When interviewed about the promotion of MP (Jurong GRC) Desmond Lee to Minister of State (MND), SMU Associate Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan commented that Desmond was trained as a lawyer, thus he has a meticulous and balanced mind. Associate Prof Tan also noted that Desmond was an enthusiastic backbencher with his own thinking, and that his appointment as Minister of State was a reflection of the Cabinet’s appreciation of his qualities.