SINGAPORE: National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general and Jalan Kayu Member of Parliament (MP) Ng Chee Meng said on Tuesday (May 6) that he has asked Prime Minister Lawrence Wong not to assign him any position in government.
“Over the next five years, I will focus on my duties as the MP in Jalan Kayu and my role as secretary-general of NTUC. The needs of my residents and all Singaporean workers are my priorities,” he said in a statement.
“Hence, I have asked the prime minister not to assign me any position in government. PM has agreed to consider this.”
In the tightest contest of this year’s General Election, Mr Ng clinched victory for the People’s Action Party in the Jalan Kayu Single Member Constituency (SMC) with 51.47 per cent of the vote, beating Workers’ Party candidate Andre Low.
During a press conference in the early hours of Sunday morning, the prime minister addressed several questions from the media, including one on his potential Cabinet line-up.
Mr Wong said that Mr Ng will potentially have a role in his next Cabinet, based on the roles of the nation’s labour chiefs in previous Cabinet line-ups.
Mr Ng said in his statement on Tuesday afternoon that his heart “will always be for Singapore and Singaporeans” and that he will continue to serve to the best of his abilities.
In a separate statement on Facebook, Mr Ng also thanked residents, union leaders, colleagues and supporters who have “continued to encourage and support” him.
APOLOGY
Mr Ng also addressed the recent circulation of online posts regarding a Ministry of Education (MOE) dialogue that took place in 2017, before he became NTUC chief.
Mr Ng was Minister for Education between 2016 and 2018.
“I greatly value the work that teachers do every day. They make a tremendous difference in our students’ lives,” he said.
“I do not remember the exact words I used that day as close to a decade has passed since the dialogue. I regret if any of my remarks came across as disrespectful, especially when the participants had raised questions in good faith.
“I could have handled the situation better. I sincerely apologise. I have received and accepted the feedback, and will continue to do better.”
One of the posts characterised Mr Ng’s interaction with civil servants as disrespectful and patronising.
The author of the post, who identified themselves as an MOE Beginning Teacher, said Mr Ng had appeared to “react at once in anger” to their question. The teacher also recounted being told to stand up when being spoken to.
“NO FURTHER INTERACTIONS” WITH CONVICTED CRIMINAL
In his statement, Mr Ng also clarified that he had no further interaction with convicted money launderer Su Haijin after encountering him during an engagement session “some time back”.
A photo of Mr Ng and Su was posted online by former Reform Party chairman Charles Yeo. Su was one of the 10 people convicted in the billion-dollar money laundering case last year.
“As the secretary-general of NTUC, it is part of my work to engage with different companies and private sector leaders. These engagements help me better understand the concerns and challenges in different industries,” said Mr Ng in response to media queries.
“At these engagements, people would often approach me for photographs. This dinner was one such engagement. It took place some time back.
“I learnt later about the police investigations and subsequent criminal charges against Su. Thereafter, I had no further interactions with him.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the press secretaries for Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat also said the ministers do not know Su personally and have no dealings with him.
Pictures of the ministers with Su were also posted online by Yeo.
Su, a Cypriot national, was sentenced to 14 months’ jail last April.
He had jumped off a balcony during a raid in August 2023 to arrest suspects linked to Singapore’s largest money laundering case.
In total, more than S$3 billion (US$2.2 billion) in assets have been seized or frozen in the case.
