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http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/singapores-radical-cabinet-reshuffle/441829
Singapore's Radical Cabinet Reshuffle
Lydia Lim – Straits Times Indonesia | May 19, 2011
Singapore. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday sent the strongest signal yet that he intends to transform the way Singapore is governed with a major cabinet shake-up.
The sweeping changes, which he described as “radical' and “epochal,” will put new ministers at the helm of 11 of the 14 ministries and see Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam promoted to Deputy Prime Minister.
Nine veterans in government when the May 7 polls were called will no longer hold office.
They include three ministers whose retirement was announced on Wednesday — Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Transport Minister Raymond Lim.
The trimmer, more youthful leadership team to be sworn in on Saturday includes seven new office-holders.
They are new Members of Parliament Heng Swee Keat, Chan Chun Sing, Tan Chuan-Jin, Lawrence Wong and Sim Ann, as well as backbenchers Halimah Yacob and Josephine Teo.
Lee has also taken the unusual step of appointing political newcomers to the top spot in two ministries.
Heng, 50, the former central bank chief, will be the new Education Minister, while Major-General (NS) Chan, 41, the former Chief of Army, becomes Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
The new cabinet will be 15-strong, trimmed from 21 previously, and the average age of ministers will fall to 53 from 59.
“It's a fresh slate after a watershed election,” said Mr Lee on Wednesday, flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Tharman at a 40-minute Istana press conference.
The faster pace of appointment of newly elected MPs “reflects the urgency of leadership succession,” he added. He has set himself a 2020 deadline to hand over to the fourth generation leadership.
He said all ministers would have a free hand to rethink and reshape policies, and the Cabinet would review policies and approaches and come up with new ones.
His team would work hard “to engage a new generation of Singaporeans in order to take Singapore forward in a more complex environment, more complex externally and I think more complex within Singapore too.”
The Education Ministry is one of five ministries which will have almost entirely new teams in charge.
The National Development Ministry's new chief will be Khaw Boon Wan, whom Lee praised for volunteering for the hot seat.
Khaw, who moves from Health, will have two Ministers of State — Lee Yi Shyan and newcomer Tan.
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports will see complete change at the top, with both a new Acting Minister in MG Chan, and Minister of State Halimah, an outspoken labour MP.
At Foreign Affairs, K. Shanmugam succeeds George Yeo, who was defeated at the polls. Shanmugam will remain Law Minister. At Transport, Lui Tuck Yew replaces Lim.
With his promotion to Deputy Prime Minister, Tharman, 54, takes over from Wong Kan Seng, 64.
Tharman, who entered politics just 10 years ago, will retain his Finance portfolio and take on a new one — Manpower. He will also coordinate economic and social policy.
Teo will remain Deputy Prime Minister and take on Wong's role as Coordinating Minister for National Security. He will continue to be Acting Prime Minister in PM Lee's absence.
Teo will take over the Home Affairs portfolio and hand over Defense to Dr Ng Eng Hen, currently Education Minister and Second Minister for Defense.
Seven of the nine departing ministers have held office for 23 to 52 years.
PM Lee said he had accepted the decision of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to step down from the Cabinet, as announced last Saturday.
He has appointed MM Lee senior adviser to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), while Goh will be senior adviser to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) with the honorary title Emeritus Senior Minister.
PM Lee will take over from MM Lee as GIC chairman and Tharman will succeed SM Goh as MAS chairman.
The three ministers retiring from cabinet — DPM Wong, Mah and Lim — were linked to missteps in security, housing and transport which riled voters and for which PM Lee apologized midway through the recent election campaign.
However, the PM revealed that all three had asked to retire before the election but he had asked them to stay and help fight the campaign.
The remaining four who will leave government are Senior Minister S. Jayakumar and Minister Lim Boon Heng, who announced their retirement before the election, and Foreign Affairs Minister Yeo and Minister Lim Hwee Hua, who were defeated at the polls.
On Wednesday, PM Lee said the outcome of the election — which saw the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) receive its lowest share of the vote since Independence — had shaped his thinking on the cabinet.
“I wanted a fresh start and that's why I'm calling for radical change,” he said.
But there would be significant continuity as key cabinet members such as Teo, Tharman and other ministers, would remain in office, he added.
Most Singaporeans interviewed on Wednesday welcomed the bold changes at the top, saying they indicated a serious intent to reform the government.
Several drew a link to the PAP's relatively poor showing at the recent polls, when its vote share slid from 66.6 percent in 2006 to 60.1 percent. It also lost Aljunied GRC.
Anup Kumar, 32, a senior events executive, said many had wanted Wong and Mah out of government and “the changes show the PAP is listening to the people.”
Thomas Tan, 34, who works in accounting, said: “These changes show that they are serious about leadership renewal and about having a fresh start.”
Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055
Singapore's Radical Cabinet Reshuffle
Lydia Lim – Straits Times Indonesia | May 19, 2011
Singapore. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday sent the strongest signal yet that he intends to transform the way Singapore is governed with a major cabinet shake-up.
The sweeping changes, which he described as “radical' and “epochal,” will put new ministers at the helm of 11 of the 14 ministries and see Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam promoted to Deputy Prime Minister.
Nine veterans in government when the May 7 polls were called will no longer hold office.
They include three ministers whose retirement was announced on Wednesday — Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Transport Minister Raymond Lim.
The trimmer, more youthful leadership team to be sworn in on Saturday includes seven new office-holders.
They are new Members of Parliament Heng Swee Keat, Chan Chun Sing, Tan Chuan-Jin, Lawrence Wong and Sim Ann, as well as backbenchers Halimah Yacob and Josephine Teo.
Lee has also taken the unusual step of appointing political newcomers to the top spot in two ministries.
Heng, 50, the former central bank chief, will be the new Education Minister, while Major-General (NS) Chan, 41, the former Chief of Army, becomes Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
The new cabinet will be 15-strong, trimmed from 21 previously, and the average age of ministers will fall to 53 from 59.
“It's a fresh slate after a watershed election,” said Mr Lee on Wednesday, flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Tharman at a 40-minute Istana press conference.
The faster pace of appointment of newly elected MPs “reflects the urgency of leadership succession,” he added. He has set himself a 2020 deadline to hand over to the fourth generation leadership.
He said all ministers would have a free hand to rethink and reshape policies, and the Cabinet would review policies and approaches and come up with new ones.
His team would work hard “to engage a new generation of Singaporeans in order to take Singapore forward in a more complex environment, more complex externally and I think more complex within Singapore too.”
The Education Ministry is one of five ministries which will have almost entirely new teams in charge.
The National Development Ministry's new chief will be Khaw Boon Wan, whom Lee praised for volunteering for the hot seat.
Khaw, who moves from Health, will have two Ministers of State — Lee Yi Shyan and newcomer Tan.
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports will see complete change at the top, with both a new Acting Minister in MG Chan, and Minister of State Halimah, an outspoken labour MP.
At Foreign Affairs, K. Shanmugam succeeds George Yeo, who was defeated at the polls. Shanmugam will remain Law Minister. At Transport, Lui Tuck Yew replaces Lim.
With his promotion to Deputy Prime Minister, Tharman, 54, takes over from Wong Kan Seng, 64.
Tharman, who entered politics just 10 years ago, will retain his Finance portfolio and take on a new one — Manpower. He will also coordinate economic and social policy.
Teo will remain Deputy Prime Minister and take on Wong's role as Coordinating Minister for National Security. He will continue to be Acting Prime Minister in PM Lee's absence.
Teo will take over the Home Affairs portfolio and hand over Defense to Dr Ng Eng Hen, currently Education Minister and Second Minister for Defense.
Seven of the nine departing ministers have held office for 23 to 52 years.
PM Lee said he had accepted the decision of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to step down from the Cabinet, as announced last Saturday.
He has appointed MM Lee senior adviser to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), while Goh will be senior adviser to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) with the honorary title Emeritus Senior Minister.
PM Lee will take over from MM Lee as GIC chairman and Tharman will succeed SM Goh as MAS chairman.
The three ministers retiring from cabinet — DPM Wong, Mah and Lim — were linked to missteps in security, housing and transport which riled voters and for which PM Lee apologized midway through the recent election campaign.
However, the PM revealed that all three had asked to retire before the election but he had asked them to stay and help fight the campaign.
The remaining four who will leave government are Senior Minister S. Jayakumar and Minister Lim Boon Heng, who announced their retirement before the election, and Foreign Affairs Minister Yeo and Minister Lim Hwee Hua, who were defeated at the polls.
On Wednesday, PM Lee said the outcome of the election — which saw the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) receive its lowest share of the vote since Independence — had shaped his thinking on the cabinet.
“I wanted a fresh start and that's why I'm calling for radical change,” he said.
But there would be significant continuity as key cabinet members such as Teo, Tharman and other ministers, would remain in office, he added.
Most Singaporeans interviewed on Wednesday welcomed the bold changes at the top, saying they indicated a serious intent to reform the government.
Several drew a link to the PAP's relatively poor showing at the recent polls, when its vote share slid from 66.6 percent in 2006 to 60.1 percent. It also lost Aljunied GRC.
Anup Kumar, 32, a senior events executive, said many had wanted Wong and Mah out of government and “the changes show the PAP is listening to the people.”
Thomas Tan, 34, who works in accounting, said: “These changes show that they are serious about leadership renewal and about having a fresh start.”
Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055
