(From right) PM Lawrence Wong, DPM Gan Kim Yong and Chan Chun Sing at a press conference on May 21. - LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s choice to have only one deputy prime minister and three coordinating ministers in the latest Cabinet changes creates a broader senior leadership team, said political observers.
They added that it leaves open the possibility for one of the fourth-generation ministers to be appointed as deputy prime minister in a future reshuffle, with Chan Chun Sing and Ong Ye Kung the front runners, having been appointed coordinating ministers in this round.
PM Wong announced his new post-election Cabinet on May 21, with a mix of experienced hands at the helm for key economic and external-facing portfolios amid the global uncertainty, as well as the injection of new blood to ensure renewal.
Among the more significant changes was the appointment of Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam as Coordinating Minister for National Security, as well as Chan as Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Ong as Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, who will boost what PM Wong described as his “core team”, which also includes Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.
While it was widely expected that he would appoint a second deputy prime minister as has been the case for many of the previous terms of government, PM Wong did not do so.
Professor Terence Ho, an adjunct associate professor in practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said this can be seen as “an innovation to create a broader senior leadership team”.
Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Social Lab research fellow Teo Kay Key, describing it as a “break from typical expectations”, said that with policies being more multifaceted now, having coordinating ministers can help to prevent overlaps or contradictions.
“In this sense, they might be more helpful to the overall operation of the Government compared to one more DPM, who would be playing more of a role to assist the PM in determining the overall direction of the country or overarching national policies,” she said.
Meanwhile, IPS senior research fellow Gillian Koh said the coordinating minister appointments will help to nurture the younger leaders and provide them the “pressure” to think holistically.
Sharing her sentiment was independent political observer Felix Tan, who saw it as a test for Chan and Ong, who are covering critical areas.
Chan is also taking on another new role as Defence Minister and relinquishing his Education Ministry portfolio, while Ong will retain his Health Ministry portfolio.
PM Wong does not appear to be in a hurry to appoint a peer as his deputy, said Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan.
“The two 4G coordinating ministers may well be the front runners to be made DPM perhaps in a mid-term reshuffle,” he said.
Balancing renewal and continuity
Analysts also said PM Wong’s Cabinet choices signal his priorities in both continuity and renewal, with the ruling PAP’s 4G leadership now clearly in the driver’s seat.
Noting that only a handful of the 3G leaders remained to lend their experience and expertise, Prof Ho said the retirement of several party stalwarts in the recent election signals confidence that the team of younger leaders “is ready to steer the country forward”.
Where PM Wong has opted for continuity are in key portfolios such as foreign affairs, trade and industry and manpower, and this is in recognition of the need for stability as Singapore grapples with an uncertain geopolitical environment, he pointed out.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan will continue as Minister of Foreign Affairs, DPM Gan as Minister for Trade and Industry, and Dr Tan See Leng as Manpower Minister.
Nydia Ngiow, managing director at policy advisory firm BowerGroupAsia’s Singapore office, noted that outside of Chan’s appointment as defence minister, the 3G leaders still hold the “more heavyweight” portfolios of home affairs and foreign affairs.
Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan have both held these portfolios since 2015.
She added that the Cabinet line-up was a “very safe” one that businesses would be happy with, since most of their key stakeholders will remain the same.
This was reflected in a statement from the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry on the Cabinet changes, which said it was “heartened” that PM Wong and DPM Gan will keep their finance and trade and industry portfolios.
“Their steady stewardship and deep understanding of Singapore’s economic and financial landscape provide the foundation for continued policy continuity and effective navigation of the rapidly changing global environment,” it said.
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, said the incremental changes to PM Wong’s Cabinet reveal a priority for him to “put together a functioning Cabinet”.
He cited the appointment of Jeffrey Siow as Acting Transport Minister as an example, noting that Siow was a senior civil servant with experience helming ministries as a permanent secretary and “knows how policy is made”.
Siow was most recently the second permanent secretary at the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, before he resigned on April 2 to run in the recently concluded general election. He was also principal private secretary to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from 2017 to 2021.
Given the number of leaders placed in positions with enlarged responsibilities, such as the coordinating ministers, this round of changes has surely “set the tone” for future Cabinets and expectations for those in political office, said Dr Mustafa.
Building blocks of the 5G
With the 4G transition almost complete, some of the new political office-holders may also be the foundational pieces of the 5G leadership, said some analysts.
PM Wong appointed nine new political office-holders, of which seven were newly elected at the recent polls.
Among the appointees were David Neo and Siow, who will both be acting ministers and senior ministers of state. The rest were given a mix of roles as ministers of state and senior parliamentary secretaries.
PM Wong said the new appointees reflect the importance he had placed on leadership renewal. “I think we are starting to see the outlines of the next-generation team, and hopefully over time – this is just the beginning of the term – … you can see the younger ones stepping up,” he said. The next-generation team to take Singapore forward may also include those who were not brought in in this round, he added.
IPS’ Dr Teo said the newcomers to the Cabinet, having been appointed so early in their political career, are likely the first batch to be considered for potential 5G leadership.
However, she noted that whether they end up in future leadership positions will depend on their performance, and not just their public service credentials.
Expectations are high for Siow and Neo, said Prof Eugene Tan. The two acting ministers are currently defined by their prior public sector performance and attainments, but “will have to show their worth as politicians and political leaders”, he added.
Dr Tan Ern Ser, adjunct principal research fellow at IPS’ Social Lab, added that some in the previous batches, such as Desmond Lee, 48, who will head the Education Ministry after the reshuffle, could be leading the 5G pack.
“The younger ones will have the opportunity to gain experience and eventually be appointed to offices where they best fit,” he added. - The Straits Times/ANN
