25/07/2020 04:51 PM
By Massita Ahmad
SINGAPORE, July 25 -- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today announced his new Cabinet line-up following his party, the People's Action Party (PAP) retaining power in the republic's general election on July 10.
Heng Swee Keat will to continue as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
In announcing the new line-up via a virtual press conference, Lee said Heng will also take on additional responsibility as Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.
Meanwhile, Chan Chun Sing will remain as Trade and Industry Minister while Ong Ye Kung is the new Transport Minister following Khaw Boon Wan's retirement.
Two senior ministers Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam remain as Coordinating Minister for National Security and Social Policies respectively.
According to Lee, there will be 37 office holders in all, the same as the previous 2015 line-up, which includes Ministers of State and Parliamentary Secretaries as well.
The new line-up sees three officeholders having retired, six promoted and seven who are new faces.
The PAP led by Lee as the secretary-general won 83 of the 93 parliamentary seats at stake.
The swearing-in of the new Cabinet line-up and other officeholders will take place on July 27, 2020, at the Istana and Parliament House.
The new Cabinet also sees two Malay ministers as full ministers namely Masagos Zulkifli who will be Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health.
He will also remain as the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and relinquish the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources portfolio.
Dr Maliki Osman has been promoted to full Minister whereby he will be the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office as well as Second Minister for Education and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, Gan Kim Yong will remain as Health Minister while Lawrence Wong will relinquish his Minister for National Development portfolio as he has been appointed Minister for Education and remains as Second Minister for Finance.
Both Gan and Wong are the co-chair of the city-state's Multi-ministry Task Force on COVID-19.
The new National Development Minister is Desmond Lee.
S Iswaran, Ng Eng Hen, Vivian Balakrishnan, K Shanmugam and Josephine Teo remain as ministers of their respective ministries before.
-- BERNAMA
