Crop of new office-holders largest since 2001; reshuffle provides for minority succession in Cabinet

Yahoo

23-05-2025

SINGAPORE – In 2001, seven new MPs took political office in a fresh injection of talent by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Among them were high-fliers in their 40s from the public and private sectors, such as now President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and the outgoing Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Mr Raymond Lim and Mr Cedric Foo rounded out the group – all but two of whom would go on to hold positions in Cabinet.
Their youth, career success and immediate appointment to office led this group to be dubbed the 'Super Seven'.
In 2025, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has done something similar – putting seven newly elected MPs in office in a Cabinet reshuffle on May 21.
Two will be acting ministers: Former permanent secretary Jeffrey Siow, 46, will take the transport portfolio, while former army chief David Neo, 47, will join the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
They will concurrently be senior ministers of state.
Three others will be ministers of state: Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, 50, Ms Jasmin Lau, 41, and Mr Goh Pei Ming, 43. Another two will be senior parliamentary secretaries: Ms Goh Hanyan, 39, and Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 39.
PM Wong also solidified his fourth-generation (4G) team, appointing four senior leaders instead of the traditional two deputies, and increasing the total number of political office-holders to 40 from 37.
The year 2025 saw the largest number of new MPs appointed to political office following an election since 2001.
In comparison, six new MPs became political office-holders in 2020 and five each in 2015, 2011 and 2006. Before 2001, the numbers were lower – two new MPs took office in 1997 and three in 1991.
Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said: 'In 2001, it was almost the same thing, the PM was preparing for the 3G team to take over, and hence a bumper crop of MPs who became office-holders immediately.'
PM Wong's two priorities in the reshuffle are to complete his 4G team and to begin planning for the next generation, Mr Singh added.
Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said the changes also indicate that PM Wong has assessed this batch to be a strong one and is 'taking advantage to appoint a bumper crop of new office-holders'.
They have generally come in at high ranks – there are two acting ministers and no parliamentary secretaries this round.
This could be due to the runway of political office shortening, said Associate Professor Tan.
He added: 'None of the Super Seven, which included Khaw Boon Wan, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Vivian Balakrishnan, was made full minister right away.'
But this does not mean the current crop compares poorly with their predecessors 25 years ago, he said.
He added: 'Rather, it is more a reflection of political realities today.'
It is harder to recruit individuals into politics, so the time taken for a rookie MP to become a minister has shortened, said Prof Tan.
This also means there may be more 'churn', meaning more office-holders could serve shorter terms or return to the backbench after a few terms, Prof Tan said.
He said: 'This is not necessarily bad. Our system of top leadership should be receptive to MPs who may wish to serve a short term in government.'
This may avoid stasis, reduce the possibility of groupthink and make the highest ranks of government more accessible if there is no expectation to stay in office for decades, he said.
Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Gillian Koh said putting younger leaders into government now will also give them time to prove themselves, as did generations before them.
She said: 'This marks the changing of the guard, even if there are still some key 3G leaders to provide continuity and links to the external environment to put Singapore on the strongest footing possible in this era of radical uncertainty and change.'
The addition of two backbenchers to the pool of office-holders along with the seven newly elected MPs ensured that the proportion of women, Malays and Indians all stayed about the same.
Malay and Indian office-holders each make up about 15 per cent of the 40 office-holders, with six representatives each. This is about the same as the national average, or above it.
This proportion is maintained with two Malay newcomers – Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, 44, and Dr Syed Harun – who fill a gap left by the outgoing Dr Maliki Osman, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and of Education.
Mr Zhulkarnain will be Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Social and Family Development, while Dr Syed Harun will be Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development.
There is one Indian newcomer – Mr Dinesh, who will be Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Manpower.
Political observers said there is space for more, but do not expect these proportions to increase significantly.
Mr Singh said it is a matter of who the PAP can attract, citing past examples like the 2020 Cabinet in which five ministers were of Indian heritage.
'I don't think it is a deliberate plan to keep the numbers at 15 per cent,' he said.
Prof Tan said that apart from ensuring minority representation, it is equally important to bring in individuals to fill leadership gaps.
The latest Cabinet reshuffle hence facilitates a changeover of leadership for Malay/Muslim leaders.
Dr Maliki's retirement and the need for a refresh resulted in the promotion of Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim to Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs. He takes over from Mr Masagos Zulkifli, who held the role for seven years.
Among the Indian office-holders, newcomer Mr Dinesh had previously told The Straits Times that he was keen to advocate minority issues, including integration within his community.
The reshuffle looks to ensure that the pipeline for ethnic representation remains steady.
Dr Koh said minority office-holders are not just being tapped for issues to do with race, but also as national leaders more generally.
'Over time, there is the option of raising them further up the ladder, but it has to start now. They need to grow into their roles, stakeholders of policy and government have to feel that they are good at working the ground as they become effective policymakers,' she said.
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, said the changes reflect that PM Wong sees the integration of the twin values of progressive meritocracy and inclusive diversity as essential for a high-functioning Cabinet to serve the interests and meet the aspirations of Singaporeans.
There are two new female office-holders – Ms Lau and Ms Goh – while Dr Amy Khor retired as a senior minister of state.
This brings the number of women to a quarter of the overall pool. It is an increase from the days of just one or two women holding political office, as was the case in the 1990s.
Over the decades, the proportion of women has slowly crept up to 25 per cent. Singapore hit this figure in 2015, and it has since stayed steady.
There is still room to grow, as women are about half the population in Singapore, said political observers.
This is more stark in the Cabinet, where only three of the 18 ministers are women.
Neither of the existing senior ministers of state – Ms Sim Ann and Ms Low Yen Ling – made full minister. Ms Sun Xueling, who will be a senior minister of state, was the only woman promoted among the existing political office-holders.
The entrance of Ms Lau and Ms Goh lays a pipeline to ensure that female representation in the Government is maintained, even as the PAP continues to try to attract more women.
Dr Koh said improving gender diversity in the Government is not necessarily to address issues specific to women, but a way to tap all intelligence available.
But Mr Singh said it remains a challenge for the PAP to attract more women into Parliament.
'I am sure they would have liked more women as office-holders and MPs,' he said.
Prof Tan said he anticipates that there will be an increase in the number of female office-holders in years to come.
'It is really a question of when rather than whether,' he said.
But where 'double minorities' are concerned, it remains an uphill climb to bring them into office.
In the latest line-up, there were no new Indian or Malay women appointed to political office.
'The pipeline can be improved in these aspects. The big question is how,' Prof Tan said.
Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy.
Ng Wei Kai is a journalist at The Straits Times, where he covers politics. He writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction
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