Latest news with #NgCheeMeng
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Jalan Kayu SMC, Punggol GRC form new town councils, Singapore News
Jalan Kayu SMC and Punggol GRC have established their own town councils following the 2025 General Election. The Ministry of National Development (MND) said on Friday (May 30) that it issued an order to put into effect the setting up of 19 town councils, which were formed at the request of the wards' respective MPs. As a result of changes to electoral boundaries, which involved some areas being transferred between towns, 12 town councils have been reconstituted, said MND, adding that five of them remain unchanged both in their boundaries and names. Under the Town Councils Act, elected MPs are either to form a town for their own constituency or group up to three constituencies together to form a town. Each town should be managed by its own town council. The new Jalan Kayu Town Council, comprising the SMC won by labour chief Ng Chee Meng, will be chaired by him. A town council was last formed with just one SMC after the 2011 General Election, where PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin took back Potong Pasir SMC from the Singapore People's Party. Sitoh ran the town council until the 2015 General Election, after which the constituency was grouped under the Jalan Besar Town Council. Punggol Town Council, which consists of the GRC won by the PAP slate helmed by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, will be chaired by Senior Minister of State for Transport and National Development Sun Xueling. Senior Minister of State for Education and Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary and Ms Yeo Wan Ling, will be vice-chairs, reported The Straits Times. Four town councils have been renamed following changes to electoral boundaries. Jurong-Clementi Town Council will be known as Jurong-Clementi-Bukit Batok Town Council, while Marine Parade Town Council has been renamed to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council. Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will now be Pasir Ris-Changi Town Council, while West Coast Town Council is to be known as West Coast-Jurong West Town Council. The remaining eight reconstituted town councils' names remain unchanged. For areas that will be transferred to other towns, town councils must complete the handover and takeover of management within 90 days, said MND. This means the two new town councils and 12 reconstituted town councils will take over management of the transferred areas from Aug 1 this year. Town councils can also mutually agree to complete the handover and takeover before Aug 1, provided they inform residents of this date, the ministry added. "MND encourages all town councils to work together to ensure a smooth transition, so that the needs of residents can continue to be served," it said. [[nid:718138]]
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Two new town councils established in Jalan Kayu and Punggol
SINGAPORE: Two new town councils have been established in Jalan Kayu and Punggol following the conclusion of the 2025 General Election. This brings the total number of town councils to 19, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said in a press release on Friday (May 30). Twelve town councils have been reconstituted due to changes in electoral boundaries, which resulted in some areas being transferred between towns, MND added. Five remain unchanged. Under the Town Councils Act, elected MPs are to form a town for their own constituency or by grouping up to three constituencies together to form a town. Each town is to be managed by its own town council. The new Jalan Kayu Town Council will comprise the Single Member Constituency won by labour chief Ng Chee Meng. He will chair the council. Punggol Town Council also comprises only the Group Representation Constituency, which was won by a People's Action Party (PAP) team led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong. Four town councils have been renamed. Jurong-Clementi Town Council is now known as Jurong-Clementi-Bukit Batok Town Council. Marine Parade Town Council has been renamed Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council. Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will now be Pasir Ris-Changi Town Council, while West Coast Town Council is now West Coast-Jurong West Town Council. The remaining eight reconstituted town councils are Aljunied-Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Chua Chu Kang, East Coast, Holland-Bukit Panjang, Jalan Besar, Tampines and Tanjong Pagar Town Councils, and their names are unchanged. Bishan-Toa Payoh, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Nee Soon, Sembawang and Sengkang Town Councils will continue with their names and town boundaries unchanged. Town councils have up to 90 days to complete the handover and takeover of the management of the areas to be transferred. This means the two new town councils and the 12 reconstituted town councils will take over the management of the transferred areas from Aug 1. Town councils can also mutually agree to complete the handover and takeover before Aug 1. They will have to inform residents of this date. "MND encourages all town councils to work together to ensure a smooth transition, so that the needs of residents can continue to be served," said the ministry.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Two new town councils formed in Jalan Kayu, Punggol after GE2025, total 19 TCs
Two new town councils formed in Jalan Kayu, Punggol after GE2025, total 19 TCs SINGAPORE – Two new town councils have been formed in Jalan Kayu and Punggol after the 2025 general election. The Ministry of National Development (MND) issued an order under the Town Councils Act on May 30 to put into effect the formation of a total of 19 town councils, which were set up at the requests of the MPs. There were 17 town councils previously. The Jalan Kayu town council will comprise only the single member constituency that was won by PAP's Ng Chee Meng at the recent polls against the Workers' Party's Andre Low. Mr Ng will chair the town council. The Punggol town council covers the corresponding group member constituency. The last time a town council was formed with just one SMC was after the 2011 general election when Potong Pasir was won back by PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin from the Singapore People's Party. Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Independent Singapore
6 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Ng Chee Meng's political resurrection sparks debate — Bertha Hanson's Comic characters trace how past NTUC leaders rose
SINGAPORE: Veteran journalist and commentator Bertha Henson has weighed in on the growing speculation surrounding Ng Chee Meng's political future, following Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's recent remarks suggesting that the labour chief could soon return to Cabinet. In a Facebook post, Henson pointed out that there has traditionally been a close link between the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Typically, Cabinet ministers are seconded to helm NTUC, not the other way around. This practice has historical precedent: Several senior PAP politicians were appointed as NTUC Secretary-Generals while already serving in Cabinet. For example: Lim Chee Onn (1979–1983): Appointed while he was Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office. Ong Teng Cheong (1983–1993): Took on the NTUC role while serving as Second Deputy Prime Minister and later continued as Deputy Prime Minister. Lim Boon Heng (1993–2006): Held the NTUC post concurrently with his roles as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Chairman of the PAP. Lim Swee Say (2006–2015): Moved from Minister in the PMO to NTUC Secretary-General, and was later reappointed to Cabinet as Minister for Manpower. In contrast, Ng Chee Meng was brought into NTUC in 2018 after a Cabinet reshuffle and continued as Secretary-General even after losing his parliamentary seat in the 2020 General Election. This makes his path a notable departure from tradition. Ng had previously served as Education Minister and was co-opted into NTUC's Central Committee in 2018 before being appointed Deputy Secretary-General. A year later, he was made Secretary-General, a post he retained even after his electoral defeat. He continued to play a high-profile role in the labour movement and was returned unopposed to the NTUC Central Committee in 2023. Henson noted that despite controversies, including public criticism over NTUC Income's tie-up with Allianz, questions about his past conduct as Education Minister, and a photo circulated online showing him with convicted money launderer Su Haijin—Ng was fielded again in the 2025 General Election. He narrowly defeated a first-time Workers' Party candidate in Jalan Kayu SMC. During the election campaign, Ng addressed some of the controversies, offering apologies but providing limited details. On the issue of his photo with Su, Ng explained he was meeting people from various sectors as part of his role at NTUC and stated he did not know Su personally. Unlike other ministers, he said he would not pursue legal action over the matter. Henson also pointed out that the NTUC has remained silent on the latest developments — neither expressing support for Ng's decision to remain out of Cabinet nor commenting on the Prime Minister's remarks, which implied this could be a temporary situation. 'Never has a PAP politician come under so much public scrutiny for so many different aspects of his past,' Henson wrote. She questioned whether Ng's narrow victory and past controversies might impact his potential Cabinet return, even as Prime Minister Wong appeared to leave the door open. The post concludes with a teaser: 'Chin and Chai take a look at how past NTUC sec-gens came to be,' suggesting a follow-up analysis on historical precedent in the NTUC-PAP relationship. Source: Bertha Henson's Facebook Page
CNA
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Labour chief Ng Chee Meng left out of new Cabinet in ‘temporary arrangement', says PM Wong
SINGAPORE: Labour chief Ng Chee Meng has been left out of Singapore's new Cabinet in a 'temporary arrangement', said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday (May 21). Speaking at a press conference announcing his leadership team for the next term of government, Mr Wong noted that the National Trade Union Congress' (NTUC) secretary-general has traditionally held a position in Cabinet. 'I value this link, and I know that NTUC does too,' he added. But Mr Wong said he would respect Mr Ng's request to not be offered such a position, in order to focus on his work in NTUC and Jalan Kayu SMC, which he successfully contested in the May 3 polls. 'But to be clear, this is a temporary arrangement, and I look forward to having the labour chief being part of the Cabinet before too long,' Mr Wong added. Meanwhile, the government will continue to work closely with the labour movement and ensure that the views of NTUC and union leaders - as well as the interests of Singapore workers - are 'fully taken into account' in its deliberations and decisions, said the Prime Minister. When asked to elaborate about wanting the labour chief in his Cabinet 'before too long', Mr Wong said he 'really can't tell' how long this would take. 'But I'm in close touch with him, and at some point when he's ready, when we think that things have improved or stabilised, whether it's him or whether it's someone else, I can't say,' he added. 'But certainly, my wish is for an NTUC secretary-general to be in the team.' In the closest contest of the recent General Election, Mr Ng won the Jalan Kayu single seat for the People's Action Party (PAP) with 51.47 per cent of the vote, beating Workers' Party (WP) candidate Andre Low. 'Over the next five years, I will focus on my duties as the MP in Jalan Kayu and my role as secretary-general of NTUC. The needs of my residents and all Singaporean workers are my priorities,' the 56-year-old said in a statement at the time. This came along with an apology for his behaviour at a Ministry of Education (MOE) dialogue that took place in 2017, before he became NTUC chief. Mr Ng was Minister for Education (Schools) between 2016 and 2018. This year marked Mr Ng's third election outing but his first time running in an SMC. He was part of the PAP team that lost to the WP in Sengkang GRC in 2020; prior to that he was elected in the now-defunct Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in 2015.
