The responses were remarkably different back then. Instead of merciless scorn, many praised him for his humility, hard work, and ability to understand ordinary Singaporeans. Words like ‘humble’, ‘down-to-earth’ and ‘Army Casio Watch!!’ appeared often and without irony.

So what happened?

The first hurdle came in the form of train breakdowns. Although it was not CCS’s department, the SMRT crisis of 2016 onwards tarnished the reputations of scholar-generals everywhere. As breakdowns continued to occur under the watch of ex-General/SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek and ex-admiral/LTA chief Chew Men Leong, everyone started to question the ability of high-ranking SAF personnel who were ‘parachuted’ into civilian roles.

Having trod the well-worn path from Scholar to General to Minister, Keechiu could not escape the backlash. He is the poster-boy of the PAP’s ‘meritocratic’ system, but in a time when Singapore was starting to challenge received ideas of what constitutes ‘merit’.

Unfortunate, but hardly fatal. But what really killed his popularity was, ironically, his ascent as a possible PM candidate in 2017.

If you recall, it was the time when Tan Chuan-Jin was nominated to replace Speaker Halimah Yacob, and the PM marathon became a ‘3-horse’ race between Heng Swee Keat, Ong Ye Kung, and CCS.

Of the three, CCS emerged as the most vocal. Around late last year, he appeared often in the media, to weigh in on ‘issues’ of the day—ranging from the controversy of President Halimah Yacob’s walkover election to the challenges faced by each generation of Singaporean leaders. He made many statements on Very Serious Subjects, often not related to his portfolio .