Singapore’s PM Lee reshuffles cabinet with an eye on the future of the party
Some senior officeholders are taking on wider coordinating roles overseeing younger ministers.
Less than three weeks after a landslide general election win by the ruling party, Singapore announced a new cabinet structure on Monday in a pitch for leadership renewal, with some senior officeholders taking on wider coordinating roles overseeing younger ministers.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who has helmed the city-state’s parliament since 2004, described the changes as “bold,” saying that countries including Britain and Indonesia had made similar moves.
“This is a transition team, so it is a bit bigger than usual,” Lee said at a news conference, noting that half of the 20-member cabinet, up from the previous 19 members, is below 55 years of age.
In the new cabinet structure, senior officeholders of three portfolios – home affairs, finance and national development – will drop their previous duties and take on guiding roles. Of the three, the two who have served as deputy prime minister will continue to do so, while the other will take on a new transport portfolio.
