DPM Gan, three coordinating ministers to form core of PM Wong's Cabinet

Straits Times

21-05-2025

PM Lawrence Wong (centre) and (from left) Mr Chan Chun Sing, DPM Gan Kim Yong, Mr K. Shanmugam and Mr Ong Ye Kung during a press conference on May 21. PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and the three new coordinating ministers in his Cabinet will form the core team to assist and advise him, as well as provide guidance and mentorship to younger ministers.
The three ministers who will be promoted to the coordinating minister positions are Mr K. Shanmugam who will be Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Chan Chun Sing who will be Coordinating Minister for Public Services, and Mr Ong Ye Kung who will be Coordinating Minister for Social Policies.
DPM Gan will be Acting Prime Minister in PM Wong's absence. In the event that neither are around, one of the three coordinating ministers will be appointed, said PM Wong on May 21 at a press conference to announce his new Cabinet line-up.
There have typically been two deputy prime ministers in the Cabinet.
Asked why he did not appoint one of the fourth-generation leaders as a DPM, PM Wong said having these four senior leaders in his team is 'a good arrangement for now'.
'They are key ministers who will help me, assist me in the work, and they will also advise, guide the younger ministers,' he added.
'Along the way there may be changes, but as we start this new term, I am happy with this configuration.'
Mr Chan will be appointed Defence Minister and relinquish his role as Education Minister, besides taking on his coordinating minister role.
Mr Shanmugam will remain Minister for Home Affairs, and relinquish his Law Ministry portfolio to Mr E dwin Tong.
Mr Ong will stay on as Health Minister.
Bringing together different government services
Of the three coordinating minister roles, Mr Chan's public services portfolio is new.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was Coordinating Minister for Social Policies between 2015 and 2023, while Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is retiring after 33 years in politics, has been Coordinating Minister for National Security since 2015.
Asked what Mr Chan's new role entails, PM Wong said the role is renamed from the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure role previously helmed by former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, to give it a 'new focus and priority'.
That role entailed strengthening internal coordination within the Government for urban planning and major infrastructure projects, such as housing and rail lines.
PM Wong said he decided on the new role as he saw two areas for improvement that are 'more about public services than large-scale infrastructure planning'.
The first pertains to last-mile public services, or 'how we bring together a whole range of different government services in order to better service residents and Singaporeans'.
PM Wong said the introduction of the ServiceSG one-stop platform for citizens to access Singapore government services is one improvement made under this scope, but more can be done.
The second area is in coordinating and implementing amenities, facilities and services for newer residential estates.
'It's not easy, because you get the buildings and the housing delivered already, but sometimes the bus services are not there, the amenities are not all ready, so how can we put all of that and roll them out in a more coordinated and timely fashion?' he said.
Mr Chan said the new focus under his role also encompasses the execution and planning of digital services beyond physical ones.
This entails putting together new processes to transform the way public service can be delivered, he noted.
There is also a forward planning element to plan upfront the way the Government builds its digital services infrastructure to 'minimise the downstream remediation that we may need to do', he said.
'The better we do with upfront planning, the less we need to do downstream,' Mr Chan added.
Another newly-created role in this round of Cabinet changes is Minister-in-Charge of Energy and Science and Technology under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Dr Tan See Leng, who will continue as Manpower Minister, will take on this role. He is currently also Second Minister for Trade and Industry.
PM Wong said the new role covers key areas for Singapore's economy. Science and technology is a key driver of growth, while energy - especially clean energy - will be an important part of his Government's agenda, he added.
With the new role, the Government will consider how it can better organise itself to accelerate its transition to clean energy, he added.
Mr Ong also set out his priorities for his coordinating minister role at the press conference. They include carrying on the work of Forward Singapore, a nationwide engagement exercise headed by PM Wong that involved more than 200,000 Singaporeans since it kicked off in June 2022.
He will constantly review Singapore's policies amid the changing economic environment to ensure that the needs of the population are met.
'As the PM said, at every stage of life, and every age, there should be a social safety net to guide us through life. We need to constantly review our policies, to refresh, update those policies, and strengthen our social compact,' he said.
Another priority is to ensure that Singaporeans from 'very vulnerable backgrounds' also get a chance to excel.
Mr Ong said Singapore's inclusive economic model and system of meritocracy cannot be taken for granted and have to 'constantly evolve'.
'So long as someone is prepared to work hard, prepared to seize opportunities, we must continue that spirit of social mobility. No matter how hard your background is in Singapore, you must be able to succeed,' he said.
Tackling an ageing population is another priority, with it being 'the single largest social development (Singapore) will see in the next decade', Mr Ong added.
This was why he requested to continue as Health Minister, 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.'
Wong Pei Ting is a correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers politics and social affairs.
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