Singaporean PM reshuffles cabinet team
>>SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore reshuffled his cabinet following an election win earlier this month that saw popular support for the ruling People’s Action Party drop close to a record low.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is also finance minister, will retain his posts and take on an additional appointment as Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies. Mr Lee also named new transport, national development and education ministers.
“I’m renewing the line-up and bringing in fresh blood,” Mr Lee said during a press conference yesterday. “I’m also bringing in fresh faces from the newly-elected MPs. They will reinforce my team and offer new ideas and perspectives.”
With a new cabinet in place, the next government will now turn to key issues such as job stability at a time when the citystate is heading for its worst-ever recession amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gross domestic product plunged an annualised 41.2% in the second quarter from the first three months of the year, the biggest quarterly contraction on record.
Mr Heng’s performance in the election was among the worst of senior officials who ran, winning 53.4% of votes in the group district that he represents with four other members of parliament. Mr Heng has been tipped to take over as prime minister when Mr Lee steps down, something the premier had said he hoped would happen by the time he turns 70 in 2022.
That timeline could now change as Mr Lee pledged to hand over a country that would have largely recovered from the effects of the pandemic.
“I have had to maintain a greater degree of continuity than I otherwise would have done,” Mr Lee told reporters.
Lawrence Wong, one of the ministers spearheading Singapore’s Covid-19 response, will relinquish his national development ministerial role and be in charge of education. Ong Ye Kung was appointed as the new minister for transport and Desmond Lee will become the minister for national development. Grace Fu was named minister for sustainability and the environment.
Six officials were promoted, while there were seven new political officeholders.