Lawrence Wong to make small changes to Cabinet after becoming PM, all ministers stay put
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, set to take over as PM on Wednesday (15 May), has announced a few changes to the Cabinet line-up ahead of his appointment.
Most significantly, Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be promoted to DPM.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office
Here’s a summary of all the changes, which were announced on Monday (13 May) in a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
1. Gan Kim Yong to be DPM & MAS Chairman
As Mr Gan will be DPM, he will become Acting PM when Mr Wong is away.
He will also be appointed as the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), replacing Mr Wong himself.
In a press release on Monday (13 May), MAS said Mr Wong has been its Chairman since 8 July 2023 and Mr Gan has been Deputy Chairman from the same date.
With Mr Gan’s appointment, Mr Wong will relinquish his positions as Chairman and member of the MAS Board.
Mr Gan will also take the helm of the Strategy Group within the PMO, and continue as Minister for Trade and Industry.
DPM Heng Swee Keat will remain as DPM and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean will still be SM as well as Coordinating Minister for National Security.
2. PM Lee will become Senior Minister
As announced earlier, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will become Senior Minister after the handover.
That means Mr Lee, 72, will stay in the Cabinet.
Source: Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
He will also remain Chairman of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council.
3. No other major changes to Cabinet under Lawrence Wong
Besides the above-mentioned tweaks, there will be no other major changes to the Cabinet line-up under Mr Wong.
That means all ministers will stay in charge of their current ministries. Mr Wong will also continue to be Finance Minister.
A few promotions are in store, though:
- Mr Desmond Tan, currently Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, will be promoted to Senior Minister of State.
- Ms Low Yen Ling will be promoted to Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).
- Ms Rahayu Mahzam, currently Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health (MOH), will be promoted to Minister of State. She will also assume the same role in the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), but relinquish her appointment in the Ministry of Law (MinLaw).
- Mr Murali Pillai will be appointed Minister of State in MinLaw and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) from 1 July.
- Mr Shawn Huang will be appointed Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
All the above appointments except for Mr Pillai’s will be sworn in from 15 May, which is the same day Mr Wong will be sworn in as PM.
Mr Pillai will be appointed and sworn in on 1 July, and the Senior Parliamentary Secretaries will be appointed on 15 May and sworn in on 24 May.
4. MCI to be renamed
Apart from the Cabinet changes, one ministry will be renamed.
MCI, which has carried that name since 2012, will be called the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) from 8 July.
Source: Google Maps
The new name “reflects the Ministry’s role in driving our national digital agenda”, the PMO statement said.
The newly named ministry will continue to oversee information policy and strategy, media development, and public communications efforts.
PM Lee informs President of intention to resign
The changes were announced after PM Lee officially informed President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Monday of his intention to resign as PM.
In his letter, Mr Lee said Mr Wong was “ready to lead Singapore” and advised the President to invite him to form the next Government.
Source: MCI via Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
Mr Tharman thanked Mr Lee for four decades of government service and subsequently invited Mr Wong to form the next government.
Source: Lawrence Wong on Facebook
Mr Wong accepted the appointment and advised the President of his full Cabinet line-up.
In a Facebook post, the incoming PM said he was “honoured to accept this role”, adding:
I ask Singaporeans to continue to support me and my team. We will do our utmost to serve you, and work with everyone to take Singapore forward.
Also read: 6 things you might not know about incoming Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
6 things you might not know about incoming Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
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Featured image adapted from Prime Minister’s Office.
