Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Ms Jasmin Lau, Mr Goh Pei Ming will become ministers of state, and Ms Goh Hanyan and former Nominated MP Syed Harun Alhabsyi will be appointed to senior parliamentary secretary roles.
Singapore Management University’s (SMU) Associate Professor Eugene Tan said the lifespans of political officeholders are being reduced “given the pace of political life” and the need for new energy, refreshed perspectives and fresh ideas.
The “accent” of this Cabinet reshuffle is at the junior ministerial level, he added.
Noting that Mr Wong assumed the mantle of prime minister after 13 years in politics, Assoc Prof Tan stressed that the fifth-generation, or 5G, PAP leaders must be ready by 2035.
“Time is of the essence,” he said, adding that Mr Wong may want to avoid a repeat of the leadership delay Singapore saw previously.
For example, Senior Minister Lee became prime minister in 2004, but his “first serious attempt” at putting a fourth-generation, or 4G, team in place came in 2011, said Assoc Prof Tan.
“It would be a mistake to assume that a pause in leadership renewal is no big deal. It is precisely because of the vagaries of politics and uncertainties of political life that there must be no let up in readying the next generation of leaders to take over,” he added.
The slate of new faces shows that Mr Wong is trying to give potential 5G leaders the space to grow and show their abilities, said Dr Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).
Adding that the prime minister is providing “quite a long runway” for them to develop their skillsets and experience, she noted that the first iteration of the 5G core leadership is “shaping up”.
“But of course these are very early days and there would probably be more individuals who might be given appointments as they go along their political careers as MPs,” said Dr Teo.
A FUTURE DPM FROM THE 4G?
Coordinating ministers oversee wider issue areas, in the process ensuring that the policies of ministries under their portfolio do not overlap or conflict with each other.
Observers said these coordinating ministers are below the DPM in the Cabinet hierarchy, but placed higher than other ministers.
The focus areas they oversee reflect their importance to the national agenda, said Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy adjunct associate professor in practice Terence Ho.
“Responsibility for these domains is reflected in the new structure, along with public services, which is now being recognised as a key responsibility that cuts across ministries,” he said.
Of the three newly announced coordinating ministers, the two fourth-generation or 4G leaders – Mr Chan and Mr Ong – could be frontrunners to become DPM in the longer term, said observers.
