[3] During his political career, Khaw was noted for being appointed to ministerial portfolios which deal with wedge issues such as housing and transport, thus earning himself the moniker "Mr.
[14] In a valedictory letter to Khaw, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that the veteran politician has helped Singapore overcome challenges spanning healthcare, housing and transport.
Responding to a report by international auditing firm KPMG in Parliament in December 2005, Khaw vowed to punish all wrongdoers in the saga and heavily criticised NKF's "bizarre HR policies".
[18] In a parliamentary speech on 9 February 2009, in the context of tackling the rising healthcare costs, Khaw suggested that Singaporeans can consider sending their elderly parents to nursing homes in Johor Bahru in Malaysia, which is a developing country located close to Singapore.
[24] Following the 2011 general election where the ruling PAP garnered its lowest vote share of 60.1% since independence, Khaw was appointed the Minister for National Development.
In July 2012, National Parks Board's (NParks) purchase of 26 Brompton bikes costing $2,200 each sparked a nationwide uproar after it was revealed by a whistleblower on online forum HardwareZone of possible corruption due numerous red flags in the way the procurement was done.
[31] During a parliamentary session on 12 February 2015, Khaw spoke on the Auditor-General's findings on the opposition-run Aljunied–Hougang-Punggol East Town Council's alleged financial irregularities.
If an auditor makes such a finding on a listed company, it will immediately cause consternation among the shareholders, and a call for the removal of the CEO and the Board of Directors.
[32]The quote on committing seppuku (harakiri) when top leaders make mistakes became part of Singapore's political lexicon[33][34] as various irregularities and lapses of other government agencies started surfacing,[35][36] along with the persistent train breakdowns under Khaw's Transportation portfolio in later years.
[49] Khaw further berated the Singapore press for reporting extensively on the MRT breakdowns, criticizing them for "turning tabloid", "publishing frightening figures",[50] and magnifying the problem to which he has no solution.
He added that if solving the problem was as simple as "holding a pen and writing a few articles", members of the media should run the transport system instead and Singapore does not need any engineers.
After remaining silent for a week, Khaw came out to explain that the cracks were not safety issues and that the news could result in “undue panic” during a briefing at the Bishan Depot.
[58] He criticised the news agency for mischief and even suggested that Singapore is a victim caught in the rivalry between political factions in Hong Kong and China.
[59][60] FactWire noted that instead of taking responsibility for an incident which has damaged the Singaporean public's trust in the authorities, Khaw chose to blame the news agency for exposing the cover up.
In an open letter to Khaw on 14 July, the agency maintained that it is funded by the Hong Kong public and that its reporting is independent of commercial or political considerations.
In the letter, the party charged that Khaw has failed to stop the recurring breakdowns and other serious lapses all these years, signalling his incompetence and lack of leadership.
The parliamentary sitting was attended by SMRT's senior management, which included CEO Desmond Kuek and Chairman Seah Moon Ming.
In his speech, Khaw revealed that anti-flooding pumps at Lavender and Kembangan stations were also found to be in non-serviceable condition, and maintenance records might have been falsified since 2016.
[66] Khaw declined any shortcomings or lapses in regulatory oversight by LTA or MOT staff and dismissed proposals to form a committee of inquiry.
Train services between Joo Koon and Tuas Link station had to be suspended for four days to allow signaling contractor Thales to conduct further assurance checks.
[81][82] According to a statement from SMRT and LTA, the protective "bubble" around the first train was "unexpectedly disabled" when it passed a trackside device, which was not compatible with the new signalling system.
In 1973, he was awarded the Colombo Plan scholarship from the Ministry of Education to study a combined degree programme in engineering and commerce at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
[7] In 2010, Khaw underwent a heart bypass operation[87] and after his recovery, it was reported that he had switched to a vegan diet, avoiding all meat, fish and dairy products.