Half of Singapore's ministries to see leadership changes in Cabinet reshuffle effective May 15

Singapore

ABOUT half of Singapore's 15 ministries, including key ones like finance and trade, will be helmed by a new leader come May 15 in a major Cabinet reshuffle just nine months after the general election.

Key ministries such as finance, trade and industry, manpower and health are among the seven that will see shake-ups in what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called "a more extensive reshuffle than is usual this early in the term of government".

This comes two weeks after Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced he is taking himself out of the running as Singapore's next premier while also relinquishing his finance portfolio.

Speaking during a virtual press conference on Friday, Mr Lee said: "Once you move the Minister for Finance, you're moving a major piece on the chessboard and you have to make many consequential redeployments."

Taking over from Mr Heng as Minister for Finance is Lawrence Wong, the current Second Minister for Finance. He will relinquish his role as Education Minister.

Mr Wong remains co-chair of Singapore's Covid-19 multi-ministry task force (MTF), but his co-chair Health Minister Gan Kim Yong will move to helm the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

Mr Gan is replacing Chan Chun Sing, who will be the new Minister for Education.

"I hope the investors will see that we have changed from one MTI minister who has been competently discharging his responsibilities to another MTI minister who has ample experience and whom we have every reason to expect will discharge his responsibilities equally well," said Mr Lee.

Helming the Ministry of Health (MOH) is Ong Ye Kung, who will relinquish his transport portfolio. Mr Ong will also replace Mr Gan to co-chair the Covid-19 task force.

"Lawrence was co-chair not on the basis of his previous appointments, but on the basis personal to him. And so Lawrence continues to co-chair. But Gan Kim Yong, having come out from MOH, I think it's best that the MOH minister sits there together with Lawrence Wong on the MTF," said Mr Lee.

S Iswaran, currently the Minister for Minister for Communications and Information, will be the new Minister for Transport.

Replacing Mr Iswaran is Josephine Teo, who will relinquish her role as Minister for Manpower. Mrs Teo will also be the Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, taking over from Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Mr Iswaran respectively.

Tan See Leng, the current Second Minister for Manpower, will take over from Mrs Teo to lead the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

A new deputy prime minister was not announced as part of the reshuffle.

Explaining these changes, Mr Lee said he had wanted to adjust the appointments in MTI, MOH and MOM after the July elections, but held off until now.

"We were still in the thick of Covid-19, and so I decided that we needed to let the ministers concentrate on fighting Covid-19 at that point. Now that the Covid-19 situation is more stable, although by no means over, I am able now to make the changes," said Mr Lee.

He added that the appointments made immediately after the general election were an "interim set of changes".

"Some of the interim changes led up to here, and therefore the ministers who were appointed remain - for example, MND (Ministry of National Development). But unfortunately, some of the other interim changes had to make adjustments to the situation then and have to be refitted to the new longer-term configuration now," the prime minister said.

This is why Mr Wong and Mr Ong - who have both been in their appointments for less than year - have had to be moved, he said.

"Unfortunately, it can't be helped. I think it's a bit disruptive for the ministries. They have made contributions, they are getting into their stride, and now I have to disrupt them. But I hope that after this adjustment, the new ministers in those two posts will be able to settle down for some time," Mr Lee said.

While most of the fourth-generation ministers have already accumulated experience in a wide range of portfolios, this round of Cabinet changes will allow them to gain new experience and exposure, he said.

"The reshuffle is also an opportunity for them to work together in new capacities, so that they can understand each other better, and strengthen their cohesion as a team," he added.

"This will make the new team readier to take over from me and my older colleagues."

Felix Tan, a political analyst based at the Nanyang Technological University, said the reshuffle has recalibrated the public's expectations of who will become the next prime minister.

"With these changes, it has created a level playing field for all the potential candidates for PM. They will have to show what they are capable of achieving in the coming months or years," said Dr Tan.