Singapore Minister Indranee Rajah opens up about love and loss; Fewer firms plan pay hikes despite job market gains: Singapore live news

On dating apps, she was clear: “No, I don’t think so. I grew up in an era where this wasn’t a thing.”

Indranee admitted there were times when relationships didn’t work out, but she stressed that this should not be seen as failure. “What’s most important is that you must be comfortable in your own skin, and happy with who you are,” she said.

Her words resonated with many who saw in her a model of self-acceptance in an interview that reframed singlehood not as absence, but as a life lived with clarity and purpose.

In the same interview, she opened up on the death of her mother, Mavis Rajah, who passed away at 102, describing the experience as both painful and meaningful. “I was with her right up until the very end,” she said, adding that it was important for both mother and daughter.

Indranee said that being the last surviving member of her immediate family brings moments of loneliness. She lost her father when she was just five, and later her siblings in 1996 and 2007. Each loss, she said, shaped her outlook on life.

Despite the solitude, she described this stage as a “new season,” one where she leans on lifelong friendships for support.

Friends from her school days remain her anchor. “There’ll be occasions when I feel lonely, then I’ll just call some of my friends,” she shared.

She emphasised that these relationships have been vital in helping her cope with grief.

Her openness offered a rare glimpse of vulnerability, showing a leader who has endured loss but continues to find meaning.

For many viewers, it was a reminder that resilience is not about being unshaken, but about carrying on with grace.