'Minister Fix-It' Khaw Boon Wan takes transport hot seat

Singapore

KHAW Boon Wan was widely tipped to become the new Transport Minister. So it wasn't a surprise that he was picked to play that role in the big Cabinet reshuffle announced on Monday.

But nobody foresaw that Mr Khaw would also be appointed Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure which requires him, in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's words, "to tie together the different aspects of urban planning and infrastructure provision - housing, commercial and industrial development, road and rail networks, IT infrastructure".

Transport has acquired the reputation of being "the hottest ministerial seat". Overcrowding in public transport and MRT breakdowns have been a bugbear among the public in recent years - and many blamed the transport minister for the woes.

Raymond Lim, who was Transport Minister from 2006 to 2011, was no longer in the Cabinet after the 2011 general election. Lui Tuck Yew, who succeeded Mr Lim in the portfolio, retired from politics before the latest general election.

The transport minister's job alone is tough enough, without the additional role of coordinating minister. But then, Mr Khaw did earn the nickname "Minister Fix-It" after licking the public housing shortage as National Development Minister.

While he had volunteered to take on the challenging Ministry of National Development portfolio after the 2011 general election, Mr Khaw said he didn't this time for the transport post. But when Mr Lee asked him, he willingly agreed. The newly-appointed transport minister's vision for Singapore is that of a "car-lite" society.

"As Transport Minister, my major objective is to further raise the quality of life for Singaporeans - make it easier for them to move about on feet, bicycle, bus, train and driver-less cars. One critical piece is an extensive and reliable rail infrastructure. We have launched huge numbers of rail lines - some 60 billion dollars' worth - so when fully implemented, it'll be a big plus for Singaporeans," Mr Khaw said.

Singapore is not quite there yet in terms of reliability, according to him. "Let's be realistic about such a complex system - it's not rocket science but also not straightforward. There will be fires big and small, but I hope for Singaporeans' patience and we will do our best."

In a posting later on his blog, Mr Khaw said that he believes Singaporeans can be persuaded to depend less on cars and more on public transport; train lines here can be made more reliable; and that "Team Singapore" is capable of tackling any problem, "daunting as it may seem".

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