Chitchat Lt. General Appointed As Maj General's Deputy! Bro Chee Meng Joins NTUC!

[JohnTan]

SINGAPORE – Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng was unveiled on Monday (April 23) as the man to succeed incumbent labour chief Chan Chun Sing, paving the way for Mr Chan to move on to other portfolios in the imminent Cabinet reshuffle as widely expected.

Mr Ng will serve in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) on a part-time basis for now, and full-time from May 1.

In a press release, NTUC announced that Mr Ng and Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry and National Development) Koh Poh Koon were co-opted into its central committee as deputy secretaries-general with immediate effect.

Mr Ng and Dr Koh were introduced on Monday evening to about 150 key union leaders at a dialogue session held at NTUC Centre by NTUC President Mary Liew and Mr Chan.

Mr Ng is expected to be elected as the new secretary-general by the central committee later.

The additions to NTUC's leadership came after NTUC president Mary Liew wrote to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on April 16 to request "for suitable office holders to serve" the unions with the aim of strengthening the labour movement's leadership.

In her letter, a copy of which was made available to the media, Mrs Liew noted that at the People's Action Party's convention last November, Mr Lee had indicated to NTUC that it "should plan for leadership renewal".

Mrs Liew said the NTUC central committee has "deliberated on the leadership team requirements for the next lap of our development".

"To take the Labour Movement forward, we desire people who have the interests of working people at heart and who can understand the priorities of the Labour Movement in the face of evolving challenges," she said.

"To this end, should PM require Brother Chan Chun Sing to return to Government in due course, may we request PM to let Brother Ng Chee Meng serve in the Labour Movement.

"We believe Brother Ng Chee Meng has the desired attributes to lead and connect with the Labour Movement for the next lap."

In his reply, Mr Lee agreed to release Mr Ng to serve in the labour movement. He added that he intends to ask Mr Chan to "return to the Government", and he supports the NTUC central committee's choice of replacement in Mr Ng.

Dr Koh will join NTUC on a part-time basis, while concurrently retaining his appointments at the ministries, said Mr Lee. He will be "an additional interface between the labour movement and the Government agencies", Mr Lee added.

Said Mr Lee: "I fully agree with you that the symbiotic relationship between the NTUC and the PAP has served us well since Singapore's founding, and that we should continue to strengthen both the leadership of the Labour Movement and this relationship."

He also concurred with Mrs Liew that strengthening the training and skills of workers and expanding NTUC's outreach are key priorities in the country's next phase of development.

With the additions of Mr Ng and Dr Koh, NTUC currently has three deputy secretaries-general. The third is Mr Heng Chee How, who is also a Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office. Mr Lee said he was confident that Mr Ng, Mr Heng and Dr Koh "will as a team contribute to NTUC's efforts in all these areas".

https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...-chee-meng-joins-ntuc-set-be-new-labour-chief

 

[JohnTan]

SINGAPORE — Appointed as labour chief in May 2015, the tenure of Mr Chan Chun Sing — who has been touted as among the frontrunners to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong — will be among the shortest in almost five decades.

Mr Chan's appointment three years ago had raised eyebrows among political watchers who noted that the labour movement is not seen as a traditional post for political high-fliers.

The observers had added that the move showed the Government's emphasis on labour issues, with economic restructuring regarded as one of its most important challenges at that time.

Mr Chan's last five predecessors — Mr Devan Nair, Mr Lim Chee Onn, Mr Ong Teng Cheong, Mr Lim Boon Heng and Mr Lim Swee Say — occupied the post for an average of almost nine years each, between 1970 and 2015. Their length of service ranged between four and 13 years.

Mr Lim Boon Heng, now 70, was the longest-serving labour chief to date. He spent 26 years in the labour movement, with the last 13 as its secretary-general. Following his retirement from National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in 2006, he continued to oversee the movement's network of nine cooperatives.

Mr Lim Swee Say also had a relatively long runway in the NTUC prior to his appointment as secretary-general in 2007, including serving twice as its deputy secretary-general, from 1997 to 1999, as well as from 2005 to 2007.

Mr Chan, 48, who is also a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, is the NTUC's 10th secretary-general since the labour movement was established in 1961. Mr Nair was appointed labour chief twice — once in the first five years of the fledgling movement, and again from 1970 to 1979.

Mr Chan had stepped down as Minister for Social and Family Development in April 2015, before taking over the helm of the NTUC from Mr Lim Swee Say, who became Manpower Minister.

Prospective labour chiefs are typically co-opted into the NTUC's central committee before they can run for union elections.

Mr Chan, for instance, was appointed NTUC deputy secretary-general in end-January 2015, about three months before he took over as labour chief.

NTUC committee members, including the president and secretary-general, must step down when they reach the statutory retirement age of 62 to make way for younger successors.

Mr Chan's likely successor, Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng, was one of two new members co-opted on Monday (April 23) into the central committee as deputy secretary-generals.

Mr Ng, 49, is expected to be elected as NTUC's new chief by the central committee later. The former Chief of Defence Force, who held the rank of Lieutenant-General, entered politics after being elected in the General Election (GE) in September 2015.

He was appointed Acting Education Minister (Schools) a month later, before he was made a full minister the following year. Mr Ng is concurrently the Second Minister for Transport.

Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry, and National Development) Koh Poh Koon, 46, is the other new member co-opted into the labour movement.

Trained as a colorectal surgeon, Dr Koh was elected into Parliament after the 2015 GE, and assumed office in the two ministries in January 2016.

Currently, Mr Heng Chee How is the NTUC deputy secretary-general. He is also a Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.

The additions to the NTUC leadership were announced ahead of an imminent major Cabinet reshuffle, which will involve almost all ministries.

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ntuc-leadership-renewal-second-labour-chief-three-years

 

[myfoot123]

Everytime I look at Koh Poh Koon, it kept reminding Singaporeans that he is a sore loser in SMC and has to be parachuted into LHL's GRC to look as if he has won victory alone.

 

[Patriot]

Everytime I look at Koh Poh Koon, it kept reminding Singaporeans that he is a sore loser in SMC and has to be parachuted into LHL's GRC to look as if he has won victory alone.