Seeing Cabinet change in perspective

The slight change to the Cabinet might raise questions about its utility, given the remaining 20 months of the Government's term, if taken to its utmost limit. All the more, the stated value in renewing leadership would be circumscribed.

Of course, there's often more to Cabinet reshuffles everywhere than is fully articulated. While some moves might be functional or prudential, others are symbolic or tactical in varying degrees.

Singapore's record of top leadership renewal based on ability and character is a strong one. But leaders need to win over the electorate and it's likely the latest move was also conditioned by considerations linked to the next general election.

A case in point is Mr Chan Chun Sing's pointed entry into the labour movement - a signal of the importance of this base to the People's Action Party and the need for key fourth-generation leaders to establish political rapport to gather mass support.

Mr Chan was untested at the last election when his team, including founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, was not challenged at Tanjong Pagar GRC.

The logic of the other Cabinet moves becomes clear when Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, another rising minister, is required to continue Mr Chan's Social and Family Development work - one that is assuming greater import, given the social evolution in progress. Filling Mr Tan's post, former labour chief Lim Swee Say is seen as a natural fit for the Manpower portfolio.

In another important area, one would have been surprised if the Prime Minister had not inducted a younger Malay leader sooner rather than later to preserve the inclusiveness of the Cabinet.

As Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Masagos Zulkifli will offer the PM more options in shaping his post-GE Cabinet, while Mr Masagos remains engaged at the Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs ministries in the interim. These are both substantial portfolios, given present and emerging security threats as well as significant regional developments.

This will also serve the broad objective of exposing the fourth generation to a range of sensitive tasks.

The pragmatism underlying the ministerial reshuffle here deserves to be noted as the change is endogenous - prompted by self-renewal and merit considerations - rather than one that is exogenously induced, for example, when coalition partners or party heavyweights make demands to serve their own political interests.

Going forward, managing both leadership continuity and change, in ways that safeguard Singapore's critical interests, cannot be taken for granted as the polity develops.

Yet some things unlikely to change are time-tested hallmarks of political leadership, like result-based performance and a people-based approach.

This article was first published on April 13, 2015.
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