Heng Swee Keat to hold more political responsibilities as my deputy: PM Lee

BEIJING — As deputy prime minister, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will take on more political responsibilities, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (April 29).

These include “setting the agenda, pitching the Government’s stance and policies to the public, building the younger team and being ready in all respects to take over from me and my older ministers as soon as possible”, he added.

Mr Heng, who was appointed the First Assistant Secretary-General of the ruling People’s Action Party last November, will also take on a leading role in campaigning during the next General Election, the prime minister said. 

Mr Lee, who was speaking to reporters at the end of a five-day visit to China, also indicated it was unlikely that he will have another round of Cabinet changes this year.

On April 23, the Prime Minister’s Office announced changes to the Cabinet, with Mr Heng being promoted to DPM from May 1.

The two incumbent DPMs, Mr Teo Chee Hean and Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, will relinquish their posts but remain in the Cabinet as senior ministers.

When asked to elaborate further on Mr Heng’s new role, Mr Lee said his successor had “understated” what his role as the sole DPM would entail.

At a grassroots event at Tampines Group Representation Constituency on Sunday, where Mr Heng is a Member of Parliament, he told reporters that his role as the second-in-command would be to support the prime minister in reviewing Singapore’s longer-term policy measures to take the country forward in the next decade.

Mr Lee said: “I think Swee Keat understated what he will be doing. As a DPM, he is not just a minister, but also carrying more of the political responsibilities."

Analysts previously told TODAY that the move to appoint only one DPM was out of the ordinary as the Government has typically operated with two DPMs concurrently.

When asked for the possible reasons for appointing one DPM, Mr Lee said that the latest round of Cabinet changes is a “natural progression from the party leadership adjustments last year”.

“Sometimes we’ve had two, sometimes we’ve had one. Most of the time, we’ve had two. Right now, we have one,” he added. “But it’s not the final position and we will make further adjustments as we go along.”

When asked whether there was any significance in the timing of last week’s Cabinet changes, Mr Lee said he wanted to put in place a team before the next General Election — which must be held by early 2021 — and to hand the reins over to his successor by the time he turns 70 in 2022.