Singapore PM unveils new cabinet

Singapore, September 28: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveiled Singapore’s new cabinet on Monday, a media report said. Lee shuffled his team two weeks after the People’s Action Party took almost 70 percent of the votes in a general election in which the prime minister campaigned upon the need for strong candidates in parliament to ensure leadership renewal, Channel News Asia reported. “It’s an urgent task. We don’t have the luxury of time,” Lee said. “I have given heavy responsibilities to the next generation of leaders. They will be stretched and tested, and must gel together as a team. By the end of this term, we must have a new team ready to take over from me.”

In total, there will be 20 cabinet members, up from 19. Of the 20, half were elected in the last three general elections and half are below 55 years old, Lee noted.

The key change to the structure of the cabinet is the introduction of three coorditing ministers — tiol security, economic and social policies, infrastructure — each of whom will oversee a handful of related ministries. “We need tighter coordition across ministries to have a tighter, whole-of-government approach to issues,” Lee added. In another change from the previous cabinet, two ministries - education; and trade and industry - will each have two full ministers, overseeing separate aspects within the ministry. (IANS)