Singapore ministerial pay to rise by up to 9% in first adjustment since 2011

Revision needed to build first-rate team as salaries have fallen further behind those of private sector and civil service, says Prime Minister Lawrence Wong

By Lim Yan Liang, Deputy News Editor, The Straits Times, 9 Sep 2026

Political office-holders will get a one-off pay increase of up to 9 per cent, as the Government accepts the recommendations of a committee convened in December 2025 to review political salaries.

This means a minister at entry-level grade MR4 getting the full adjustment will see his annual pay rise from $1.1 million to $1.2 million when the revised framework takes effect from Oct 15.

Speaking in Parliament on Sept 8, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the Government has accepted the committee’s recommendation to update the MR4 benchmark from $1.1 million to $1.8 million.

The salary range for ministers will also be widened. Beyond the one-off increase, PM Wong said, ministers’ salaries will continue to be adjusted based on performance, and that he expects most MR4 ministers to earn about $1.35 million – the lower end of the new salary range – by the end of this term of government.

The Prime Minister said he decided to act now given that ministerial salaries have fallen further behind both private sector and civil service salaries in the last 15 years.

While the gap is most obvious when compared with the private sector, even in the public service there are some senior permanent secretaries who earn more than ministers, he said.

Emphasising that good government did not come naturally to Singapore but was built deliberately over many years, PM Wong said his responsibility is to sustain the capacity for the city-state to have leadership that can plan ahead, take difficult decisions and deliver.

“It’s not just about what we pay ministers today,” he said. “It’s about whether future prime ministers will continue to have a realistic chance of persuading capable Singaporeans – from the public service, the private sector and other walks of life – to step forward and build a first-rate team to serve Singapore and Singaporeans.”

Salaries for political office-holders were last updated in 2012, with the changes backdated to 2011 when the new term of government started. Since then, successive governments had decided to hold back on further changes because of reasons such as global instability, even though the salary framework remained relevant.

In 2017, a review committee recommended an upward adjustment, but the Government decided not to make any changes considering economic uncertainties.

The next review was scheduled for 2023, but was deferred.

“We cannot affirm a framework in principle but disregard it indefinitely in practice,” said PM Wong. “Otherwise, over time, the framework loses its meaning. Restraint cannot become neglect.”

While candidates looking to enter political service will still be expected to make a meaningful sacrifice, PM Wong said, the revised salary structure will give him more room to differentiate pay according to performance, and crucially to bring in people with substantial experience from outside the Government.

This includes those already earning significantly more in the private sector, he added.

Under the framework, ministerial salaries are benchmarked to the median income of the top 1,000 earners who are Singapore citizens, with a 40 per cent discount to reflect the ethos of political service.

The top 1,000 earners include people in senior management positions such as chief executives, chief operating officers and chief financial officers; people working in the financial services such as bankers, traders and asset managers; and professionals such as lawyers, doctors and accountants.

The median top 1,000 Singaporean earner now takes home slightly over $3 million a year, noted Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing. The 40 per cent discount brings the updated MR4 reference annual salary to $1.8 million.

PM Wong said that the Government’s starting point is that good government depends on good leadership, and that institutions are only as effective as the people who lead them.

“Systems and processes matter. But they do not run themselves,” he said. “Especially at the top, the quality of leadership makes a decisive difference.”

Companies understand this very well, which is why boards spend so much time on succession planning, he noted.

PM Wong said he learnt this for himself when he was chief executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA), and the authority was tasked with building the city-state’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. As no one in EMA had the experience to do this, he had to search widely. A candidate was eventually found, PM Wong said, but he had to offer a competitive package – far more than what he was earning as head of EMA – to bring him onboard.

“He proved his worth. He built up the LNG team from scratch, and delivered the LNG terminal safely – on time and within budget,” said PM Wong.

He noted that there are some who say ministers are different, given that the city-state already has a first-rate civil service.

But a strong civil service is no substitute for effective political leadership, said PM Wong. This is as ministers have to set the direction for their ministries, decide the priorities and make the strategic calls. “If those calls are wrong, even the best civil servants will struggle to deliver good outcomes,” he said. “They may execute well – but they will be executing in the wrong direction.”

There are also decisions that civil servants cannot and should not make, he added. These include how the costs of stronger social safety nets are shared among individuals, the community and the Government, as well as how much to tax today and how much to leave for future generations.

“These are not just technical questions. They involve choices about priorities, interests and values,” he said.

Citing the reset of family policies that he announced at the National Day Rally, PM Wong said that civil servants could review each scheme and propose improvements.

But it was political office-holders in the Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup who looked at the parenthood journey as a whole and helped shape the overall package, which included decisions on where support would make the greatest difference and how the costs could be shared.

Hence, a minister needs to have the character and commitment to serve, but also competence – the judgment, ability and leadership to do the job well, said PM Wong.

“This is where remuneration becomes relevant,” he said. “It does not determine who is capable, but it does affect whether enough capable people are prepared to step forward and take on the responsibility.”

While the challenge of assembling the best possible team to lead the country is not one that is unique to the city-state, PM Wong said Singapore has been an exception in putting together strong and stable governments.

“We have sustained these standards for so long that they can start to feel normal to Singaporeans,” he said. “But they are not normal elsewhere – and they are certainly not guaranteed here either.”

This record of good government has been achieved through deliberate choices made over decades about how Singapore’s political system should work, and one of these choices was to deal with political remuneration openly.

“We recognise that highly able people have alternatives outside politics. So, we pay political office-holders salaries that are competitive, but with a substantial discount to reflect political service,” he said.

In return, Singaporeans rightly expect much from their political leaders, including high standards of integrity, competence, and ultimately accountability to voters at the ballot box. That same broad consideration applies to MPs, who carry substantial responsibilities in Parliament and in their constituencies, he added.

PM Wong said good leadership will be even more crucial as Singapore navigates a more uncertain and troubled world. “So, let us make the right decision – to keep the path open for capable and public-spirited Singaporeans to step forward, lead and serve,” he said.

Chan said in his ministerial statement that the Government also agreed to the regular and independent review of the salary framework every five years. Between reviews, and where justified, it may also make pay adjustments within the framework. This will be exercised with responsibility and restraint, he added.

Parliament will debate the Government’s response to the salary review on Sept 10. This will allow MPs some time to consider the two ministerial statements on the matter, said Chan.

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he strongly supported PM Wong’s decision to accept the salary review committee’s recommendations and to adjust political salaries. He called it a strategic move to enable the Republic to continue fielding the strongest possible leadership team.

“The cost to the country of mediocre leadership would be vastly greater than the cost of paying political leaders properly,” Lee wrote on Facebook. “This salary revision will help keep our country in good hands for years to come. I ask all Singaporeans to support it.”

38 Oxley Road site gazetted as Singapore national monument

Lee Kuan Yew’s Oxley Road home earmarked to be Singapore national monument

Singapore Government will keep all options open for 38 Oxley Road, ‘strive for solution that will unite’: David Neo in Ministerial Statement on 6 Nov 2025

By Ng Keng Gene, The Straits Times, 6 Nov 2025

• The Government plans to gazette 38 Oxley Road as a national monument to create a public heritage space.

• If acquired, the site will not be used for private purposes, with options kept open, respecting the Lee family's privacy.

• A detailed study will be conducted after access is gained, with the aim to finalise plans within this government term and with no public access in the interim.

In deciding to gazette the site at 38 Oxley Road as a national monument, the Government’s considerations were for the entire site and not for the buildings and structures within it, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo.

The thinking is to develop the site into a public space like a heritage park that Singaporeans can access if it is eventually preserved and acquired, Mr Neo told the House in a ministerial statement on Nov 6.

“We will keep all options open, and strive for a solution that will unite us as a country, rather than allow this to become a point of contention or division in our society,” he added.

Mr Neo said gazetting the site of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s family home as a national monument “does not obligate the Government to keep the buildings and structures within the site in their current condition”.

Noting that the authorities have not had the chance to enter the site to assess the condition of its buildings, he said: “That is a key reason why we are opting to preserve the site rather than just specific buildings or structures.”

The Government on Nov 3 announced its intention to gazette the roughly 1,100 sq m site as a national monument, citing its historical significance and national importance.

Mr Neo said the Government will conduct a detailed study of the site if access is obtained. “We will take into account factors like their existing condition and weigh the potential benefit of retaining them against the cost.”

All options will be considered for the site, he said, including those proposed by a ministerial committee on 38 Oxley Road in 2018, which include partial or full demolition of the buildings and structures.

Regardless of the option taken, the Government will respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo’s wishes to protect their family’s privacy, “by removing all traces of their private living spaces from the interior of the house”, Mr Neo said.

“Under no circumstance will the interior of the house, as Mr Lee and Madam Kwa knew, be displayed or recorded or remodelled or duplicated elsewhere.”

Mr Neo noted that other countries around the world have retained and converted sites associated with their nation’s independence for public education and appreciation, citing the Gandhi Ashram in India – the home of Mahatma Gandhi, who led the campaign for India’s independence from British colonial rule.

He also brought up the Independence National Historical Park in the US, which includes buildings that have witnessed key historical milestones, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence and its Constitution.

In many instances, said Mr Neo, changes have been made to such historical sites.

These, he said, include modifying or adapting the original buildings with new interpretive structures to better enable the public to experience the site as a park or heritage space.

That is why the Government will keep an open mind in the treatment of buildings and structures within 38 Oxley Road, he said.

Mr Neo told the House that the site was where Singapore’s early leaders formulated their vision, plans and values for the country, making it a “unique and foundational part of the story of Singapore’s independence”.

Should the Government acquire 38 Oxley Road, it will not be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses, he said.

38 Oxley Road is currently owned by an entity called 38 Oxley Road Pte Ltd, whose sole shareholder is Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s younger son, Mr Lee Hsien Yang. Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s son, Mr Li Huanwu, is its director.

“Preserving the site means we will be able to avoid a situation where private parties attempt to purchase 38 Oxley Road in future just to have an address that is associated with Mr Lee’s residence,” said Mr Neo.

“I am sure all of us in this House, and the vast majority of Singaporeans, would want to make sure that situation does not happen.”

There has been a long-running dispute between Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s children over the fate of the Lee family home. The issue resurfaced in October 2024 after the death of Dr Lee Wei Ling, the sister of Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang subsequently submitted an application to the Urban Redevelopment Authority to demolish the property, which has been deferred.

On Nov 6, Mr Neo said the Government has decided to preserve the site “because it is the most responsible approach”.

The time has come to make a decision on the matter, he added.

“We will take the deliberate steps to decide. And we will do so in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans, now and for the future.”

Mr Neo said that if 38 Oxley Road is gazetted as a national monument and subsequently acquired, the Government intends to conclude its plans on the exact use and configuration of the site, including the treatment of the buildings and structures, “well within this term of government”.

In the interim, there will be no public access to the site, he added.

Singapore’s next general election must be called by 2030.

The site’s owner – Mr Lee Hsien Yang – has until Nov 17 to submit objections to the Government’s plan to gazette the site.

The National Heritage Board, which will receive any such objections, will assess them and make a recommendation to Mr Neo for his consideration.

“All objections submitted and recommendations made will be considered objectively and fairly as part of due process,” said Mr Neo.

Thereafter, a preservation order will be made if the Government decides to gazette the site as a national monument.

The Government will then begin the process to acquire the site, as part of the plans to eventually make it accessible to the public, said Mr Neo. The acquisition will be done in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act.

Mr Neo noted that the site’s owner, any occupiers, and any other persons interested will be given the opportunity to submit their claims to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to determine the compensation.

A professional private valuer will also be appointed to assist SLA in determining the market value of the land, taking into consideration any claims submitted, he said.

If the owner is not satisfied with the compensation awarded, he can file an appeal with the Land Acquisition Appeals Board.

“The acquisition will allow the Government to take all necessary steps to safeguard the site and preserve it in keeping with its historical significance and national importance,” said Mr Neo.

Ministerial Statement on Race and Religion in Parliament on 14 Oct 2025

Steer clear of identity politics, uphold integrity of Singapore’s secular system: Shanmugam

Political parties should not use race and religion in election campaigns, he says

By Linette Lai, The Straits Times, 15 Oct 2025

Resist the destructive temptation to use race and religion in election campaigns for easy political wins, and steer clear of identity politics, Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam urged Parliament on Oct 14.

In an hour-long speech that referred to “troubling incidents” during the May general election, he set out the fundamental principles underpinning Singapore’s approach to race and religion, as well as how politicians here should respond to future attempts to provoke such issues.

While people are free to practise their faiths, the Government’s position is that public political debate must be conducted and decided on a secular basis. This approach is central to Singapore’s existence as an independent nation, said Mr Shanmugam, who is also Home Affairs Minister.

In particular, he highlighted the opposition Workers’ Party’s reaction to remarks made during the hustings by self-styled religious teacher Noor Deros and politicians from Malaysia’s Islamist party, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), saying that the WP could have acted more quickly and been less ambiguous about its stance.

Political parties should “immediately, clearly and unequivocally” reject any such attempts to interfere in Singapore’s political process in the future, the minister said.

Mr Shanmugam also pointed to how identity politics has split countries around the world, including the US, cautioning the House that such division is hard to contain and impossible to reverse.

Ultimately, it will lead to political parties courting the majority vote and minorities being marginalised, he said in his ministerial statement.

While Singapore looks stable now, it is no more stable than other countries where communal relations have worsened as a result of these pressures, he added.

The minister’s remarks were the latest in a series of statements on identity politics that have been made since the election, when external parties sought to sway voters through online appeals.

Mr Shanmugam said he was bringing the matter up again to remind Singaporeans of the framework and fundamentals that are crucial to the country’s success.

“It is too serious a matter – existential to Singapore – for us to simply let it slide,” he said. “And so I decided to make this statement at the earliest opportunity after the opening of Parliament.”

Mr Shanmugam later fielded questions from eight MPs on both sides of the aisle, including several from WP chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh.

In an exchange lasting more than half an hour, Mr Singh disagreed that the WP took too long to respond and said it was unfair to characterise his party as not taking the issue seriously.

He said the WP agrees that race and religion should not be mixed with politics, and accepted that the party’s statement could have been clearer.

‘Troubling incidents’ during GE2025

In his speech, Mr Shanmugam referenced remarks made during the election campaign by Mr Noor, as well as politicians from PAS.

Mr Noor had posted online about meeting WP representatives, including its Malay candidates, and said the party was the only one taking his demands seriously.

Both Mr Noor and PAS politicians called on voters to throw their weight behind the WP’s Faisal Manap, who led a five-member team contesting Tampines GRC.

The WP team was up against a PAP team led by then Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.

“That the Malay/Muslim vote in particular was being targeted was obvious,” Mr Shanmugam said.

He noted that the PAS politicians saw an opening and urged Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines.

“Does anyone, whether in here or outside, seriously believe that PAS is supporting the WP’s Malay/Muslim candidates in Singapore because PAS cares for Singaporeans?”

The WP responded to this issue on April 26, the fourth day of the hustings.

Mr Shanmugam said the party should have done so immediately rather than wait several days, and been more definitive about its stance.

Initially, the WP had not clearly rejected foreign influence or the foreign endorsement of its candidates, he noted.

Mr Shanmugam also flagged statements from Singapore Democratic Party candidate Damanhuri Abas, who contested Sembawang GRC as part of a five-member team.

He said Mr Damanhuri had called for Malay voters to vote against the PAP and framed this as an issue of “upholding Malay dignity” – a euphemism, the minister said, for Malay “rights”.

This is a slippery and dangerous path that will invite a strong reaction from other races in future elections, the minister cautioned.

Politicians play a role in setting the right tone for society, Mr Shanmugam said, and should encourage constructive discussion and find solutions to problems faced by different ethnic groups.

He added: “It is possible for politicians to say they subscribe to our multiracial and multi-religious values, but still use veiled rhetoric to work up racial and religious sentiment.”

Singapore’s active role in managing race and religion

Mr Shanmugam recounted how Singapore’s founding leaders took systematic steps to build a multiracial country in the face of “tremendous opposition”, especially from organisations representing the majority Chinese population.

At the time, many newly independent countries officially adopted the language and culture of the majority ethnic group. Had Singapore done so, Mandarin would have been its only official language, the minister said.

Barisan Sosialis, the main opposition party then, had taken an active position on the matter, stoking tensions within the Chinese community.

The PAP’s multiracial approach – which Mr Shanmugam described as “the more difficult, more idealistic course” – was therefore not politically expedient.

“We set out these principles as our ideals, and we swam strongly against the tide, the tide of ethnic identity as the organising principle of society,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam also noted that tensions can escalate quickly. For instance, the 1964 race riots took place just 10 months after Chinese-Malay relations began to spiral downwards following political tensions with Malaysia.

In the present day, culture wars in the United States are fuelled by identity-based political campaigns and the blurring of lines between religion and politics, Mr Shanmugam said.

“Every grievance, every disagreement is framed as an ideological battle. It becomes an all-out war, with no room for compromise,” he said.

If such tactics are used in Singapore, the largest and best-organised groups will get their way and conflict is inevitable, he added.

On Tampines GRC, Mr Shanmugam said if the Malay/Muslim community had responded to appeals based on identity politics, other ethnic groups would have noticed.

“Our sense is that something like that may have started to happen in Tampines,” he noted. “Many Chinese voters in Tampines seem to have observed the communal nature of the appeals to the Malay voters, and they seem to have chosen to take a different direction during this GE.”

He said that today, Singapore has a strong legal framework to protect communal harmony, and the Government actively promotes mixing among the different ethnic groups through various policies and platforms.

“I am not suggesting that racial and religious harmony is perfect in Singapore,” he added.

“But as a system, we have sought to contain and overcome the natural human impulses by overlaying them with a broader sense of national identity.”

At present, the situation in Singapore is broadly stable, in part because the ruling PAP has eschewed identity politics and borne the political cost of fighting against attempts to stir up such sentiments, Mr Shanmugam said.

“It would have been easier to leave all of this unsaid,” he added of his speech. “But this statement has to be made in the country’s interests.”

He also warned that this stability is not to be taken for granted. If future political leaders on all sides see identity politics gain traction here, they will be pressured and tempted to take part themselves, he said.

“You know what will happen then. It is a one-way street to ruin,” he added.

The Government’s position is not that politics is incompatible with race and religion, Mr Shanmugam said.

“All religions provide guidance on important aspects of life. So inevitably, there will be areas where faith and public issues overlap,” he noted.

But even as people are free to practise their faiths and express views on political issues that are motivated by their religious convictions, they must do so in a way that is respectful of other religions, he said.

“All political parties need to be absolutely clear: Religion must not be misused for political purposes. It must never be brought into election campaigns,” Mr Shanmugam said. “Without this shared restraint, destructive competition for power and influence between the different groups can only follow.”

The same logic applies to race, he added.

“We need to think of our Singaporean identity as fundamental, and we each have to give up something to strengthen the shared Singaporean identity,” the minister said.

Mr Shanmugam rounded up his speech with an appeal to MPs on both sides of the aisle.

“We may debate and disagree on many things, but I hope that we can all commit to handle issues of race and religion in a responsible and sensible manner, and to uphold the integrity of Singapore’s secular politics,” he said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong made social media posts on the topic later on Oct 14, in which they reiterated Mr Shanmugam’s points on the dangers of identity politics.

“I’m glad there was a shared understanding in Parliament today that we must handle issues of race and religion with care, responsibility, and respect,” PM Wong said.

Said SM Lee: “We must never mix race and religion with politics. That is the way to prosper as one nation for generations to come.”

PM Lawrence Wong unveils new Cabinet after GE2025, says it’s the ‘strongest team’ for Singapore

DPM Gan remains No. 2; three veterans to take on coordinating minister roles
9 new office-holders, including David Neo and Jeffrey Siow as acting ministers
All ministries to see at least one change in personnel; six to be led by new ministers

By Goh Yan Han, The Straits Times, 22 May 2025

A core team of four senior leaders and the appointment of two new and younger ministers are part of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s new Cabinet “to take Singapore forward in these uncertain and turbulent times”, he said.

On May 21, PM Wong announced his Cabinet for the new term of government, about two weeks after he received a strong mandate from Singaporeans at the polls.

“With your strong support, I have done my utmost to assemble the strongest team I could for Singapore,” he said at a press conference at the National Press Centre.

Three existing ministers, Mr K. Shanmugam, Mr Chan Chun Sing and Mr Ong Ye Kung, will be taking on coordinating minister roles, while Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will remain as PM Wong’s No. 2 – making up the team of four senior leaders.

Two new MPs and former public servants, Mr David Neo and Mr Jeffrey Siow, have been appointed as acting ministers.

This is PM Wong’s first Cabinet reshuffle after a general election. He had led his PAP team to win 65.57 per cent of the nationwide vote share at the polls on May 3. PM Wong had made few changes in his first reshuffle in May 2024 after taking on the role of head of government.

The latest changes largely involve the younger and newer office-holders and the social and security portfolios, while the economic portfolios were mostly kept unchanged. All ministries saw at least one change in personnel.

Overall, four existing office-holders will be promoted: Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim, Mr Murali Pillai, Ms Sun Xueling and Mr Baey Yam Keng.

Nine new office-holders will be appointed: Mr Neo, Mr Siow, Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Ms Jasmin Lau, Mr Goh Pei Ming, Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Ms Goh Hanyan and Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi.

Six office-holders retired from Cabinet and politics: Mr Heng Swee Keat, Mr Teo Chee Hean, Dr Ng Eng Hen, Dr Maliki Osman, Mr Heng Chee How and Dr Amy Khor.

PM Wong said that most of the ministers who lead Singapore’s economic agenda will be kept in their current roles during this critical period.

“We are operating in a changed world with rising trade barriers, sharper competition and greater uncertainty, and we need experienced hands at the helm,” he said. He will continue to helm the Finance Ministry.

The new Cabinet changes will be effective from May 23, when most of the new political office-holders will be sworn in.

There will be only one deputy prime minister in this Cabinet. This departs from tradition, as PM Wong’s predecessors each had two after their first elections as prime minister.

Asked about this, PM Wong said: “For now, I have a solid team behind me. Gan Kim Yong is my deputy prime minister, and I’ve appointed three coordinating ministers. So that’s four senior leaders in my Cabinet.

“They are part of the core team to assist me, to advise me, and also to provide guidance and mentorship to the new and younger ministers.”

DPM Gan will be Acting Prime Minister in his absence, PM Wong added. If both men are not around, one of the coordinating ministers will take that role.

“I think that’s a good configuration for now, and of course, along the way, I may make further adjustments where needed,” said PM Wong.

His Cabinet’s first priority will be to secure Singapore’s position in the new global environment and to advance the nation’s interests overseas.

It will also steer Singapore through economic uncertainties and changes, he said.

“It’s with this in mind that... I’ve kept most of the experienced ministers in the core areas like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the economic ministries, but where there are gaps, then obviously I will have to field and move ministers around,” he said.

Key changes to the Cabinet

The three coordinating ministers will look after three areas – national security, public services and social policies.

Mr Shanmugam will take on the national security portfolio that was previously helmed by Senior Minister Teo.

Mr Shanmugam will also remain Minister for Home Affairs but relinquish his role as Minister for Law to Mr Edwin Tong, who is currently Second Minister for Law.

Mr Chan will look after public services, a new portfolio created in this reshuffle that will look at bringing together public services in a more accessible and integrated manner. This includes coordinating a wide range of different amenities and facilities in the new housing estates.

Mr Chan will also take on the role of Minister for Defence, filling the gap left by the retired Dr Ng. He will relinquish his education portfolio.

Mr Ong will be the one to coordinate and oversee efforts in reviewing and updating social policies.

The role was last held by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was then senior minister.

Mr Ong will continue as Minister for Health, as per his request to oversee the major initiatives started in the last term such as Healthier SG and Age Well SG, said PM Wong.

Among the economic portfolios, DPM Gan will continue as Minister for Trade and Industry, supported by Ms Grace Fu, who will continue as Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations on top of her sustainability and environment portfolio.

Dr Tan See Leng, who is currently Second Minister at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, will be appointed to a new role – Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology. He will remain as Minister for Manpower.

PM Wong said science and technology is a key driver of growth while energy, especially clean energy, will be an important part of this government’s agenda.

Mrs Josephine Teo will continue as Minister for Digital Development and Information and as Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation initiative.

Newly elected Jalan Kayu MP Ng Chee Meng, who was previously a minister before he lost in the 2020 General Election, had requested not to be offered a position in government to focus on his work as secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and in Jalan Kayu.

Hawker culture debate: The missing ingredient is our willingness to pay

Nostalgia over hawker culture may have trapped us into an outdated view that hawker fare must always be very cheap.

By Chua Mui Hoong, Senior Columnist, The Straits Times, 23 Nov 2024

Perhaps it is no coincidence that while we wring our hands about how to make hawker culture sustainable in Singapore, hawker fare is thriving in Perth.

This crossed my mind while I was having kopi-o gau and kaya toast one morning in Perth, where I now live, and the thought developed over the next day, when I had nasi lemak and kopi peng.

For those who don’t know, Perth is home to a multitude of Singaporean and Malaysian restaurants and cafes whose selling point is hawker food.

My nasi lemak here cost A$14.50 (S$12.70) and came with a small mix of fried peanuts and anchovies, one hard-boiled egg and a whole deep-fried chicken thigh. Kopi peng was A$5. My kaya toast and kopi-o set was A$12.50.

I have gone beyond feeling shock at the higher prices for hawker food in Perth. This is Australia, after all, where the minimum wage is A$24.10 an hour. Restaurants close in the afternoon before reopening for dinner, as it isn’t worth paying wages to remain open for the odd customer who comes in mid-afternoon. Eating out is expensive, so most people cook and eat at home.

In Singapore, cooked food prices remain very affordable, especially in hawker centres and coffee shops. A similar kaya toast set with a beverage, plus two soft-boiled eggs, would cost me around $3 in a hawker centre or coffee shop in Singapore. NTUC Foodfare even sells this signature breakfast set for $2.20, with union members getting a special price of $1.80 for a beverage, one slice of kaya toast and two soft-boiled eggs.

How little is too little for a kaya toast set?

Local food chain Toast Box charged $7.40 for its kaya toast set, drawing flak online. A reader posted a photo that showed the same set had cost $5.70 in 2020. A subsequent online poll found that 88 per cent of 7,425 respondents thought a kaya toast set should not cost above $5.

It got me wondering why hawker culture is facing an existential threat in Singapore, but Malaysian and Singaporean eateries, offering similar fare, do a roaring trade in Perth. Could the prices of hawker fare hold the key?

The issue cropped up in Parliament last week, when the Progress Singapore Party’s leaders moved a motion calling for a review of hawker policies. The motion was reworded by People’s Action Party MPs to call for a regular review of hawker policies that can “sustain and grow Singapore’s hawker culture so that Singaporeans can continue to enjoy good and affordable hawker food while enabling hawkers to earn a fair livelihood” (italics mine). The amended motion was passed by all MPs, showing cross-party support for hawker culture.

Hawker culture unifies Singaporeans. Hawker centres bring together diners of different races, ages, and social strata to enjoy food derived from our multiracial heritage. A millionaire towkay may sweat through his bowl of mee rebus, seated at the same table as the single mum sharing wonton mee with her child.

Hawker culture also comes with a certain heritage. The early hawker centres built in the 1970s housed former street hawkers and rented out food stalls at low rates to a generation of less-educated, low-income Singaporeans who sold cooked food or drinks to make a living. A hawker stall provided a humble, yet secure, means of livelihood. My parents, who emigrated from China to Singapore in the 1950s, belonged to that group. Their stall in an ulu (remote) part of Singapore in Pasir Panjang, near an oil refinery, enabled them to sell char kway teow and other dishes, and to put three children to school.

Many Singaporeans, like me, are deeply proud of the working-class roots of hawker culture. We want hawker centres to continue being mass dining halls for all. We don’t want them gentrified or made hipster.

Most Singaporeans will have their favourite hawker stall or coffee shop where they enjoy their morning teh or kopi, where they go for their fix of mee siam, chicken rice or nonya kueh. As an emigrant who now lives overseas, I plan my visits back to Singapore around the hawker food I miss – my favourite bak chor mee in the Veerasamy area, the prawn noodle and chicken rice at Shunfu Mart near my old home, and a recent discovery – the Teochew soon kueh at the social enterprise Yoon’s Social Kitchen in Aljunied. When I meet a new Singaporean kaki in Perth, it is nearly always to catch up over hawker fare in a Singaporean or Malaysian eatery.

Singapore hawker culture has become a strong unifier for its people. We should do our best to promote it, and sustain it.

Restoration of East-West MRT Line services a combined effort by foreign workers, contractors and volunteers

East-West Line disruption from 25 to 30 Sep 2024

By Esther Loi, The Straits Times, 6 Oct 2024

It was a race against time for Indian national Dhandapani Vignesh and his rail welding crew to finish joining new rail segments in about three days to fix a section of damaged tracks between Jurong and Clementi stations.

Originally contracted to work on depot renewal projects under the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the 36-year-old construction manager, together with 20 other foreign workers from his team, were alerted at 7pm on Sept 26 that they were being roped in to repair the damaged tracks.

The day before, a train had caused extensive track and trackside damage along a stretch of the East-West Line (EWL), halting rail services between Jurong East and Buona Vista.

The team immediately got down to work, putting in nine- to 10-hour shifts from Sept 27 to 30 to finish welding – or connecting – the new rail segments to existing ones along the westbound track so that trains could run smoothly again. The new rails replaced the ones damaged by the faulty train.

The disruption, which lasted six days till Sept 30 and affected about 2.6 million passengers, was one of the most severe rail disruptions in the 37-year history of Singapore’s MRT system. Train services resumed on Oct 1.

Despite the pressure of the task at hand, Mr Vignesh mused that he literally “did not feel the heat much” as rail welding, which involves heating rail segments placed between ceramic moulds to join them, was done in the shade in tents.

The main challenge, he added, was having only a limited working timeframe – from around 2.30pm to midnight daily. Welding was not possible at other times of the day since the rails would expand in the daytime heat and eat into the 30mm gaps required to insert welding materials.

Mr Vignesh and his team were also heartened by the steady stream of cold drinking water almost every hour and fast-food meals provided by LTA, rail operator SMRT and even members of the public.

They were among the more than 800 workers responsible for getting the EWL train services up and running again.