Singapore reshuffles Cabinet - effective from 1 Aug 2012

Younger ministers move up in Cabinet reshuffle

PM sets up one new ministry, and refocuses two others

By Lydia Lim, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2012

THE Prime Minister has reshuffled his Cabinet, promoting six office-holders, including three who entered politics last year, and creating a new Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

The new line-up also has Ms Grace Fu promoted to full minister, the second woman to make the grade.

These changes come 14 months after Mr Lee Hsien Loong's radical shake-up of the Cabinet, post General Election 2011, which marked the retirement of former prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong and three other veteran ministers.

The focus this time is on the Cabinet's youngest members - first-termers Chan Chun Sing, Tan Chuan-Jin and Lawrence Wong. Aged 39 to 43, they take the helm at three ministries. Their promotion to Senior Minister of State and appointment as Acting Ministers suggest they may form the core of Singapore's fourth generation of leaders.

Yesterday, in an e-mailed response, Mr Lee praised their performance, saying: "They plunged deep in right from the start, and have tackled their tasks energetically and imaginatively. They have learnt quickly and become more confident and familiar with the issues."

With many no doubt wanting to read in these changes signs of whose star has risen fastest, Mr Lee said he has appointed Mr Tan and Mr Wong as new Acting Ministers but "others have done well too, and I will give them heavier responsibilities in due course".

Mr Chan was appointed Acting Minister after last year's election.

He also noted the political work ministers do, which he said "can often be even more important". "So you should not judge a minister's contributions only by the portfolios explicitly assigned to him," he said.

Mr Lee added that he expects to do further reshuffles from time to time this term.

With the changes, Mr Tan will helm the Manpower Ministry from today, taking over from Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who also holds the Finance portfolio.

Mr Chan will helm the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and Mr Wong will head the new Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY).

These two ministries will result from a restructuring of two current ministries - for community development, information and the arts - into three, from November.

Public communications and engagement will come under the renamed Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), where Dr Yaacob Ibrahim remains in charge.

Yesterday, Mr Lee said the new ministries would sharpen the Government's focus on three increasingly important priorities.

"MSF will strengthen our families and social safety nets as pillars of support in more uncertain economic conditions.

"MCI will oversee our efforts to improve public communications and engagement, which are more important in the age of social media and a more active citizenry."

Besides nurturing arts, sports and engaging youth, MCCY will also drive community development, "which in Singapore, perhaps more than elsewhere, is integral to building an inclusive and cohesive society", Mr Lee said.

He added that "all three ministries will have to break new ground, try fresh approaches, and keep up with rapidly changing conditions and needs".

Mr Lee Yi Shyan and Mr Masagos Zulkifli also move up a rung to Senior Minister of State.

PM Lee has appointed backbencher Indranee Rajah as Senior Minister of State from Nov 1 and Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim as Parliamentary Secretary. "They have proved themselves both in and out of Parliament, and shown that they can be more than MPs. I hope to make more backbench promotions in future reshuffles."




PM steps up pace of political renewal

Tan Chuan-Jin, Lawrence Wong from 2011 batch made Acting Ministers
By Goh Chin Lian, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2012

STEPPING up the pace of political renewal, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called upon two more men from the batch of MPs fielded in the 2011 General Election for ministerial duties.

Both cut their teeth with appointments as ministers of state soon after the election, and appear to have shown they are ready for bigger challenges.

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, 43, who maintains an active Facebook presence as junior minister for national development and manpower, was at the centre of the Bukit Brown affair.

He reached out to interest groups over a road slicing through the cemetery, and also led public discussions on the Rail Corridor on disused railway land, and foreign maids, who got a mandatory weekly rest day.

As for Mr Lawrence Wong, 39, his term as a junior minister in the Education Ministry saw him unveil new measures to boost the standard of pre-schools and lead a panel on providing Singaporeans with more degree options.

With their promotion, they will be tested with heavier responsibilities in the Cabinet.

Mr Tan will head the Manpower Ministry from today, and Mr Wong, the newly-created Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth from Nov1.

They will be Acting Ministers, joining Mr Chan Chun Sing, 43, who continues to be Acting Minister, but his Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports will be renamed the Ministry of Social and Family Development from Nov1.

Former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharuddin said the appointments were in line with the PAP's practice of testing promising office-holders for a few years before making them full ministers.

The trio, who are promoted a rung up today to Senior Minister of State, will continue to juggle a secondary portfolio, exposing them to other parts of government.

Mr Tan retains his national development portfolio, while the other two will do a swop: Mr Wong will take communications and information and Mr Chan, a former army chief, will go into the familiar field of defence.

Their promotion did not surprise political science professor Reuben Wong, of the National University of Singapore, who felt they had made timely contributions to the leadership in a year.

"They are the poster boys for a new PAP that engages and a government that listens and consults more," he said.

Last night, Mr Tan told reporters he would endeavour to keep going to the ground to understand people's sentiments.

"I always believe it's important to be hands-on where you can. There are insights I gain from just being there," he said.

The batch of 2011 will have four top-ranking leaders, including Mr Heng Swee Keat, 51, who was catapulted to the post of Education Minister last year.

Their fast track to minister positions after entering politics for just over a year outpaces that of their seniors from the batch of 2001 and 2006 who form the majority in Cabinet.

The 2001 group produced six ministers. Three - Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Dr Ng Eng Hen and Mr Khaw Boon Wan - were tested as Acting Ministers only after 11/2 to two years in politics.

The 2006 batch had two ministers: Mr Lui Tuck Yew, an office-holder for three years before he became Acting Minister, and Ms Grace Fu, 48, who is promoted to full minister today after six years as a junior minister.

Former Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong said the fourth-generation leadership could be shaping up with the latest changes.

"This could be seen as a clearer sign of the potential successors to the Prime Minister," he said.

NUS' Dr Wong felt that putting the three newcomers in high-profile positions signals that they could anchor GRCs in the next General Election due in 2016. It gives them time to "establish their credentials and grow in stature, so people will recognise that these guys are their ministers".

Grace Fu promoted to full minister
By Jeremy Au Yong, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2012

THE Cabinet will once again include a female full minister in its ranks.

Ms Grace Fu - previously senior minister of state for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources as well as the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts - has been promoted to minister.

Starting today, she will be Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, serving concurrently as Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs.

She will also help Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean with population issues. DPM Teo is in charge of the National Population and Talent Division.

Ms Fu is not the only woman moving up. In the Cabinet changes announced yesterday, three- term MP Indranee Rajah became the latest woman to make the leap from backbench to frontbench. She was appointed Senior Minister of State in the Law and Education Ministries.

Other woman office-holders are Madam Halimah Yacob, 57, Dr Amy Khor, 54, Ms Josephine Teo, 44, and Ms Sim Ann, 37.

Ms Fu said in a statement that she was "deeply humbled" by the confidence the Prime Minister had shown in her.

"I am honoured to be given the opportunities to contribute to the governance of Singapore and look forward to bringing about a better Singapore for our future generations," she said.

The 48-year-old, who entered politics in 2006, added that she was looking forward to her new roles. She highlighted, in particular, the opportunity to work on population issues because of its "far-reaching impact that directly affects Singapore's make-up and economic competitiveness".

Said Ms Fu, who has three sons aged between 15 and 20: "I particularly look forward to having discussions with Singaporeans on marriage and parenthood policies and other important decisions relating to our population."

Ms Fu is only the third woman to be made a Cabinet Minister and the first since May last year when then-minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua was defeated in the general election.

Before Mrs Lim was Dr Seet Ai Mee, who was appointed acting minister for community development in 1991.

As for Ms Indranee, 49, becoming an office-holder means leaving a 25-year law career. She joined Drew and Napier in 1988. But she felt it was the right time for the switch: "It was just the sense that if there was a time I could contribute, it would be this time.

"At the moment, there is a sense in Singapore that we are embarking on a new direction and there are things to be done."

While it was good to have women ministers to bring some balance to the Cabinet, gender is not the most important thing, she added. "I hope that being an additional woman minister will be a source of encouragement to women in Singapore. That said, the work must be done on merit, not because of your gender."

Govt seeks to forge stronger ties among citizens, and with them
New ministry to focus on building cohesive and vibrant society: PM Lee
By Leonard Lim and Tessa Wong, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2012

A NEW ministry will oversee arts, sports and youth from Nov 1, as the Government seeks to deepen its engagement with citizens through various ways.

This Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) will be helmed by Mr Lawrence Wong, seen as a key member of Singapore's fourth-generation leadership.

Sketching out MCCY's aims, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement that it would focus on building a cohesive and vibrant society, and deepening the sense of identity and belonging to Singapore.

It will take on the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports' (MCYS) roles of strengthening community bonds, promoting volunteerism and philanthropy, engaging youth and developing sports.

Additionally, it will promote harmonious communal relations, amid an atmosphere of simmering anxieties over the influx of new citizens.

Arts, heritage and national resilience, which now fall under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica), will also be under its purview.

In response to queries, PM Lee said many countries have a dedicated ministry to oversee youth, arts and sports, and see benefits in grouping them together.

"These are important areas for us too. But in addition, MCCY will drive community development, which in Singapore, perhaps more than elsewhere, is integral to building an inclusive and cohesive society," he said.

"The name 'Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth' does not identify all these areas explicitly, but that is only to keep the ministry name reasonably concise," he added, in anticipation of reaction to the name, particularly the absence of the word "sports" in the title.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Wong said he believes many can see the importance of the new ministry's work as Singapore's social fabric becomes "increasingly diverse".

The 39-year-old, one of several former top civil servants who entered politics in the last general election, moves up a rung to Senior Minister of State today and will be appointed Acting Minister of MCCY once it is formed.

Having one ministry serving arts, sports, culture and community engagement will also encourage synergies that benefit them all, the former principal private secretary to PM Lee added.

This will not be the first time Singapore has a culture ministry.

In 1959, the Ministry of Culture was set up with similar aims, with Mr S. Rajaratnam as its first minister. It was dissolved in 1985, and its functions went to the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Community Development.

Yesterday's suite of changes included the announcement that MCYS and Mica will be restructured into three ministries from Nov 1. This will sharpen the focus on three "increasingly important priorities", said PM Lee.

The MCCY, Mica renamed as the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), and another zooming in on families and social safety nets will have to break new ground, try fresh approaches, and keep up with rapidly changing conditions and needs, he added.

MCI will oversee the development of the infocomm technology, media and design sectors; the national and public libraries; and the Government's information and public communications policies. Reach, the Government's feedback unit, will also be transferred from MCYS to MCI.

This reorganisation, said PM Lee, will enable the Government to focus more sharply on communication and information, in an age of social media and a more active citizenry.

As for the current MCYS, it will be renamed the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Reactions to the new MCCY ranged from those cheering it as a means to deepen the spread of sports and arts in the grassroots, to worries that elite sport and high-brow arts, which have seen greater recognition and growth in recent years, will be affected.

Nominated MP (NMP) Nicholas Fang said: "My hope is that sports and arts don't become reduced to tools to achieve other goals, even though those goals are worthy in themselves."

NMP Janice Koh, who represents the arts, expressed concern that with the focus on social cohesion, aims such as achieving artistic excellence, building a thriving creative economy, and making great art for Singapore and the world may fall under the radar. "The arts are intrinsically valuable and have a much wider role to play beyond the purpose of community bonding," she added.

It's as much about heartware as hardware
By Ignatius Low, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2012

ONE way to split the issues that governments have to grapple with is to draw a line between those that speak to the head and those that speak to the heart.

The "head issues", as you might call them, represent the more nuts and bolts aspects of public policymaking.

They involve the setting out of tangible outcomes, such as economic growth, the nation's literacy rate, the frequency of train arrivals and the proportion of citizens who own their homes.

Having identified the objectives, the challenge then quickly moves to effective execution, and the success of public policy is assessed in terms of measurable outcomes.

The "heart issues", on the other hand, refer to the aspects of public policy where the outcomes are far more intangible.

Society must become more gracious, for example. People must feel rooted to the land they live in and the nation must forge its own cultural identity.

Here, progress cannot simply be tracked by a number of "KPIs" (key performance indicators). Nor can it be the result of any formula of fixed inputs. Delivering results usually takes a lot longer, and you never quite know if you have succeeded.

The economic miracle that is Singapore has arguably been built largely on its ability to tackle issues of the first kind.

Wherever there has been a goal or a problem, the Government has quickly broken it down to its root factors or causes, engineered a practical solution and focused on implementing it well.

This is not to say that it hasn't paid any attention to the "heart issues". Indeed, every single ministry has always had its fair share.

But while civil servants keep an eye on them, especially when weighing the side effects of the harder "head issues", they are "nice to have" objectives that often do not feature in the front lines of the public policy battleground.

This is why yesterday's announcement of the formation of Singapore's newest ministry is significant.

By amalgamating many of the most pressing "heart issues" into the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the Government has given its clearest signal yet that it recognises Singapore is entering a new phase of development.

In this phase, Singaporeans are increasingly looking beyond tangibles like economic growth to their intangible effect on society and community.

The young want to be more engaged, and the issues they care about range from preserving the environment to forging a national identity through culture and heritage.

These goals are immeasurable and long-term, but more importantly, they have ceased being means to an end, but ends in themselves.

The formation of MCCY, therefore, should bring about two key changes.

Firstly, it will force at least some parts of the Government to look at the challenge of public policy in a new, unfamiliar light.

Going by the old rubric, the work will seem maddeningly unstructured and strangely unsatisfying, but it will hopefully develop civil servants with a new set of policymaking instincts for the future.

Secondly, and more immediately, it will elevate discussion of messy intangibles to the highest levels of Cabinet.

In the past, individual ministries weighed up the hard and the soft issues within their four walls before presenting their recommendations.

Now, the issues of the heart will get a champion who will bring them to the decision table with a newfound coherence.

That champion will be newly promoted Minister of State Lawrence Wong, whose appointment to the role is interesting in itself.

Mr Wong has built his career on many a "head issue", having spent his early career in the ministries of Trade and Industry and Finance.

In the Ministry of Health, he was instrumental to the complex revamp of MediShield and other health-care financing policies. His last appointment before joining politics was chief executive of the Energy Market Authority.

For a true-blue technocrat and policy wonk like him, the challenge of successfully running a ministry like MCCY will undoubtedly be immense.

But the fact that the Prime Minister has entrusted him with breaking this new ground is also telling. It perhaps hints at a side of Mr Wong, who served as the Prime Minister's principal private secretary from 2005 to 2008, that the public has yet to see.

But it also shows the importance Mr Lee has attached to engendering a new type of sensitivity in Singapore's fourth generation of leaders, most of whom were promoted yesterday, in yet another step in the Government's relentless effort at succession planning.

The evolution of MCCY, and its eventual relevance to public policy, will therefore be worth watching for more than the usual reasons. It will be an indication of just how far the Government will go in reinventing itself for a new Singapore.

Changes reflect a maturing Singapore's priorities
by Eugne K B Tan, TODAY, 2 Aug 2012

Some have described the Cabinet changes announced on Tuesday as a manifestation of the "politics of appeasement". That would be reading too much into the so-called "new normal".

Regardless, two things stand out for me in the Cabinet changes. First, the restructuring of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) to form the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), as well as the establishment of the new Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY).

The second is the quickened pace of the leadership transition and renewal.

Taken together, the changes demonstrate how government and governance in Singapore have to evolve since the May 2011 General Election. The Government is called upon to be more responsive and sensitive to the intangibles like society and community issues as they impact profoundly upon the well-being of Singaporeans.

Such issues are now given the due recognition as being fundamental to the legitimacy of the Singapore-style governance. All these against the pressing need to prepare the putative fourth-generation leadership to assume greater responsibility.

PRE-EMPTIVE MANAGEMENT

Singapore society continues to evolve, necessitating the government machinery not only to adapt to the rapid changes but, where possible, to engage in pre-emptive management of key issues.

The formation of MCCY and MSF reflects the omnibus ministry that MCYS is, which may have inadvertently resulted in a perception that MCYS has an inherent diffused focus given its multi-faceted suite of portfolios. MCCY and MSF represent quite contrasting imperatives of a maturing Singapore.

On the one hand, the creation of MCCY signifies, among other things, the growing importance of the post-material needs and aspirations of Singaporeans and the desire to be a gracious and cultured society.

Thus, against the backdrop of a more complex and increasingly diverse society, the need for Singaporeans to develop a robust sense of belonging and rootedness - manifested in strong civic bonds and a cohesive national identity - becomes no longer a luxury but a necessity.

ENGAGING YOUTH

Sports, arts, heritage, volunteerism and philanthropy are invaluable platforms by which a vibrant national culture can be developed, nurtured and sustained. As such, the sports and arts communities need not fear that sports and the arts are now shunted aside. Instead, the role of sports and the arts in Singaporean society is now so well established such that there is no need to specifically mention them.

Contrast this with the specific reference to youths in the MCCY name. It underlines the recognition and commitment to engage and develop our youths. More so than ever for Gen Y and Gen Z Singaporeans, the world is their oyster. Opportunities abound for them outside our borders. Whether they will feel committed to Singapore cannot be left to chance.

The establishment of MSF reiterates the centrality of family and society in Singapore. In this regard, how we handle bread-and-butter concerns even amidst plenty, to having a robust and principled social safety support system, will continue to have a deep bearing on the kind of society we are.

Having a dedicated ministry to focus solely on social and family issues reflects the urgency and importance of not relegating these issues as a poor cousin to the pervasive economic imperative.

RENEWAL PROCESS

The changes to the Cabinet line-up highlight the quickened pace of leadership transition and renewal. By Nov 1, leaders first elected in May 2011 will helm four out of 16 ministries, covering education, social, and manpower portfolios.

Their learning curves will be steep as the wheels of government will not slow down on account of their being new to their portfolios.

In the so-called "new normal" political landscape, the office-holders will have to demonstrate not just technocratic know-how, skilful problem solving but also sophisticated political nous and sensitivity to competing and even conflicting interests and needs.

They will have to become more politician-like even as they deep dig into their technocratic expertise. As policy trade-offs are already becoming more evident and will have to explicitly laid out, how the political leadership stewards the country through the various policy options will be an integral part of the governance agenda.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has indicated that the latest changes to the Cabinet line-up will not be the last during this term. It's a deliberate process of leadership renewal as we transition from the third- to the fourth-generation political leadership.

More than ever, Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans alike will closely assess how the new line-up performs.

After all, how our political leadership performs will bear heavily on the destiny of Singapore and Singaporeans.

Eugene K B Tan is Assistant Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University School of Law, and a Nominated Member of Parliament.