide to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, opened up about his mental health struggle during the pandemic at a technology conference held virtually on Sunday.

Chng Kai Fong, managing director of Singapore's Economic Development Board. Photo: Singapore's Economic Development Board

Chng began his online panel at the She Loves Tech conference by describing 2020 as “an unprecedented year in terms of personal crisis”.

In April, he lost his brother-in-law to cancer, while a close family member is going through serious mental health issues, he said. He described his emotional and mental state as one he had never experienced in over 40 years of life.

“There was this feeling of heat and anger starting with palms and then sort of moves towards your entire body,” Chng said.

“There was one day when I couldn’t even wake up; I had to really drag myself out at 11.30am and go for a run because I knew these were signs of depressive bouts. Even during the run, I was super breathless. It was a bad sign.”