On May 13, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Lawrence Wong announced changes to the Cabinet.
The reshuffle will see Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong appointed as DPM.
Heng Swee Keat will also continue his role as DPM, but will no longer hold the title of Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.
In response to media queries, Wong elaborated on the considerations of not having a Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.
He said:
"We do have a Coordinating Minister for National Security and that remains to date under [Senior Minister] Teo [Chee Hean].
I see that as more of a standing arrangement because [under] national security, we have quite a number of existing structures in place."
Explains role of coordinating minister
He explained that where security is concerned, the government has "pending mechanisms and processes" where agencies come together.
Coordinating ministers are needed to oversee the standing processes to "operate effectively".
"With other parts of the work and you could think about infrastructure, — we used to have a Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure too — economy, and social...
I see them differently, not so much a standing arrangement, but from time to time, it has been useful to have a coordinating minister for each of these areas."
He explained that coordinating ministers can bring the different agencies together to work and "coordinate the issues" more effectively.
"That's what, for example, Khaw Boon Wan did when he became Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and likewise when [Heng] Swee Keat when he was Coordinating Minister for Economy. But the situation will vary and evolve over time," he said.
Wong also said that issues are "not so silo[ed]" and are "more and more" intertwined in economy, infrastructure and social areas.
"Of course, down the road, circumstances may change and new needs may evolve. And we will consider those in due course accordingly, if there are new demands or circumstances change.
But for now, between myself and the two DPMs, we will effectively coordinate our policies across the economy, social and infrastructure and work very closely with the relevant ministers as a team."
No change to role
Wong also stressed that Heng's roles have not changed at all.
He said that Heng will continue with his research and development portfolio and his economic transformation work as well.
Apart from his role as DPM, Heng also has concurrent responsibilities for the National Research Foundation, Future Economy Advisory Panel and Productivity Fund Administration Board.
"As I said just now, some of this work is not just economic load. When we talk about industry transformation, we also have to think about societal impact.
We also have to think about displaced workers. There will be social consideration [and] social impact, and that's why we see this as really working together in a more integrated fashion."
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Top image from Lawrence Wong and Heng Swee Keat's Facebook pages.