Singapore's Prime Minister-designate Lawrence Wong held a press conference at the Presidential Palace yesterday (May 13) to announce the new cabinet.
Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Dung was promoted to Vice Premier, and Heng Swee Keat will continue to serve as Deputy Prime Minister.
In a Facebook post, Mr Wong said he and the two deputy prime ministers had worked together for many years and would draw on their expertise and advice in carrying out their duties as prime ministers, and that the two deputy prime ministers would also help mentor the younger officials.
Source: Lawrence Wong Facebook
Mr Wong, 51, and both vice prime ministers are over 60 years old (Ngan Kim Yong is 65 years old and Heng Swee Keat is 63 years old), and this young prime minister is very similar to the arrangement of Lee Hsien Loong's succession.
In 2004, when Lee Hsien Loong, then 52, became Singapore's third prime minister, the two deputy prime ministers were Professor Jakumar, 65, and Dr Tan Keng Yim, 64.
Before entering politics, Gan served in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and is currently the Minister of Trade and Industry. Lawrence Wong and Heng Swee Keat also served as finance ministers and were adept at dealing with economic issues, so some people regard their combination as an "economic triangle".
Source: Prime Minister's Office
At the press conference, Lawrence Wong talked about the reason for making Ngan Kim Yong vice premier. The two of them co-led the inter-departmental working group on the fight against the epidemic in 2020, and during that period, Yan Jinyong has been a strong supporter. Huang Xuncai said that his working relationship with Yan Jinyong was forged in the "melting pot". In addition, Gan's experience in the international economy can also help Singapore cope with increased global competition.
Yan Jinyong was promoted to deputy prime minister (Source: Yan Jinyong Facebook)
After becoming Deputy Prime Minister, Gan Kim Yong will continue to serve as Minister for Trade and Industry, while will also take over the role of Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from Lawrence Wong and take over the Policy and Strategy Agency under the Prime Minister's Office.
Another deputy prime minister, Heng Swee Keat, has held the post since 2019 and remains in Wong's new cabinet.
Heng Swee Keat retained as deputy prime minister (Source: PAP official website)
All Cabinet ministers remain unchanged for the time being, with the only difference being that Lee Hsien Loong will remain in the Cabinet as Senior Minister after stepping down as Prime Minister.
Lee Hsien Loong submits his resignation to President Thammatan (Source: Lee Hsien Loong's Facebook)
Lawrence Wong said at the press conference that continuity and stability are the key considerations for the formation of the cabinet. As the current Government is coming to an end, with all the ministers having a lot on their hands and new plans just being introduced, it has been decided to keep the ministers in their current positions until the end of this Government.
Lawrence Wong also said he is actively looking for potential candidates for official positions, especially young and middle-aged men and women aged between 30 and 40, and hopes to bring in more new blood to further update and strengthen the PAP's team.
Source: Prime Minister's Office
In this cabinet reshuffle, three political officials have been promoted: Liu Yanling and Tan Kwok Ming will be promoted to senior state ministers. Mazen was promoted from Senior Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of State.
In addition, two backbenchers have been appointed as Administrative Officers: Bukit Batok MP Mu Yan Lee will serve as Minister of State for the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Transport; Jurong GRC MP Lieutenant General Ng Wai is the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education.
Analysts point out that among the newly promoted officials, Liu Yanling and Chen Guoming are both bilingual, while Huang Weizhong, who is studying for a master's degree at Tsinghua University and is proficient in Chinese and English, will gain a lot of advantages in their future political development.