Singapore's New Cabinet Sworn In

Singapore’s new Cabinet was sworn in on Thursday, 1st October evening at the Istana, three days after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the lineup. PM Lee said that in choosing his Cabinet, his objective was to provide the "most effective Government for Singapore", as it enters a new phase of nationhood after 50 years of independence. The ceremony saw 31 office-holders take their oaths before President Tony Tan Keng Yam. The number includes 20 full or acting Ministers, led by PM Lee who was sworn in first, followed by his Deputy Prime Ministers and Coordinating Ministers. PM Lee says his new Cabinet, with a combination of experienced and new ministers is designed to face complex challenges for Singapore that require fresh and bold ideas and close coordination across multiple agencies. PM Lee also reinforced his team with backbenchers and newly-elected MPs, and entrusted major responsibilities to younger ministers - including first-time Members of Parliament Ng Chee Meng and Ong Ye Kung, who will be Acting Education Ministers. Stressing that the appointments were made with leadership renewal in mind, PM said "My responsibility, as it was with ESM Goh Chok Tong and Mr Lee Kuan Yew, is not just to govern Singapore well today, but also to prepare the next team to take over. This will secure Singapore's future beyond this generation and take the country another step towards SG100." The Cabinet members were led in their oath-taking by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.  About 700 guests - comprising current and former Members of Parliament, representatives from the Singapore Public Service, grassroots, NGOs, business leaders, educators, and religious leaders – attended the ceremony.  The new Cabinet comes before Singapore's 13th Parliament convenes in January next year. Click here to read the transcript.

A New Team for the Next Lap

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday, 28 September named his new Cabinet in what he called a “bold move” to get a team ready to take over soon after the next General Election. PM Lee shuffled his team two weeks after the PAP garnered 70 per cent of the votes in the 2015 General Election. PM had earlier said that he needed strong mandate from the people to take Singapore forward with a new team to ensure leadership renewal. Explaining his rationale for the new cabinet, he said:  “It is a transition team, so it is bigger than usual.” He also noted it is “most likely” that his own successor is within this Cabinet. He also made note of the fact that half of the office holders are aged 50 and below; while half of the Cabinet team are under 55 years of age. The key changes in this round of cabinet reshuffle include: Three Coordinating Ministers Three coordinating ministers will be overseeing cross-ministry efforts in three major areas. This move would help to “bring the pieces together” for a more coherent whole-of-government response, PM noted, it also allows PM to move more boldly in placing ministers in the specific ministries.  Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will oversee national security  Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam will oversee economic and social policies New Minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan will be coordinate matters relating to infrastructure Two Ministers for Two Ministries As the scope of work for Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade & Industry has expanded considerably, they are now helmed by two ministers instead of one. Ministry of Education will have two Acting Ministers: Mr Ng Chee Meng (MOE, Schools) and Mr Ong Ye Kung (MOE, Higher Education and Skills). As for Ministry of Trade & Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang will look specifically after the trade portfolio while Mr S Iswaran, in the industry portfolio, will “focus on economic restructuring and creating a vibrant domestic economy", Mr Lee  noted. Commenting on the cabinet re-shuffle, Mr Lee said: “Moving office holders to different portfolios will give them more experience and exposure in different areas, and  prepare them to take on greater responsibilities in the future.” But at the same time, retaining most of his existing Cabinet Ministers would ensure "steady hands" in a challenging environment and mentors for the younger ministers. "They will help ensure a smooth and successful transition," he said.

PM Reminds All PAP MPs to Uphold High Moral Standards

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged all newly elected PAP MPs to be humble in victory and to always remember that they are the servants of the people, not masters. In the letter titled “Rules of Prudence”, PM cautioned the PAP MPs not to interpret the strong election result as a sign that their efforts have succeeded, and that they can afford to slacken. He said: “Much work remains to be done tackling issues which concern Singaporeans, and finding new ways to improve people’s lives.” The letter read: “The context each time may be different but the subject remains constant, because integrity, honesty and incorruptibility are fundamental to our Party.  We must never tire of reminding ourselves of their importance.” On upholding PAP’s reputation and integrity, PM said: “One vital factor that has enabled the PAP to retain the trust of Singaporeans all these years is honesty and integrity. The PAP’s reputation for clean, incorruptible government is one of our most precious assets.” Therefore he urged all PAP MPs to uphold the rigorous standards that PAP has set for itself, and do nothing to compromise them. In his letter, PM also highlighted the general guidelines on separating business and politics, directorship, making speech at Parliament, fund-raising and accepting gifts.