Kee Chiu checks into his new office at the MOE:

Singapore’s next Prime Minister must be someone who can bring the team together, says PM Lee

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s next leader must first and foremost be someone who can bring the rest of his team together and make the “whole greater than the sum of its parts”, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday (May 7).

Mr Lee was speaking at the launch of the second volume of Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong’s biography titled Standing Tall.

As Singapore's fourth-generation ministers choose a leader among themselves, they can look to Mr Goh and his team for reference, said Mr Lee.

Mr Goh served as prime minister from 1990 to 2004, and retired from politics last year.

"They can have no better template than Chok Tong and his team,” said Mr Lee.

"Whoever will be Prime Minister must first and foremost be someone who can bring the rest together. Pull them together, make the most of the strengths of each minister, and make the whole greater than the sum of its parts."

The latest Cabinet reshuffle will give the 4G ministers the chance to work with one another in new capacities as a team, said Mr Lee.

Seven ministries are due to get new heads on May 15 after Mr Lee announced a Cabinet reshuffle last month. The extensive reshuffle, held earlier than usual in the Government's new term, was in part triggered by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat's decision to step aside as the leader of the 4G team.

Mr Lee said that persuading good people to join politics is an increasingly difficult task.

"The opportunity costs are significant: You probably have to give up a promising career, and you lose privacy for yourself and maybe your family members because you are constantly under scrutiny and criticism," he said. "Especially now with the social media, and cancel culture."

But it is "the only way to maintain the quality of government that Singaporeans have become used to", said Mr Lee.

The ability to persuade people was one of Mr Goh's "greatest strengths", said Mr Lee, adding that Mr Goh was able to "persuade able people to work for him, bring out the best in each of them, and gel them into a loyal and cohesive team".

"He personally cajoled, persuaded, pressed, persisted, and more often than not, eventually prevailed in getting us to make the life changing decision to enter politics," said Mr Lee.

Mr Goh's Cabinet teams were arguably among the strongest Cabinets Singapore has had, said Mr Lee.

"This meant that when I took over as PM, I inherited a strong and experienced team. I benefited greatly from their support and advice, and of course, from Chok Tong’s too."

Mr Goh handed over the premiership to Mr Lee in 2004 only after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 had been quelled.

Mr Lee said that his predecessor's account of the SARS outbreak is "particularly timely" at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The government had no playbook for dealing with such a crisis. Chok Tong mounted a maximum national response to stem the spread," said Mr Lee.

"He marshalled the whole government machinery ... He also rallied the nation behind him and his team."

Recounting how Mr Goh shared his worries and fears with close confidantes, Mr Lee said: "He was anguished about each SARS death that occurred, particularly those of the brave medical workers.

"One of his Marine Parade activists recalled him exclaiming 'My people are dying! They are my people!'"

Singapore's experience with SARS has given it a "baseline" and a headstart in attempting to bring COVID-19 under control, said Mr Lee.

"But having overcome SARS once, we are confident that despite all the twists and turns, we will overcome COVID-19 too," he said.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-next-prime-minister-be-someone-bring-team-together-14762960

Expert: LW+OYK=Dream Team ⇒ Kee Chiu 完了？

‘Musical chairs’ cabinet reshuffle sheds no light on PAP’s leadership succession plan

With the announcement of the ‘musical chairs’ cabinet shuffle—save the introduction of Tan See Leng, a 56-year-old political scene newbie—we can safely say that there will not be any decision on who the next Prime Minister will be until the next General Election, at least until the next cabinet reshuffle takes place.

What this would mean is that PM Lee Hsien Loong will remain as PM till the next GE — at least three more years, barring any incredible events.

While Heng Swee Keat remains as Deputy Prime Minister, he has relinquished the position as designated PM successor, which renders his position as a placeholder. He is not even going to stand in for PM Lee in the event if the Prime Minister is not in Singapore.

Although Lawrence Wong has been appointed as Finance Minister, it is merely a step up from his previous appointment as Second Minister of Finance.

Despite being touted by local media as one of the contenders for becoming PM Lee’s successor, his portfolio does not quite reflect so.

Ong Ye Kung, a favourite possible choice of many for the next PM in line, is appointed as Health Minister.

However, the appointment has hardly advanced him in the PM race amongst his counterparts.

One good thing that may come out of this appointment would be that Ong—as someone who is seemingly much more efficient than his counterparts when it comes to managing their ministries—will hopefully be able to steer Singapore through the COVID-19 pandemic in his new role with better thought-out policies compared to the reactive ones we have seen so far.

Chan Chun Seng is now appointed as Education Minister — a position that is far from any resemblance of a would-be PM.

Not to mention, his role as Deputy Chairman of People’s Association has been passed to Edwin Tong in this latest announcement.

Even with the latest developments, my bet is still on Chan being PAP leadership’s choice for PM successor, given his existing portfolio.

Leading up to the next GE, he would only need to take over the position of Finance Minister or Defence Minister to be properly positioned as the next DPM and PM-designate.

What may be lacking for him is, however, his abysmal public approval rate — something that needs to be improved in order to make him a viable choice to spearhead the 4G leadership crop.

As for Desmond Lee, who was also named as a possible contender, he was not part of the shuffle, making his contestation for the 4G leadership even more unlikely as Minister of National Development.

As it stands today, Lee Hsien Loong has positioned himself to continue as leader of the 4G cabinet until the next General Election.

It is unlikely that anyone will be appointed as PM during this period other than Heng, who already has been a named successor prior to the last GE.

The most that could happen — leading up to the next election — is the appointment of a new DPM as a pathway to prop up the individual as the next possible PM successor.

PAP will have to first secure public approval on its future 4G leader before it officially designates one, as it will determine the party’s success in the next GE.

On a certain level, Heng’s decision to back out as PM-designate has already diminished public trust in PAP’s succession plan — another failure will prove to be a disaster for the party’s grip on voters’ confidence.

It remains in question as to what had happened to the succession plan PM Lee had promised to put in place 16 years ago.

https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2021/04/23/musical-chairs-cabinet-reshuffle-sheds-no-light-on-paps-leadership-succession-plan/

Pinky hopes Sinkies will give him and his ministers their full support:

Inept leaders playing musical chairs - uninspiring as fuck.

7 ministries get new ministers in major Cabinet reshuffle

SINGAPORE: Seven ministers will switch portfolios in a major Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Friday (Apr 23), two weeks after Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had said that he will step aside as the leader of the fourth-generation People's Action Party (PAP) leadership team.

This means that about half of the 15 ministries will get new ministers.

"Today I am announcing the new line-up. It will be a more extensive reshuffle than is usual this early in the term of government," said Mr Lee.

"I have two reasons for this: One is that the Minister for Finance is changing. Following Budget 2021, DPM Heng is relinquishing the Finance portfolio. Finance is a key ministry, so when the Finance Minister changes, there are many repercussions for the other appointments."

Mr Lawrence Wong, 48, who was just appointed Education Minister last July and has also been Second Minister for Finance since 2016, will take over the Finance Ministry from Mr Heng.

Mr Heng, 60, remains Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Economic Policies.

Mr Lee added that he is moving the ministers for health, manpower, and trade and industry, which he had considered making after last year's General Election, but did not at the time as Singapore was still "in the thick" of fighting COVID-19.

As the COVID-19 situation has become more stable, Mr Lee said he is now able to make these changes.

"With these major moves, there are inevitably other consequential adjustments to the appointments," said Mr Lee. "I am therefore taking this opportunity to redeploy some of the other ministers, to give them fresh responsibilities, and gain different exposure and experience."

Mr Chan Chun Sing, 51, who is Minister for Trade and Industry, will be appointed Minister for Education.

Mr Ong Ye Kung, 51, will move from the Transport Ministry to take over as Minister for Health.

Mr Ong will co-chair the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force, together with Mr Wong.

Mr Gan Kim Yong, 62, who has been the Health Minister for almost a decade, will be moved to lead the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The Transport Ministry will now be helmed by Mr S Iswaran, 58, while Mrs Josephine Teo, 52, will step down as Manpower Minister and take over the Ministry of Communications and Information.

Dr Tan See Leng, 56, will be Manpower Minister in her stead.

"Most of the 4G ministers have already accumulated experience in a wide range of portfolios. This round of Cabinet changes will allow them to gain new experience and exposure," said Mr Lee.

"They have to get to work quickly because although our COVID-19 situation is stabler now, we are still in the midst of a public health and economic crisis."

He added that the reshuffle is an opportunity for them to work together in new capacities, so that "they can understand each other better, and strengthen their cohesion as a team".

"This will make the new team readier to take over from me and my older colleagues," said Mr Lee.

More at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cabinet-reshuffle-lawrence-wong-chan-chun-sing-ong-ye-kung-14678730

Singapore's 4G leadership race: Will it be Ong, Wong or Chan?

SINGAPORE — The race to become the successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong appears to be down to three men: Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung, 51, Education Minister Lawrence Wong, 48, and Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, 51.

Sources in the People's Action Party (PAP) and academics, while divided on the frontrunners, agreed that the process, which will have repercussions for the next election, needs to be carefully managed. A Cabinet reshuffle scheduled for next week, which will fill the all-important Finance Minister portfolio, is expected to shed more light on who will be Lee's heir apparent.

Singapore's well-oiled leadership succession was abruptly brought to a halt last Thursday (8 April), when Deputy PM Heng Swee Keat stepped aside as leader of the Republic's fourth-generation leadership team and designated successor to Lee. Heng, 59, cited his age and the disruptions caused by the pandemic as the key reasons for his decision at a media conference.

In response, Heng's 4G colleagues said in a statement that his decisions had been an "unexpected turn of events" and said they would need "more time" to select another leader.

Lee said at the same conference that the process of choosing his successor would take "more than a few months", and "should not take more than a couple of years", with a clear outcome before the next general election.

Sentiment in the PAP

On Monday, a Bloomberg report, citing high-ranking PAP members, said the leadership race was expected to come down to Ong and Wong. An ongoing Yahoo News Singapore poll on readers' preferred choice as 4G leader, which has attracted more than 23,000 votes as of Wednesday evening, currently has Ong in the lead with 29 per cent, followed by Wong at 16 per cent. Chan garnered just 9 per cent of the vote.

Similar online polls such as that of social news site Mothership, with some 13,700 votes as of Wednesday evening, has Wong narrowly in the lead at 37 per cent and Ong at 35 per cent, with Chan also in third at 23 per cent.

When asked by Yahoo News Singapore about the three possible frontrunners, as well as National Development Minister Desmond Lee, former Ang Mo Kio Member of Parliament Inderjit Singh would only say, "All the four names you mentioned are possible candidates (to be) 4G PM."

Singh added that the process of choosing Lee's successor has been complicated by the lack of "a clear superstar candidate", leading to the need for "a cohesive and strong team" instead of one strong person.

Noting that Heng's decision took many of the party cadres by surprise, given that succession planning has historically been done with very little surprises, he said, "I believe the cadres will want to see the decision made on who replaces Mr Heng as soon as possible. It is important that the PAP continues to look strong and organised."

He added, "If we take too long, we risk looking like we are in disarray."

Among rank and file party members, Chan and Ong are seen as the leading contenders, according to one well-placed source. The former is regarded as a strict military man who is "aggressively pushing" to be the leader of the 4G team, while the latter impressed with his leadership of his Sembawang GRC team at GE2020, the source said.

"By all accounts, the two men don’t get along. One would not be happy to be subordinate to the other," said the source. "The two of them are neither that brilliant nor objectionable. They are about the same. The 4G are just a very uninspiring lot."

Wong, who has impressed with his work as co-chair of the multi-ministry taskforce on COVID-19, has surprised party members with his rapid ascent and does not trigger "strong opinions", the source added.

Race to the Istana

Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan of the Singapore Management University, agreed that the trio are the frontrunners, noting that they are among the most experienced of the 4G leaders in terms of Cabinet experience. Given that Heng's departure is an "own goal", the saga has raised the legitimate question of whether the 4G leaders can consensually pick the right person to lead them, the government, and the country.

Prof Tan added that the way the leadership race is conducted will heavily impact public perceptions of the party, and must not descend into a divisive contest. "Competition is to be expected but it must be healthy, clarifying, and unifying. Anything less than that will not augur well for the party, especially when the 4G is looking vulnerable."

When asked why the selection process is taking so long, Prof Tan pointed out that the strategic environment, exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, has evolved considerably since 2018, when Heng was chosen. Key considerations include who can be the talisman for the PAP at the next election, and which 4G leader can complement Lee's successor.

"More time is needed simply because the bottomline is that the 4G must get it right this time – there is no alternative. If the successor wins poorly in the next GE, the 4G and the party cannot undo their selection without irreparable damage to them, and Singapore," said Prof Tan.

Separately, Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore was reticent about anointing any frontrunners, pointing out that the process of choosing a party leader remains a mystery since the PAP does not have an open leadership election.

For instance, there is little information on who gets nominated to run for different positions on the PAP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), even if the vote for CEC members by cadres is public knowledge. Candidates also do not run public campaigns where they lay out positions and seek support.

This creates uncertainty for many Singaporeans, said Prof Chong. "Such conditions are likely to spur unease and speculation until such time more Singaporeans become comfortable with uncertainty and leadership contests."

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapores-4-g-leadership-race-ong-wong-chan-155740950.html

LMFAO this Shit Times reader's forum letter really made my day!

Selfless leaders set Singapore apart

I think Singapore is probably one of the few countries in the world where you do not see leaders fighting to stay in power, unlike in many other countries.

I don't think Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat is being ageist for stepping aside, and we should not treat this instance as a microcosm of society (Don't assume that older adults have shorter career runways, April 12).

As founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew said many times in the past, Singapore could quickly derail if we have the wrong person at the helm.

The gargantuan role of the prime minister is not an easy one, especially from the perspective of people like DPM Heng who had the opportunity to work with Mr Lee in the past.

I think Singaporeans can count their blessings that our leaders are selfless enough to step aside for younger leaders to step up to the challenge.

Let's hope this political culture continues to be the tradition for our leaders here.

Seah Yam Meng

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-selfless-leaders-set-singapore-apart

HAHAHAHAHA THIS IS KAN PHUA HOR CHIO!

In 2008, Viswa Sadasivan gave a talk where he spoke of a “crisis of leadership” in Singapore.

Gerald Giam, who was my deputy editor at The Online Citizen at the time, reported on the speech.

Viswa spoke after the 2006 General Elections, PM Lee’s first election as PM after taking office in 2004.

The PAP had introduced what it called its “P65″ candidates – those born after 1965.

I remember quite well Lee Kuan Yew, during a break at a hawker centre/coffeeshop where he held an impromptu media door-stop, responding to a reporter’s question about the quality of the PAP candidates that year.

LKY remarked that well, they were not “first tier”, because the “first tier” people approached by the PAP had declined to join, giving reasons of wanting to spend time with family and to focus on their careers.

The “P65″ candidates that year included Josephine Teo, Baey Yam Keng, Michael Palmer, Jessica Tan, Teo Ser Luck, Zaqy Mohamad.

Among them, only Josephine Teo has since risen to a full minister. One was made Speaker but resigned after a scandal. Another has since stepped down from politics altogether.

Anyway, point is: the PAP’s inability to attract top tier talents started that year.

It is stark how it has declined after 2001 when the PAP managed to recruit the “Super Seven” candidates – Tharman, Ng Eng Hen, Vivian Balakrishnan, Raymond Lim, Khaw Boon Wan, Cedric Foo, and the late Balaji Sadasivan.

5 later became full ministers (Tharman was also DPM), while the other 2 were Ministers-of-State.

Even if the so-called “4G” leadership manage to select one to lead, it still does not settle the problem of a thin leadership in the PAP, and thus in the government.

LKY was frank in his revelation. 15 years on, we now see the most dramatic outcome of this lack of talent in the PAP – the length of time it has taken the PAP itself to choose a worthy successor to Lee Hsien Loong.

If we continue to tie our country’s – and thus ours – fortune to just one party, and just one small group of men and women – we are risking all our futures.

The current crisis in the PAP should tell us that it is the most dangerous thing we can do, not only for our own good, but also for that of our children.

So, please stop begging, urging, hoping for the PAP to change.

Take this time to support an alternative, so that Singapore will not go down just because one party cannot make a simple decision – even after 17 years.

*Sudhir Vadaketh also wrote, last year, a rather prescient piece on the crisis of leadership in the PAP, particularly on whether HSK would indeed be the person to lead the party and the govt.

Andrew Loh

Quick recap: Tanjong Pagar GRC under Chan Chun Sing's helm saw a whopping 14.58% drop in vote share for GE 2020, as compared to GE 2015.

Before GE2020...

GE 2020 post-mortem...

PETITION: Say NO to Chan Chun Sing for PM!

https://www.change.org/p/singaporeans-say-no-to-chan-chun-sing-for-pm

CCS: I will not allow Chinese tourist arrivals to grow by more than 20 percent

Source: https://mothership.sg/2020/02/chan-chun-sing-leaked-transcript/

LT: Great Leaders Do Not Need Long Runways!

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/dpm-heng-swee-keat-steps-aside-as-leader-of-4g-team-setting-back-singapores