PM Wong unveils first full Cabinet: No second DPM, three coordinating ministers named

SINGAPORE: Less than three weeks after the General Election where the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) won a resounding victory, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced his first full Cabinet lineup on Wednesday (May 21).

The new Cabinet marks a significant reshuffle that includes three coordinating ministers and confirms Mr Gan Kim Yong as the sole deputy prime minister. It also features 15 full ministers and two acting ministers across the Prime Minister’s Office and 16 ministries.

This is the first complete team formed under Mr Wong since he succeeded Mr Lee Hsien Loong last year.

Mr Wong, who remains the finance minister, also appointed nine new political office holders, drawn from the backbench and among first-term MPs – a number he described as “one of the highest in recent history”.

Mr Wong said he has “a solid team behind me”, highlighting that he has four senior leaders, comprising one deputy and three coordinating ministers. 

“They are part of the core team to assist me, to advise me, and also to provide guidance and mentorship to the new and younger ministers,” he said during a press conference.

Mr Wong made his first changes to the Cabinet in May last year. He promoted Mr Gan to deputy prime minister in that reshuffle, and Mr Lee Hsien Loong was appointed Senior Minister.

Key portfolios remained unchanged then, with no movements among other ministers.

KEY LEADERSHIP CHANGES

• Gan Kim Yong will continue as minister of trade and industry and remains as deputy prime minister.
• Chan Chun Sing will take over as defence minister and be appointed coordinating minister for public services.
• Ong Ye Kung will retain the health portfolio and take on an additional role as coordinating minister for social policies.
• K Shanmugam will relinquish the law portfolio but remain as home affairs minister. He will also serve as coordinating minister for national security.
• Edwin Tong will take over as law minister and will also be appointed as second minister for home affairs.
• Desmond Lee will succeed Mr Chan as education minister.
• Chee Hong Tat will take over from Mr Lee as national development minister and step down as second minister for finance.
• Faishal Ibrahim will be acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs, as well as senior minister of state for home affairs.
• David Neo, a newly elected MP, will be acting minister for culture, community and youth as well as senior minister of state for education.
• Jeffrey Siow, another first-term MP, will become acting minister for transport and senior minister of state for finance.

MINISTERS RETAINING PORTFOLIOS

• Josephine Teo remains as minister for digital development and information.
• Tan See Leng remains as manpower minister. He will also become the minister-in-charge of energy and science and technology at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
• Grace Fu remains as minister for sustainability and the environment.
• Masagos Zulkifli remains as minister for social and family development.
• Vivian Balakrishnan remains as foreign affairs minister.
• Indranee Rajah remains as minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.

THE ROLE OF COORDINATING MINISTERS

The role of coordinating ministers is not new to Singapore's Cabinet. Mr Teo Chee Hean was previously coordinating minister for national security, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam was overseeing social policies and Mr Khaw Boon Wan for infrastructure.

Mr Wong said Mr Khaw brought together urban planning and major infrastructure projects like housing and MRT train lines, strengthening internal coordination within the government. As the new coordinating minister for public services, Mr Chan Chun Sing will focus on improving service delivery, especially in newer housing estates.

“It's more about public services than large-scale infrastructure planning, and that's why I've decided to rename it to give it that new focus and priority,” said the prime minister.

Mr Chan said he will oversee both digital and physical services, from planning to execution.

“I will help to coordinate some of these areas of improvement to make sure that we don't have any gaps in the delivery of our public services. Where the ministries can and are able to continue to look at their own respective areas, then they can certainly continue to do so,” he said.

However, there is still room for improvement, such as adopting a more citizen-centric approach with forward-looking planning to provide a one-stop service for people, he added.

FORWARD SINGAPORE AND SOCIAL POLICY

Mr Wong said that even after Mr Tharman stepped down from the Cabinet, inter-ministry coordination for social policies continued – led by Mr Wong himself during his time as deputy prime minister.

“I didn't have a coordinating minister title, but I chaired these processes, and I made use of them to review our policies for purposes of our Forward Singapore exercise,” he said.

The coordinated process allowed the government to review things like the Jobseeker Support Scheme and parental leave policy.

With his responsibilities as prime minister, he has passed the baton to Mr Ong Ye Kung.

Mr Ong said he had asked to remain at the health ministry, in part to continue addressing Singapore's ageing population.

“We’ve done some major moves, but I think ageing will be the single largest social development we will see in the next decade,” he said. “We need to adapt to it in the way we learn, we work, we play, or live through our silver years. So I think that still requires a lot of work.” 

He also laid out his upcoming priorities as coordinating minister for social policy – carrying on the work of Forward Singapore and strengthening social safety nets. 

The country cannot take its “inclusive” economic model and meritocratic system for granted, Mr Ong said.

OTHER APPOINTMENTS

• Sim Ann will be appointed as senior minister of state for home affairs and continue to serve in the Foreign Affairs Ministry. 
• Murali Pillai will retain his law and transport portfolios but will be promoted to senior minister of state.
• Sun Xueling will become senior minister of state for national development and transport, relinquishing her roles in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development. 
• Baey Yam Keng will become minister of state for transport, as well as culture, community and youth, relinquishing his role in the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. He will also be mayor of the North East District.
• Janil Puthucheary will become senior minister of state for education and sustainability and the environment. 
• Koh Poh Koon and Tan Kiat How will be senior ministers of state for health. Mr Koh will also remain as senior minister of state for manpower, and Mr Tan will continue to serve in the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.
• Shawn Huang will be senior parliamentary secretary for manpower and continue in the Ministry of Finance.
• Gan Siow Huang and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim will be ministers of state for foreign affairs. Ms Gan will also be minister of state for trade and industry, and Mr Zhulkarnain will be minister of state for social and family development.
• Zaqy Mohamad will be senior minister of state for sustainability and the environment, and defence.
• Desmond Choo will become minister of state for defence.
• Alvin Tan will be minister of state for national development and trade and industry.
• Eric Chua will be senior parliamentary secretary for law.

Five other newly elected PAP MPs will be appointed to political office. Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Ms Jasmin Lau, Mr Goh Pei Ming will become ministers of state, and Ms Goh Hanyan and former Nominated MP Syed Harun Alhabsyi will be appointed to senior parliamentary secretary roles.

Mr Dinesh will also be mayor of the South East District.