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New responsibilities for Lawrence Wong, Sim Ann in latest Cabinet changes

SINGAPORE — Mr Lawrence Wong has been appointed Second Minister for Finance, while Ms Sim Ann is taking on the role of Senior Minister of State at the Ministry for Trade and Industry (MTI), the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced yesterday.

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SINGAPORE — Mr Lawrence Wong has been appointed Second Minister for Finance, while Ms Sim Ann is taking on the role of Senior Minister of State at the Ministry for Trade and Industry (MTI), the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced yesterday.

Mr Wong’s new role, which will be held concurrently with his present role as National Development Minister, was revealed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday during the National Day Rally.

He is to help Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat — who is returning to work after a stroke — with the operational responsibilities at the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

Ms Sim, meanwhile, will relinquish her appointment in MOF as Senior Minister of State. She will retain her concurrent appointment as Senior Minister of Culture, Community and Youth. The PMO did not elaborate on the reasons for the move.

With the changes, the MOF has three political appointees: Mr Heng, Mr Wong and Ms Indranee Rajah, who is Senior Minister of State for Finance.

At the MTI, which is led by Ministers Lim Hng Kiang (Trade) and S Iswaran (Industry), Ms Sim joins Dr Koh Poh Koon, who is Minister of State, and Ms Low Yen Ling, who is Parliamentary Secretary.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mr Wong wrote that he had previously worked in MOF as a civil servant and “thoroughly enjoyed” his stint there. “(I) look forward to returning to the ministry and giving my full support to Swee Keat as he progressively resumes his duties,” said Mr Wong, who also sits on the Board of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Mr Wong was deputy director of budget and head of economic programmes from 2002 to 2003, and assistant director in charge of budget policies and fiscal planning from 1999 to 2002. Along with Mr Heng, Mr Chan Chun Sing and Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Mr Wong entered politics in 2011, and was seen as part of the core group of fourth-generation leaders.

Ms Sim, who is currently in Miri, Sarawak to meet the Miri Tourism Taskforce, wrote on her Facebook page that she was glad to rejoin the MTI. She was previously the deputy director of trade at MTI from 2003 to 2006.

“We just met the Miri Tourism Taskforce to better understand collaboration opportunities for Singapore investors and companies,” said Ms Sim, who was accompanied by her colleagues from International Enterprise Singapore and Singapore’s High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I also look forward to reconnecting with friends and colleagues in the MTI family when I’m back in Singapore,” she added. AMANDA LEE

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