Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small & Medium Enterprises, said tripartism would not be weakened "in any way" with Mr Ng losing his Cabinet position. "When government, businesses and labour are working together, they don't see it from a political or politically coloured perspective."
Mr Wee said it is a good thing that Mr Ng now has no political role: "It sets a new precedence. It's always good to have that level of independence; it's not a bad thing at all."