Khaw Boon Wan, the long-time Mr Fix-It for Singapore’s PM, will lead new SPH Media Holdings
- Singapore’s main newspaper publisher will be spun off into the new non-profit entity, representing a dramatic reorganisation of the city state’s media industry
- Malaysian-born Khaw was among Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s most trusted lieutenants during a 19-year stint in government that ended last year
S. Iswaran, the communications and information minister, told parliament that management shareholders of the publicly listed Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and the government backed 68-year-old Khaw for the job. Iswaran said the former minister was held in “high standing” at home and abroad.
“He has a proven track record of taking on difficult issues and working on them,” he said. “And this is one such issue.”
Khaw, a former People’s Action Party (PAP) chairman, will lead SPH Media Holdings, the new parent company for SPH’s loss-making media businesses. The transfer is part of a long-term strategy of sustainably stewarding titles such as the 176-year-old The Straits Times and the Chinese-language Lianhe Zaobao.
The government also last week pledged to contribute funding to the new non-profit SPH Media. Singapore’s mainstream media has for decades maintained links with the long-ruling PAP and state funding of the media is not new. MediaCorp, the national broadcaster, is owned by state investor Temasek Holdings and also receives taxpayer funds.