Analysis: New Cabinet line-up bears PM Wong's stamp as first-term MPs get fast-tracked through political ranks
The prime minister is forming a team that will not just carry the country into the decades ahead but one that he can trust and work with.
SINGAPORE: First-term Members of Parliament are advancing quickly through the political ranks, a sign that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is building his own team – just like what his predecessors have done, political analysts said.
They noted that the Cabinet changes announced on Wednesday (Jul 22) were part of a series of moves by Mr Wong – Singapore’s fourth prime minister – to bring new faces into government since taking office, forming a team that will not just carry the country into the decades ahead but one that he can trust and work with.
Dr Tan Ern Ser, an adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), said he was “surprised by the leapfrogging of the newest cohort of office holders”, while Dr Teo Kay Key, senior research fellow at IPS, noted that “there seems to be some level of initiation for the 2025 cohort into leadership positions, likely with an eye to forming the 5G leadership bench in advance”.
The original pool of experienced political office holders has shrunk “quite a bit”, with several veterans retiring before the last General Election and a few more departures since then, Dr Teo added.
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