What we know about Singapore's new Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be promoted to Deputy Prime Minister in the government of Prime Minister-designate Lawrence Wong.

The working relationship between the two men was forged in the crucible of COVID-19, Mr Wong said when announcing the new Cabinet line-up on Monday (May 13).

"We went through the COVID baptism of fire together, and he was a pillar of strength throughout," said Mr Wong, who takes over as Prime Minister on Wednesday.

In a period of rising geopolitical tensions, Mr Gan's experience in international economics will also help Singapore to navigate a more contested global environment, added Mr Wong.

Mr Gan will work alongside fellow Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. He will be the Acting Prime Minister in Mr Wong's absence.

He will continue as Minister for Trade and Industry, a position he has held since 2021. He will also take over from Mr Wong as Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and head the Strategy Group in the Prime Minister's Office.

The father of two daughters is married to Mrs Esther Gan.

Mr Gan, 65, said on Monday that he was "not quite 4G", referring to Singapore's fourth-generation political leadership that is taking over the reins of government.

He has been in politics a decade longer than Mr Wong, 51, and Mr Heng, 63, who were both elected in 2011.

Mr Gan entered politics as a Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Panjang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 2001.

He was re-elected to Chua Chu Kang Single Member Constituency in 2006, and stayed on when his ward became part of Chua Chu Kang GRC.

Mr Gan was chairman of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) from 2018 until he stepped down in 2022. He is currently not on the party's Central Executive Committee.

As a youth, he accepted a public service scholarship to study engineering at Cambridge University, graduating with a masters' degree in 1985.

In a speech in 2005, he described how his engineering training had equipped him with the basic skills to solve complex problems that do not come with an "instruction sheet".

"Whether it is a business challenge, a management problem or a political issue, my approach is similar. Break down big problems into smaller ones, identify the source of the problems, decide on the method to deal with it, find the right person for the job and it will get done," he said.

After graduation, Mr Gan joined the civil service, where he was an officer in the elite Administrative Service. He worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Home Affairs before leaving for the private sector in 1989.

At NatSteel, as it was then called, Mr Gan rose from a corporate planning manager to eventually become CEO and president of the steel and electronics company.

That was when the call to a career in government grew stronger.

In 2005, Mr Gan was introduced as Minister of State for Manpower and Education in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Cabinet.

He stepped up to serve as Minister for Manpower from 2008 to 2011, seeing Singapore through the retrenchments of the global financial crisis.

His longest-serving government portfolio was as Minister for Health from 2011 to 2021.

During his tenure, Mr Gan put in place the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation support packages, CareShield Life and MediShield Life for long-term healthcare needs.

He also drove policy-making on Singapore's ageing population as then head of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing.

"My portfolio was called Minister-in-Charge of Ageing, but many people called me the 'ageing minister', and I’ve had to repeatedly correct that," Mr Gan quipped at a fireside chat earlier this month.

He was Health Minister when the COVID-19 pandemic reached Singapore in early 2020, becoming a familiar sight to those who followed multi-ministry task force updates on the situation.

Mr Gan co-chaired the task force with Mr Wong, and was described as a "point man" in the fight against COVID-19 by Mr Lee.

He stayed on as co-chair even after a Cabinet reshuffle handed the health portfolio to current Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung.

Mr Gan left a "significant legacy" of improvements to Singapore's healthcare system during his time at the Ministry of Health, Mr Lee said when announcing the reshuffle then.

He became Minister for Trade and Industry in 2021, where one of his key priorities was identifying new opportunities for Singapore's economic growth.

As a younger politician in 2007, Mr Gan once shared his views on life skills with student athletes at a shooting meet.

"Firstly, like shooting, in life, we need to have good eyesight and stay sharply focused on our target, our goal in life," he said then.

"Each of us has a role in this society. Each of us can make a positive contribution in our own way. It is up to us to decide how and what we can do."

He continued: "Secondly, we need to have steady hands in shooting. In life, it is the same. We must stay on the course.

"I was told to hold my breath when I pressed the trigger. In life, we also need to hold our breath sometimes when the going gets tough. If we waver, we will stray off-course and miss the bullseye.

"Thirdly, we must be resilient. Life is like a shooting competition - very stressful. We must compete against many others, some of whom may be more skilful than we are.

"However, if we have stronger character and are more resilient, we can outlast them and emerge winners."