Major Cabinet reshuffle, with 7 ministers given new roles by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Lawrence Wong moves to Finance, Chan Chun Sing to Education and Ong Ye Kung to Health
By Zakir Hussain, Singapore Editor, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2021
Seven of the 15 ministries, including Finance, Education and Health, will get new ministers under a major Cabinet reshuffle aimed at giving younger ministers experience and exposure in more portfolios.
The changes come two weeks after the announcement that Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat is stepping aside as leader of the People's Action Party's fourth-generation (4G) team.
Mr Heng continues as Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, but will relinquish the finance portfolio. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this will free Mr Heng to concentrate more on the whole-of-government economic agenda.
Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who has been Second Minister for Finance since 2016, takes over the ministry from Mr Heng.
Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, who has been involved in getting the economy back on track and preparing industries to respond to changes in the global economy, will be the new Education Minister tasked to develop young Singaporeans for the future.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who has been in the post since May 2011 and a point man in combating the coronavirus outbreak here, will be Trade and Industry Minister and oversee the economic recovery from Covid-19.
Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung, who has been working on reopening borders and protecting Singapore's status as an air and sea hub, will be Health Minister and co-chair the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 with Mr Wong.
Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran will be Transport Minister, while Manpower Minister Josephine Teo will be the new Communications and Information Minister, and Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng will be Manpower Minister.
The changes, which come nine months after the Cabinet was formed following the July 2020 General Election, take effect on May 15.
PM Lee told a news conference that the changes are more extensive than is usual this early in the term of government, but a change in the finance portfolio means other redeployments have to be made.
He also said that he had wanted to adjust appointments in Health, Trade and Industry and Manpower after the election, but decided to let the ministers focus on fighting Covid-19 at that point.
"Most of the 4G ministers have already accumulated experience in a wide range of portfolios," he said. "This round of Cabinet changes will allow them to gain new experience and exposure."
They have to get to work quickly, he added, as Singapore remains in the midst of a public health and economic crisis, although the Covid-19 situation is more stable.
"The reshuffle is also an opportunity for them to work together in new capacities so that they can understand each other better and strengthen their cohesion as a team. This will make the new team readier to take over from me and my older colleagues," he said.
Several junior office-holders will also be rotated. Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon will leave the labour movement and join the Manpower Ministry, while Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat will leave foreign affairs and join NTUC.
PM Lee said the eventual configuration was the result of extensive consultations with many ministers, including Mr Heng. He also expects the ministers to work closely together and cooperate to make sure policies are well coordinated and nothing slips through the cracks.
"When a problem comes up, we deal with the problem holistically and not just each person tackling his piece, leaving gaps in between or overlaps and conflicts between the different ministries," he said.
Reshuffle an opportunity for 4G ministers to work together in new capacities: PM Lee
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2021
The Cabinet reshuffle will allow the fourth-generation (4G) ministers to work together in new capacities and strengthen their cohesion as a team, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
"This will make the new team readier to take over from me and my older colleagues," he said at a virtual news conference yesterday to announce the new line-up.
He noted that most of the 4G ministers have already accumulated experience in a wide range of portfolios, and said the latest round of changes will allow them to gain new experience and exposure.
"They have to get to work quickly because although our Covid-19 situation is stabler now, we are still in the midst of a public health and economic crisis," he said.
Asked about his expectations for the team, he replied: "I expect all of them to work closely together and cooperate to make sure that the policies are well coordinated and nothing slips through the cracks."
The Cabinet has to work as a team, covering for one another, he added.
"People must know that you are working, doing this as part of a team, and you are doing your part," he said.
"But at the same time, you are covering for one another so that when a problem comes up, we deal with the problem holistically - not just each person tackling his piece and leaving gaps in between or overlaps and conflicts between the different ministries."
The new configuration will see seven of the 15 ministries helmed by new ministers from May 15.
The changes include Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing moving to the Education Ministry, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung taking over the Health Ministry, and Education Minister Lawrence Wong succeeding Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat as Finance Minister.
PM Lee was also asked why most of the third-generation (3G) leaders were not affected by the reshuffle, with the exception of Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who will move to head the Trade and Industry Ministry.
"The ministers who needed to be moved have been moved, and the numbers are not small," he replied.
He said the decision was not a matter of moving the 4G ministers while keeping the 3G ministers stationary. "It is a matter of who I need to fill which slot most urgently."
PM Lee held off on major changes in 2020 as nation was in the thick of COVID-19
He had kept ministers for Health, Manpower and Trade and Industry in place for continuity in critical phase of virus battle
By Lim Yan Liang, Assistant News Editor, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2021
Significant changes have been made to Singapore's Cabinet line-up, partly because a change in Finance Minister is a major move with many repercussions, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
At the same time, a more stable Covid-19 situation has allowed him to rotate the ministers who were directly handling the pandemic - adjustments that he held off making during last July's Cabinet reshuffle after the 2020 General Election.
PM Lee set out these two reasons to explain why such a major reshuffle was occurring this early in the Government's term, with seven ministries to have new heads from next month.
"Once you move the Minister for Finance, you are moving a major piece on the chessboard and you have to make many consequential redeployments," he said in response to questions.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat will pass the finance portfolio on to current Education Minister Lawrence Wong from May 15, but will continue to oversee the Strategy Group in the Prime Minister's Office which coordinates policies and plans across the Government, and chair the National Research Foundation, among other responsibilities.
At yesterday's news conference, PM Lee said he wanted to move the ministers for Health, Manpower and Trade and Industry last year, but did not do so as the country was in the thick of fighting Covid-19.
PM Lee had said then that he was keeping on Mr Gan Kim Yong, Mrs Josephine Teo and Mr Chan Chun Sing in the three respective ministries to ensure continuity during a critical phase of Singapore's fight against the virus. "In the thick of a grave crisis, dealing with a fast-moving, uncertain situation... puts a premium on experience and a sure touch," he said last July.
This is why the appointments made following the election "were an interim set of changes, and now I am making the full set of changes", PM Lee said yesterday.
On the two ministers who are changing portfolios after less than a year at the helm - Mr Wong at the Ministry of Education, and Mr Ong Ye Kung at the Ministry of Transport (MOT) - PM Lee admitted that it was "a bit disruptive" for their ministries, but it could not be helped, given the circumstances.
For instance, he had wanted to fill a slot at the Ministry of Health (MOH) after the general election, but was not ready to move Mr Gan at that point.
So, instead, Mr Ong was put into MOT, where he made an impact despite the short time he has been there, said PM Lee.
He added: "I am now following through to put Ye Kung into MOH, and because he is in MOH and he will be handling Covid on the front line, looking after the MOH part of it, I am putting him to co-chair together with Lawrence Wong."
Mr Gan will take over the trade and industry portfolio, with Mr Chan Chun Sing moving to education.
Asked if the extensive reshuffle sets a precedent for ministers to spend only a short time in one portfolio, PM Lee disagreed.
"It is not desirable to move ministers after less than a year, (but) sometimes it is necessary, and then you think very carefully, and if it can't be helped, you do it," he said. "And next time, you will have to think very carefully again... you cannot say that this is a precedent, and because the last minister served a few months, the next minister (will) likewise."
There were extensive consultations within the Cabinet before the line-up was decided, added PM Lee, who said that was the reason why the announcement of the new line-up came a fortnight after his last news conference. "I talked to many of the ministers, including the DPM, DPM Heng, before I settled the moves, and then I had to discuss with each of the ministers to make sure that they understood what the new mission was and what their purpose of the deployments were before settling it," he said.
Asked about the significance of Mr Ong's move from MOT to MOH and the decision to have him co-chair the task force fighting Covid-19, PM Lee said it is best for the Health Minister to sit on the task force alongside Mr Wong.
"I appoint my ministers where they can best make a contribution," he said.
Ong Ye Kung to co-chair COVID-19 task force with Lawrence Wong
Ong succeeds Gan Kim Yong as Health Minister from May 15, and will tackle healthcare aspects of pandemic
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2021
As the Health Minister with effect from May 15, Mr Ong Ye Kung will co-chair the task force tackling the Covid-19 pandemic with Mr Lawrence Wong.
Mr Ong succeeds Mr Gan Kim Yong, who has headed the Health Ministry for nearly a decade and will move to lead the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).
Mr Wong, who is currently Education Minister, will take over as Finance Minister next month.
Announcing the changes yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Mr Ong, who is currently Transport Minister, will build on the foundation laid by his predecessor.
He noted that Mr Ong has been dealing with major transport challenges - including working on reopening Singapore's borders and protecting the country's status as an air and sea hub - since he took over the portfolio last year.
"At the Ministry of Health, he will build on the strong foundation laid by Kim Yong in healthcare, and deal with issues like ageing, healthcare infrastructure and healthcare finance," PM Lee said. "These need our unremitting efforts spanning multiple health ministers."
Asked for his expectations of both ministers now co-chairing the task force, PM Lee replied: "I expect all of them to work closely together and cooperate, to make sure that the policies are well coordinated and nothing slips through the cracks."
This is how the entire Cabinet has to work, he added.
It is best that the new Health Minister, who will be tackling the healthcare aspects of the pandemic, sits as co-chair on the task force, PM Lee said in explaining the move.
Meanwhile, Mr Wong was appointed co-chair based not on his previous appointments, but "on a basis personal to him", he added.
PM Lee was also asked how Mr Ong's new appointment as co-chair will affect Singapore's fight against the pandemic, especially given the discovery of a cluster of infections at the Westlite Woodlands dormitory.
In response, the Prime Minister said Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng has been overseeing the dormitory situation and will continue to do so after becoming Manpower Minister.
"So, I don't think this change in appointments will impact the specific Westlite dorm situation," PM Lee said.
"It will mean different people in charge of our overall Covid response, but that is something which I think we can take in our stride."
In his speech, PM Lee also noted that Mr Gan has been a "point man" in the fight against Covid-19, and implemented many major healthcare reforms in his term as Health Minister.
In his new role at MTI, Mr Gan will oversee the country's economic recovery and pursue new opportunities, said PM Lee.
He added that Mr Gan is well suited for the post, having previously been Manpower Minister and also having served in MTI early in his career, before spending 16 years in the private sector.
Singapore's Cabinet reshuffle: Field remains open for 4G leadership, say observers
By Justin Ong and Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2021
The Cabinet reshuffle provides the clearest signal yet that fourth-generation (4G) ministers Chan Chun Sing, Ong Ye Kung and Lawrence Wong are firmly in the running for the country's top political job, say observers.
"The most credible options are now visible, and perhaps the Government hopes that this will give Singaporeans slightly more confidence that succession plan 'B' is now initiated and moving along," said Mr Harrison Cheng, associate director of the Control Risks consultancy.
The changes were sparked by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat's announcement earlier this month that he was stepping aside as the People's Action Party's (PAP) 4G leader to make way for a younger successor to the premiership. Mr Heng's finance portfolio is now going to Mr Wong.
Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said Mr Wong's ascension from Second Minister for Finance was the right move to ensure continuity and to not "rock the boat too much".
Mr Cheng said Mr Wong's move suggested he had earned the trust of PM Lee and senior Cabinet members by virtue of his performance as co-chair of the Covid-19 task force, not just on policy issues, but also with his communication and public-facing skills.
National University of Singapore political scientist Elvin Ong cautioned against viewing Mr Wong's new role as a sure sign of him being earmarked as future prime minister - as Mr Heng once was.
"There is no tradition nor rule for them to automatically become prime ministers," said Assistant Professor Ong, noting that Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Dr Richard Hu were among past finance ministers who did not become prime minister.
On Mr Chan's move to the Ministry of Education (MOE) after three years at the Trade and Industry Ministry, the view was that this gives him a new platform to engage Singaporeans.
Mr Singh described MOE as a "major ministry that deals with the future", while Mr Cheng said the ministry has taken on greater significance in recent years, along with growing public appetite for education reforms.
Assistant Professor Walid Jumblatt Abdullah of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) viewed the move as an opportunity for Mr Chan to burnish his public image, given the greater exposure offered by MOE.
A role of even greater visibility, said Prof Walid, is that of co-chair of the Covid-19 task force - which Mr Ong will assume now that he will be taking over as Health Minister.
Prof Ong said that helming the Ministry of Health will give Mr Ong an important domestic role in shaping key healthcare priorities.
But Mr Cheng warned that this would be Mr Ong's sternest test yet, with the new challenges of emerging Covid-19 variants and the possible need for repeated vaccinations in the coming years.
There is no such thing as a high-or low-profile ministry internally, said former Nominated MP Calvin Cheng. "It is thus not where the 4G ministers are moved that is important, but who was moved."
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at consultancy firm Solaris Strategies Singapore, said the changes make clear that Mr Ong and Mr Wong have now risen in prominence, "levelling up" with Mr Chan, who was the first among the three to become a full minister in 2013.
The moves will also test the camaraderie and dynamics of the 4G team. For instance, pairing Mr Ong and Mr Wong as co-chairs of the Covid-19 task force will provide an opportunity for PM Lee and the 4G team to determine how well they can work together, Dr Mustafa said.
"This does not automatically signal they will be next DPM and next PM subsequently, but I think the PM is looking at various permutations (among the 4G)," he added.
Mr Singh said this was also an opportunity to reset the dynamics of the 4G team so that they can, among themselves, identify a leader.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who was previously identified by some analysts as a potential contender for 4G leader, will retain his portfolio. He is also Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration.
While some wondered why he had not been given a new role, Dr Mustafa said Mr Lee remains an important member of the 4G team. "I don't think this signals that he has been overlooked... but rather, that where he is now is sufficient for the time being."
As for the remaining movements among the 4G leaders - such as Manpower Minister Josephine Teo moving to helm the Ministry of Communications and Information and Mr S. Iswaran taking over as Transport Minister - Mr Singh said these were consequential moves that were made as a result of the need to test Mr Chan, Mr Ong and Mr Wong in new ministries.
While older and more experienced ministers remain at the helm of key portfolios such as foreign affairs, security and defence, analysts expect further changes down the road.
Political observer Felix Tan of NTU said the 4G leaders can eventually be moved into these positions after becoming more well-versed with Singapore's regional and international politics.
Prof Ong said that the new changes to the Cabinet also meant new opportunities for Singaporeans to assess for themselves who would be a good prime minister.
"Singaporeans should… provide feedback wherever possible to the PAP or to the Government on who their preferred candidates are," said Prof Ong. "This feedback is likely to be useful input material for the 4G leaders when they themselves decide who to pick to be the new PM."
Major Cabinet reshuffle, but it's not the time to read tea leaves
What matters is how cohesively the 4G leadership team works together
By Grace Ho, Senior Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2021
While the Cabinet reshuffle announced yesterday sees new faces helming seven out of 15 ministries, what has dominated online chatter are the movements of the key fourth-generation (4G) leaders - specifically Mr Lawrence Wong from Education Minister to Finance Minister, Mr Chan Chun Sing from Trade and Industry to helm Education, and Mr Ong Ye Kung from Transport to the Health Ministry.
There has been much reading of the tea leaves.
Does the plum finance post mean Mr Wong is very much in the running to be a future prime minister?
Why is Mr Ong being moved to the health portfolio in the middle of the ongoing pandemic, and barely nine months after he took on transport?
Likewise, would Mr Chan's replacement of Mr Wong in the Ministry of Education give him a higher public profile than his previous externally focused trade portfolio?
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaking at an Istana news conference, was quick to scotch the talk of political power play.
He pointed out that as a planned change was going to be made after Budget 2021 to the finance portfolio - a "major piece on the chessboard" and currently held by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat - the latest redeployments are a consequence of this upcoming vacancy.
Thus, the moves affecting, among others, Mr Wong and Mr Ong, even though they had been in their respective appointments for only a short time.
PM Lee also said that he appointed ministers "where they can best make a contribution".
The explanation will, of course, not stop the public from stirring, or spilling, the tea, especially in the wake of Mr Heng's surprise announcement two weeks ago that he was stepping aside as leader of the 4G team.
PM Lee acknowledged that this was an earlier-than-normal reshuffle of his team, which came together last July, shortly after the 2020 General Election. Major Cabinet changes have typically been made around the midterm mark of the Government taking office.
But for anyone expecting the tea leaves to spell out the identity of the successor to PM Lee, the one reality is that the latest round of appointments does not.
In this regard, there are four things worth noting.
First, the distinction between "heavyweight" and "lightweight" ministries is artificial in a Vuca (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how intimately connected the work of all the ministries is. Finance, health, trade, transport - every sector was battered by the crisis, and it truly required a collective effort by all for businesses and Singaporeans to emerge stronger.
In this context, the latest movements are not about grooming rock stars, but about stretching each 4G leader to develop well-rounded strengths to cope with a rapidly changing world.
In his time in the multi-ministry task force (MTF) on Covid-19, for instance, Mr Wong has shown that he can make tough decisions without being abrasive or causing public opprobrium.
This will be a valuable quality when, as Finance Minister, he has to communicate the need for the goods and services tax (GST) hike slated to take place between next year and 2025.
Mr Chan may have wrangled the world's largest trade deal - the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership involving Singapore and 14 other countries - but it is never easy to put a human face to abstract concepts such as "Asean centrality" and "making supply chains more resilient".
The education portfolio will allow him to show a softer, creative side, and provide ample opportunities to meet and engage parents about what they care most about: their children's future.
Mr Chan is in good company. Both Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr Heng were popular education ministers who left their mark by leading reforms for a more flexible education system.
There are also synergies between education and the economy, given the strong focus on lifelong learning and reskilling for a post-Covid-19 future.
Second, statistically speaking, the Finance Minister is not a shoo-in for the nation's top political post.
Of Singapore's eight previous finance ministers, including Mr Tharman, Mr Heng, Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Richard Hu and Dr Tony Tan, only one - Mr Lee Hsien Loong - became prime minister.
Mr Wong is a logical choice for the post because he had a hand in the finance portfolio over the last five years and steered tax-related Bills through Parliament.
As PM Lee noted: "Lawrence has been assisting Swee Keat as Second Minister since 2016, so he has the experience, and is a natural fit for the job."
But Mr Wong still has a mountain to climb - from persuading Singaporeans to accept the GST hike and dealing with repeated calls from the opposition to loosen the fiscal spigots, to unfavourable developments on the international tax front that could squeeze the Republic's corporate tax revenues.
Third, there is continuity amid change, even if the latter is what many are fixated on.
Mr Wong, who remains co-chair of the MTF - with the incoming Mr Ong - will be an important source of institutional memory and expertise as countries around the world grapple with a devastating resurgence of the coronavirus.
Mr Desmond Lee continues to helm National Development, ensuring that a steady hand will continue to steer political hot-potato issues such as housing and, more recently, the preservation of green spaces. These are issues of keen interest, especially to younger voters, whom the ruling party knows it must woo.
Key 3G leaders such as Dr Ng Eng Hen, Mr K. Shanmugam and Dr Vivian Balakrishnan retain important defence, security and foreign affairs portfolios.
Mr Gan Kim Yong, a Ministry of Trade and Industry veteran, will effectively be returning to his old stomping ground to oversee the country's economic recovery.
Finally, and most importantly, PM Lee issued a clarion call for teamwork.
Asked for his expectations of both ministers who will co-chair the task force, he replied: "I expect all of them to work closely together and cooperate, to make sure that policies are well coordinated and nothing slips through the cracks."
This is how the entire Cabinet has to work, he added.
"You are doing your part, but at the same time, you are covering for one another, so that when a problem comes up, we deal with the problem holistically - not just each person tackling his piece and leaving gaps in between, or overlaps and conflicts between the different ministries," he said.
This is not just about gauging Mr Ong and Mr Wong's working chemistry in the MTF.
Writ large, it is about the 4G leaders' ability to lean in and coalesce around their new leader before the next general election due in 2025.
The die is not cast, but it should be cast soon. Any final tweaks to the political line-up ideally ought to be made around the midterm mark of this Government's term, which is just two years from now.
When Mr Heng launched the Singapore Together movement two years ago, it was with the intent for all Singaporeans to work together to build a shared future. No one anticipated then that a pandemic would sweep the world, that the nation's economy and social cohesion would be challenged so severely, or that he would step aside this soon from his role as leader of the 4G team.
The Covid-19 crisis is a golden opportunity for the country to emerge from the ashes better, kinder and stronger.
To this end, and trite as it may sound, every ministry and minister matters. How cohesively the 4G leadership team works together matters.
And that, for Singapore's sake, is what really matters too.
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