No change to timeline for CFE: Iswaran

Singapore

THERE will be no change to the timeline for the work of the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE), says Minister of Trade and Industry S Iswaran, who was appointed co-chairman of the CFE on Monday, in light of Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat's illness.

"We will take stock, but as of right now we do not envisage a change in the timeline. We will assess that requirement after we have done another round of consultations."

Mr Iswaran noted that the CFE's work is going smoothly. "It has been a steady progress, and the five subcommittees have already been doing quite a bit of work, consulting industry partners and having their own deliberations."

The minister was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Tuesday. He also said his focus for the CFE is to canvass diverse perspectives in working out what Singapore's key strategies are going to be to sustain its market competitiveness into the future.

Mr Iswaran's appointment as CFE co-chairman came about because of Mr Heng's sudden illness. Before his hospitalisation, the finance minister helmed the CFE, with Mr Iswaran as his deputy.

Mr Heng collapsed from a stroke during a Cabinet meeting last Thursday. The stroke was found to have been caused by an aneurysm, which was successfully closed following surgery. Mr Heng is in stable condition but remains under intensive care at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Mr Iswaran added: "The priority now is to continue the work of the CFE and to complete the process in order to yield important ideas and recommendations for the government to consider."