SINGAPORE: President Halimah Yacob has asked Singaporeans to unite behind the newly elected Government and give it their full support to see the country though the COVID-19 crisis.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of new office holders at the Istana on Monday (Jul 27), Madam Halimah said she was heartened by how Singaporeans from all walks of life have mobilised resources to help each other in difficult times during the pandemic.
“So for this next phase, I ask Singaporeans to similarly unite behind the Government that we have elected, and give it our full support to see Singapore through this crisis,” she said.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong receiving the Instrument of Appointment after he was sworn in as Prime Minister at the Istana on Jul 27, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
While the COVID-19 situation in Singapore has stabilised, the crisis is far from over, said the President.
“The Government called a General Election to secure a fresh mandate and a new full term, in order to make the necessary and difficult decisions to deal with the troubled times ahead. Now that the election is over, we must focus on the challenges and the agenda ahead,” she said.
The General Election held on Jul 10 was won by the People’s Action Party (PAP) with 61.2 per cent of the popular vote. The PAP won 83 seats in Parliament, and 10 seats were won by the Workers’ Party.
The pandemic, which has killed more than 640,000 people worldwide, is the “crisis of a generation” and could set Singapore back for many years, Mdm Halimah said.
“Our progress in the last five years, and over many years before that, has given us a strong base to work from. Even so, we have had to muster all our strength and our resources, to mount an emergency response to this overwhelming challenge,” she said.
Mdm Halimah had approved the Government’s request to draw more than S$50 billion from Singapore’s past reserves to cushion the impact of the outbreak on jobs and the economy.
“I concurred with its assessment that we needed to bring all our resources to bear to deal with this existential challenge – the most serious since our nation’s independence – and protect Singaporeans’ lives and livelihoods,” she said.
Thirty-three office holders were sworn in at two locations – the Istana and the Parliament House – on Monday after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a Cabinet reshuffle on Saturday.
Six ministries now have new ministers at the helm – Mr Lawrence Wong at the Ministry of Education, Mr Ong Ye Kung at the Transport Ministry, Ms Grace Fu at the renamed Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Mr Masagos Zulkifli at the Ministry of Social and Family Development, Mr Desmond Lee at the Ministry of National Development and Mr Edwin Tong at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching arrive at the Istana for the swearing-in ceremony on Jul 27, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
The swearing-in ceremony for political office holders was simultaneously held at Parliament House on Jul 27, 2020, to abide by safe-distancing measures. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Five first-term Members of Parliament (MPs) were also sworn in as office holders, with one, Dr Tan See Leng, appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. Ms Gan Siow Huang, Mr Alvin Tan, Mr Desmond Tan and Mr Tan Kiat How have been appointed Ministers of State.
The Prime Minister said on Saturday that the new Cabinet seeks to balance continuity, exposure and renewal. While there are new office holders, older ministers such as Senior Ministers Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Teo Chee Hean will continue to serve while Singapore fights the COVID-19 crisis.
SINGAPORE: The new political office holders will bring with them fresh ideas and perspectives, and Singaporeans can be confident in the team, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (Jul 27) at their swearing-in ceremony.
Thirty-three office holders were sworn in at two locations – the Istana and Parliament House. President Halimah Yacob presided over the ceremony which was broadcast live on national television.
Several office holders, including Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, took their oaths at Parliament House, which was linked by live video to the Istana where Mdm Halimah was.
Mr Lee also highlighted that the Cabinet is a multi-racial one, with seven non-Chinese ministers among the 20 full ministers. The team also has a mix of ministers and office holders from “successive generations”, he added.
“The more senior ones have seen Singapore through past crises, and can offer valuable guidance and views to help overcome the challenges we face. The younger ministers are increasingly taking the lead, setting the agenda and engaging Singaporeans,” Mr Lee said.
“The new office holders will bring with them fresh ideas and perspectives, and work hard to master the issues. It is a team that Singaporeans can be confident in, and one that will walk with you every step of the way.”
President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the swearing-in ceremony at Istana on Jul 27, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
New office holders include Dr Tan See Leng, 55, who was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and new Ministers of State Mr Desmond Tan, 50, Ms Gan Siow Huang, 45, Mr Tan Kiat How, 43, and Mr Alvin Tan, 40.
The five are also first-term Members of Parliament.
In his speech, Mr Lee said that good politics depends on both sound institutions and high quality political leadership.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat swearing in from the Parliament House on Jul 27, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
“More than other countries, Singapore needs leaders who are capable and committed, men and women who have the courage of their convictions, who command the respect of Singaporeans and who can mobilise the population to achieve great things together,” he said.
“In this election, you have voted for me and my PAP team. With your mandate, I have formed the strongest Cabinet I could, to take Singapore through this crisis and beyond.”
The work of the new Cabinet has already begun, Mr Lee said, as he asked for Singaporeans’ support for the new Government.
“The elections are behind us. Whatever our political persuasions, never forget that we are first and foremost Singaporeans. Let us all unite and focus our energies on the major challenges ahead,” he said.
On the challenges ahead, Mr Lee said that Singapore needs to be vigilant amid the COVID-19 situation while it gets the economy going again, but the Government must also look further ahead.
“Beyond the ongoing crisis, the Government must also keep our eyes firmly on the future; one day, the pandemic will be over, and the economic crisis will pass. When that day comes, we have to be ready for the post-COVID-19 world,” he said.
“Our aim is not just to survive this storm, but also to set the long-term direction for our country. We must keep on improving Singapore, year after year, generation after generation.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching arrive at the Istana for the swearing-in ceremony on Jul 27, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
Beyond economic prosperity, the Government must also fulfil the broader ambitions Singaporeans have for the country, Mr Lee said.
“We aspire to be a fair and just society, with opportunities for all. We wish to fashion an inclusive community, where we look out for one another, reach out to those who need help, and show every Singaporean that they have a stake in our future,” he said.
“We want to make this a home where Singaporeans always believe that their children will have better lives than themselves, and the human spirit can flourish. This is the nation we are building together.”
POLITICAL SYSTEM MUST WORK WELL
Mr Lee added that to achieve these hopes and dreams, Singapore’s political system must continue to work well for the nation.
“The election has shown a strong desire among Singaporeans for greater diversity of views in politics. Voters want the PAP to form the government, but they also want more robust debate of policies and plans,” he said.
“We have to give expression to it, and evolve our political system to accommodate it, while maintaining our cohesion and sense of national purpose.”
Singapore’s 14th Parliament will have 10 elected MPs from the Workers’ Party and two Non-Constituency MPs from the Progress Singapore Party. Mr Lee has also said that there will be a formal Leader of the Opposition who will be given staff support and resources to perform this role.
“I look forward to more vigorous but constructive debates in Parliament. I hope our colleagues across the aisle will step up to play their role of a responsible and loyal opposition,” Mr Lee said.
(Left to right) Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo, Second Minister for National Development Indranee Rajah and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman being sworn in at the Istana on Jul 27, 2020. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
The opposition should put forward serious policy alternatives to be scrutinised and debated, he added.
“This way, we can help voters better understand the issues, choices and trade-offs, and in the process, improve policies and plans, and deliver better outcomes for Singapore,” he said.
Mr Lee, 68, reiterated his intention see through the COVID-19 crisis. He had previously said he wanted to retire before 70.
“My aim is to see through this crisis and hand over Singapore, intact and in working order, into good hands who can take the country further forward,” he said on Monday. “I ask Singaporeans to extend to the younger ministers the same support that you have given me all these years.”
For a brief moment, a GrabFood rider had to consider if his mode of transport would be adequate to complete a delivery.
After all, he would have to ditch his bike in mainland Singapore to send an order from Kimly Seafood restaurant in Yishun to a customer in Seletar Island, located just off the northern coast of the country.
Unless he chartered a boat ride or kayaked to the offshore island, there was no way he would be able to complete the job. Funnily enough, Ruzzy (@rxzhael) shared on Twitter yesterday (July 26) how a Grab Delivery Partner Support agent requested him to make the delivery nonetheless.
“I ride bike not submarine,” he quipped in his message to the agent, requesting either for reassignment or cancellation of the job. The agent replied that would not be possible as the order is “within the acceptable range” for Ruzzy’s mode of vehicle. He would have to deliver the order.
“So I’m supposed to swim there?” he said in confusion. Plus, it’s just weird that someone would want to have their food delivered to an island that is nothing but mangrove trees.
Four years after a collision with an electric scooter left his wife in a coma for a month, Leong Loon Wah and his three kids are still dealing with the fallout from the accident.
Their latest struggle? Getting the rider to pay up on almost $500,000 awarded to them by the State Courts.
Nicholas Ting Nai Jie, 21, the e-scooter rider who knocked down 57-year-old Ang Liu Kiow in 2016, has refused to pay $445,748.81 in damages and $25,000 in legal costs, Leong told The Straits Times through his lawyer on July 25.
Ting’s lawyer S. Selvaraj explained to Lianhe Zaobao that his client is a full-time national serviceman with no assets. Even if Ting files for bankruptcy, Leong will not be able to recover much, Selvaraj added.
Ong Ye Kung is the MOE guy no more, following a post-election Cabinet reshuffle that saw him shifted from the Ministry of Education (MOE) to the Ministry of Transport (MOT).
The move left Ong with a heavy heart, as he’d long grown fond of the ministry since his appointment in 2015, he shared in a Facebook post on Saturday (July 25).
One of his many predecessors had told him the MOE was a special place that would make one feel strongly about education, even after they have left, he wrote.
SINGAPORE: Leadership renewal continues apace but the management of the health and economic crisis arising from the coronavirus pandemic is top priority.
This is the message of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Cabinet line-up announced 15 days after Singapore’s most recent general election.
Younger and newer leaders must take this time to prove their mettle not just to their ministerial mentors but also to a Singapore public that has now been exposed to robust debates, fair, accurate or otherwise, led by the opposition parties during the campaigning period on how the country has dealt with the severe impact of the pandemic.
BOLSTERING THE HEALTH AND MANPOWER MINISTRIES
Mr Lee said he has kept status quo in ministries and the multi-ministry taskforce directly involved in addressing this “the crisis of a generation” – something he would have done irrespective of opposition charges during the election.
He has also boosted the capacity of these to develop better policies and programmes on the ground. These moves also address important perception gaps the emerged in the hustings.
Two medical practitioners Dr Koh Poh Koon and Dr Janil Puthucheary have been introduced into the team at the Ministry of Health (replacing the one, Dr Lam Pin Min, in the previous Cabinet), and another, Dr Tan See Leng, into the team at the Ministry of Manpower.
Bear in mind that this is a Cabinet comprising six doctors before the general election and now five, post-election. They are complemented by the medical specialists in the public health system led by the Director of Medical Services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak at MOH.
When Mr Lee explained his rationale for rotating the junior ministers, he said he expected Cabinet colleagues to be able to bring in their perspectives and expertise on issues, reinforcing a point he had made on numerous occasions before that the Cabinet plays as a team, with all past and professional experience individual members have, brought to bear in decision-making.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announcing Singapore’s new Cabinet on Jul 25, 2020.
It will be up to the multi-ministry taskforce, strengthened with political office holders with healthcare expertise in the ministries directly involved in it, to demonstrate that the Singapore response is a well-considered one with the best prevailing medical advice and competing national demands especially of preserving livelihoods balanced.
Although allegations from the opposition Singapore Democratic Party that government decisions on COVID-19, especially the falsehood that MOM had discouraged employers from testing, lacked medical input have been refuted with an official correction, such charges could chip away at public trust in the Government.
With a grasp of the implications of these new Cabinet moves, it will be difficult to argue that medical expertise and the Hippocratic ethos have been left out of the Government’s approach to the crisis.
THE NEED FOR STRONGER COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH
This speaks to a second and perhaps even more critical aspect to the management of the crisis than continuity – that of communications and connection between the Government and the public.
This Cabinet will have to address arguments that the fourth generation (4G) leaders had mishandled the COVID-19 crisis and had put political considerations and desire to showcase their abilities ahead of scientific and healthcare considerations.
In that regard, the three new recruits into Cabinet with background in communications may be an asset if they can indeed work together to that end and help explain how Government functions especially during these difficult times.
Mr Tan Kiat How, former head of IMDA, will head up the government feedback unit called Reach while former Facebook and LinkedIn executive Alvin Tan and former SGSecure Programme Office head Eric Chua will be in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth that facilitates citizen engagement with young Singaporeans.
They should lend themselves to efforts at the Ministry of Communications and Information, which has another medical practitioner, Dr Janil Puthucheary as Senior Minister of State there, to set out evidence that the evolving scientific knowledge as well as public health considerations have been critical in shaping a sustainable response to the pandemic.
New Members of Parliament-elect (from left) Gan Siow Huang, Alvin Tan, Desmond Tan and Tan Kiat How will be appointed Ministers of State. (Photos: People’s Action Party)
Revealing in ways possible how the Government makes its decisions not just at the operational and tactical levels but also at the strategic level, and from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and hospitals managing the outbreak right up to Cabinet, will reinforce the level of trust the public has in its management of the policy issues it entails.
In this, the Government can afford to give greater insight into how recent decisions were arrived at to pre-empt concerns.
For example, is it possible to provide indication of the types of policy negotiations that has transpired between Singapore with other countries and multilateral organisations to moderate the international community’s current “high risk” assessment of Singapore, and how bilateral negotiations in facilitating green channels and cross-border travel are being conducted?
This was another theme in the opposition Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) criticism of the Government’s management of infections in foreign worker dormitories – that its negligence of one area of risk, namely foreign worker infections, has meant Singapore has had to suffer universal travel bans and their economic ramifications.
It is stunning to realise after all that while the absolute number of infections in Singapore just breached the 50,000 number on Sunday (Jul 26), infections among the non-foreign worker population actually stands at a fraction.
More importantly, the fact that all foreign workers are being tested, treated and segmented to keep well must make a difference in local as well as international perceptions of the Singapore response.
Again, the re-opening of the border with Malaysia has just been agreed upon but there is certainly much to explain and understand about how the management of risk, considerations of business continuity, sustaining livelihoods as well as the goodwill on both sides of the Causeway have contributed to this breakthrough.
NO CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP TRANSITION
Aside from the strengthening of the Government’s policy orientation and engagement efforts, this new Cabinet line-up also sends a strong signal of continuity in the leadership transition journey.
It was notable that there remains one Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, Heng Swee Keat.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat speaking at a press conference announcing Singapore’s new Cabinet on Jul 25, 2020.
If the electoral support he garnered as the anchor minister in East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) mattered, some have speculated the 53.41 per cent of the votes his team polled might have wounded him politically. Others have said he “rescued” East Coast from falling to the competing Workers’ Party.
However, because he is still featured as the only DPM, this signals that he is still the one person to succeed Mr Lee as was the case before the election, even if the handover is likely to be delayed until the pandemic is neutralised.
The day after the announcement of the Cabinet line-up, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who is the same vintage and considered within the same leadership cohort as DPM Heng, said there was complete and absolute unity behind DPM’s Heng’s leadership among 4G leaders, laying to rest a re-opening of that question of succession at the very top.
GREATER DIVERSITY, MORE FOCUS ON GROOMING ANCHORS FOR CONSTITUENCIES IN THE EAST
This Cabinet has also showcased greater diversity in Singapore’s national leadership, with nine women, or about a quarter of the 37 positions, five Malays where two are full ministers, and six Indians, five of whom are full ministers. Of the 13 new PAP MPs from the private sector, two have been brought into Cabinet – Dr Tan and Mr Alvin Tan.
The final feature is this: Several GRCs in the East – East Coast, Marine Parade and Pasir Ris Punggol – now see up to three office-holders in the team. The Workers’ Party has contested in the first two seriously so these shifts shore up the PAP position there.
The pace of leadership development seems slower in other parts of Singapore aside from the East. There are just two members of Cabinet in the Jurong GRC, Chua Chu Kang GRC, Marsiling-Yew Tee and Nee Soon GRC.
But there is time, with more reshuffles ahead to promote good performers in the junior ranks in those parts of the island, bearing in mind that the opposition parties in both the East and West, and certainly, the PSP in the latter, are not standing still either in this dynamic, interactive quest of securing political dominance.
The next development to watch then is the PAP’s election of its Central Executive Committee due at the end of the year.
Dr Gillian Koh is Deputy Director (Research) and Senior Research Fellow in the Governance and Economy Department at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore.
SINGAPORE – Lawyer Samuel Seow Theng Beng prodded the forehead of one of his subordinates twice with his finger and caused her pain, in an incident that took place at his law firm in 2018.
At the time, he was upset with her over work she had not completed.
Minutes later and still angry, he assaulted a second woman – a female lawyer working at the firm – after she failed to inform him of the whereabouts of the company’s associate director.
A district court heard that he slapped Ms Brenda Kong Shin Ying, who is also his niece, on both her cheeks and the top of her head.
Seow pleaded guilty in court on Monday (July 27) to one count each of assaulting Ms Kong, 26, and using criminal force on Ms Rachel Kang Pei Shan, 21.
A harassment charge and a second charge of using criminal force will be considered during sentencing.
The court heard that the 47-year-old Singaporean owned companies including Samuel Seow Law Corporation and talent agency Beam Artistes.
Members of Singapore’s Lim family have asked a court to stop law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore (R&T) from working for court-appointed supervisors to two companies in the Lim’s embattled oil trading empire, Evan Lim Chee Meng said.
Mr Lim and his sister, Lim Huey Ching, filed an application to restrain R&T from acting for the judicial managers of fleet manager Ocean Tankers Pte Ltd, Mr Lim said in an e-mail on Friday (July 24).
A similar application had been made in regard to oil trader Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, he said.
They filed application on behalf of Ocean Tankers and Hin Leong Trading. Mr Lim and his sister are directors of both companies.
The actions are the latest in a series stemming from the collapse earlier this year of Hin Leong and Ocean Tankers, both of which were placed under court-appointed supervisors.
Hin Leong is seeking to restructure billions of dollars of debt after a crash in oil prices revealed a massive, years-long fraud at the once fabled trading house.
Some drivers zhng (decorate) their rides by slapping on a couple of Singapore-related decals, but this man’s flashy ride takes the cake.
Gojek driver Henry Ho is back on the roads again with his Toyota sedan decked out in numerous decorations showing off his national pride.
Besides the small Singapore flags fastened to the car chassis, the 64-year-old has plastered nearly every surface of his vehicle with self-made decals to spread joy to his passengers and fellow motorists.
The Covid-19 pandemic may have led to a smaller, quieter celebration of the nation’s 55th birthday, but it hasn’t dampened the spirits of the patriotic Singaporean.
Despite his earnings being halved since February, Ho spent $300 on the decorations this year.
“This is what I love to do, I’m fine with spending some money on it,” he told Lianhe Wanbao.
Writer and founder of an English language tuition centre took to Facebook last Friday (July 24) to lay out several arguments on why Singlish — the colloquial patois of Singaporeans — needs to be, in his opinion, “cancelled”.
Naturally, not all agreed with Johann Loh’s perspective and they made it clear through hundreds of comments and shares of his post.
Loh listed eight reasons to quash Singlish from our lexicon, most of which related to raising the national culture above the condescension and juvenile humour he associates with the vernacular.
As the founder of Academia English & Writing Centre (and as someone who graduated from Princeton University among other academic achievements), Loh took aim at Singlish’s roots in “bad English”.
“It’s a mausoleum to our former inability to master English and in many respects, an extended satire of our former shame,” he argued, stating that particles like “lah” and “lor” are “various sounds and gestures to replace complex vocabulary”.
