Minimal reshuffle by Wong to ‘avoid disruptions’
Incoming Prime Minister Lawrence Wong yesterday announced minimal changes will be made to his cabinet when he takes over from incumbent Lee Hsien Loong tomorrow, a move analysts said underscored continuity ahead of the leadership transition.
Wong will retain his position as finance minister even after taking over, while Gan Kim Yong, who had co-chaired the republic’s multi-ministry Covid task force, will become deputy prime minister alongside Heng Swee Keat.
Wong said there were minimal shifts in this cabinet reshuffle to “avoid any disruptions”.
“All the ministers already have a full plate of work to see through and some have also rolled out new programmes in their ministries, so to avoid any disruptions, I have decided to keep them in their present roles until the end of the term and that means I will retain my portfolio in finance even after becoming prime minister,” he told a press briefing.
In a letter to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee announced his plans to resign on May 15, adding that although he had planned to cede power at 70, this timetable was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“On 14 April 2022, the PAP [People’s Action Party] Members of Parliament met and unanimously endorsed Mr Lawrence Wong as the person to succeed me. Now, two years on, he is ready to lead Singapore,” he wrote.
Analysts said the line-up suggested Lee would continue to play a big role within the party as senior minister even after his resignation as prime minister, in line with the tradition of former prime ministers serving a few terms as elder statesmen and offering advice to the younger team.
The reshuffle came two days ahead of Singapore’s third leadership transition since independence in 1965, after an unusually winding road to the succession.
Wong, 51, will be sworn in tomorrow, taking over from Lee, the elder son of founding father Lee Kuan Yew. Observers note that Wong’s policy rhetoric has centred on maintaining the principles of the ruling PAP.
Gan Kim Yong was the minister of health before he became minister for trade and industry in 2021.
“Over the last two decades, Prime Minister Lee and his team have laid a very strong foundation for Singapore, which has given us the confidence to face an increasingly complex and challenging future,” said Gan yesterday.
“I’ve learned much under his leadership and I’m sure we will continue to benefit from his wisdom and his advice as a senior minister in the new cabinet.”
Gan may have been picked for a key role in the top echelon because of the close working relationship he had with Wong when both were leading the multi-ministry Covid task force, according to political scientist Bilveer Singh.
“Lawrence must be comfortable with Kim Yong and vice versa. This largely stems from their experience in politics more than anything else. Both walked together in Covid and this must be an important consideration,” he said.
According to Chong Ja Ian, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, this new cabinet will “display a lot of continuity”.
Indeed, Wong said last month that the Singapore system ran on the basis of “continuity and progressive change”, adding that ministers would largely stick to their current portfolios.
More drastic changes to the cabinet were likely to occur only after the general election, he said last month. The general election must be called by November 2025, but is widely tipped to take place later this year.
“From the outside, this looks like a gradual handover of authority although Lee still feels like he will oversee things as senior minister,” said Chong, adding that the timing of the cabinet announcement also sent a message that Wong would be ready to take on his new duties as prime minister “on day one”.
Analyst Michael Barr, an associate professor at Flinders University in Australia who closely follows Singapore politics, concurred, saying the reshuffle suggested the outgoing prime minister would maintain “a significant level of involvement” despite stepping down from his position.