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Coordinating ministers to help PM groom new leaders ‘more boldly’

SINGAPORE — Outlining the rationale of appointing three coordinating ministers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the presence of these old hands would allow him to “move more boldly” in grooming a new generation of political leaders.

Prime Minister Lee (centre) with the three newly appointed coordinating ministers at the Istana yesterday (from left): Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Mr Teo Chee Hean and Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The three will play an important role in ensuring a smooth transition to the younger ministers, said Mr Lee. Photo: Ernest Chua

Prime Minister Lee (centre) with the three newly appointed coordinating ministers at the Istana yesterday (from left): Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Mr Teo Chee Hean and Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The three will play an important role in ensuring a smooth transition to the younger ministers, said Mr Lee. Photo: Ernest Chua

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SINGAPORE — Outlining the rationale of appointing three coordinating ministers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the presence of these old hands would allow him to “move more boldly” in grooming a new generation of political leaders.

“I can take the chance on a new person and let him find his feet and master the job. We can be sure that it can work out,” Mr Lee said at the press conference held at the Istana to unveil the new Cabinet line-up.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will continue to coordinate national security, and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam will oversee economic and social policies. Transport Minister-designate Khaw Boon Wan will be the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure.

Mr Teo and Mr Tharman will relinquish their Home Affairs and Finance portfolios respectively.

Referring to Mr Tharman, Mr Lee said: “De facto, he has already been doing a lot of this, but the work has expanded because of economic restructuring and SkillsFuture. And also because we are continuing to strengthen our social safety nets, and we continually have to strike the right balance between better protection and incentives to work and to motivate people to do well, and also between what we like to do and what we can afford to do.”

Apart from providing a safety blanket, the coordinating ministers are also necessary for Singapore’s new phase of nation-building where there will be “more complex challenges, more issues which involve multiple ministries and also individual ministries whose responsibilities have grown over time”, said Mr Lee.

“And the Government needs to adapt to these changes,” he added. “We need tighter coordination across different ministries in order to have a more coherent whole-of-Government response to broad, important issues.”

For instance, boosting population growth is not just about providing economic incentives; there are also social and housing policies to be considered, he said. Adding that these various aspects are not easy to coordinate, he said: “I cannot have one ministry for each of these cross-cutting things and even if I did, they’ll all have to link up with one another.”

Mr Lee noted that having coordinating ministers is not a new arrangement. Other countries also have similar political structures, he pointed out.

The mechanics are still being worked out, Mr Lee said. For example, he has not designated which ministry reports to which coordinating minister as there could be multiple reporting lines. Nevertheless, he said the coordinating ministers “have an important role putting the pieces together and mentoring the younger ones”.

Mr Teo, who was at the press conference, said that among his priorities are tackling the new challenges of terrorism and supporting whole-of-government work. Another major responsibility is to help Mr Lee develop a new team, he said.

Mr Tharman added that as a Coordinating Minister, it does not mean “peering over the shoulders of the ministers, but (there will be) continuous consultation (and giving of) advice before we actually come to an agreement in Cabinet”. He also intends to play an “active role” in guiding the new team, he said.

There will be several new faces among the political office-holders, including two appointed to the Cabinet — Mr Ong Ye Kung and Mr Ng Chee Meng as Acting Education Ministers.

Adding that he has retained most of his existing Cabinet, Mr Lee said: “They will provide steady hands, especially in a more challenging environment. They will play an important role in mentoring the younger ministers and help to ensure a smooth and successful transition.”

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