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Why is S'pore's team of ministers called a 'Cabinet' & what does it actually do?
The leaders that will guide Singapore to its next chapter.
May 19, 2025, 02:27 PM
Now that the General Election has concluded and Singapore has voted for their preferred representatives to be their voices in Parliament, it's time for next big thing: the Cabinet reshufle.
You might be wondering what's a Cabinet, why our Prime Minister reshuffles it regularly, and most importantly, why we name it after a piece of furniture?
Here are some burning questions, answered.
What's a Cabinet?
No, it doesn’t hold your clothes — it holds the country’s leadership.
The Cabinet is a team of ministers selected from among elected MPs. They’re appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The Cabinet forms part of the Executive, one of the three branches of government in Singapore.
The other two branches of government are the Legislature (which comprises Parliament and the President) and the Judiciary (the Courts).
What does a Cabinet do?
As the key decision-making body of the Executive branch, the Cabinet runs the day-to-day affairs of the state country and is responsible for the general direction of the Government
It is responsible for shaping government policies and working with the public service to implement government programmes that steer the country in certain directions.
Individual Cabinet members are responsible for national portfolios that cover the aspects integral to running a country. They are:
- Ministry of Digital Development and Information
- Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
- Ministry of Defence
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Home Affairs
- Ministry of Law
- Ministry of Manpower
- Ministry of National Development
- Ministry of Social and Family Development
- Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment
- Ministry of Trade and Industry
- Ministry of Transport
As the head of their ministry, this also means that when a national issue arises in any of these areas, the relevant minister will likely become the public face of the response. (Think Minister Chee Hong Tat during the SimplyGo saga and recent train breakdowns.)
Cabinet ministers also introduce Bills in Parliament on behalf of the ministry they lead, which eventually get turned into law.
There are other portfolios and responsibilities that are not included in this list but are managed by the ministers.
They include National Research Foundation, National Security Coordination Secretariat, National Population and Talent Division, National Climate Change Secretariat, Population Matters, and Muslim Affairs.
Who is in the Cabinet?
Led by the Prime Minister, the Cabinet includes our Deputy Prime Ministers, and Ministers who head various ministries.
In case you have already forgotten, here are the last Cabinet appointments for the 14th Parliament:
Image via PMO website
Some ministers "double-hat" — they take on a second role as a Second Minister in another ministry. You can think of them as the Second-in-Command.
Other than that, there are also Senior Ministers — politicians who were former Prime Ministers or Deputy Prime Ministers.
Following the handover of the premiership to PM Wong, the then-PM Lee Hsien Loong became a Senior Minister in 2024.
There are also Coordinating Ministers — experienced ministers who are appointed to oversee work involving multiple ministries.
The last line-up saw Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean as the Coordinating Minister for National Security.
What's a Cabinet reshuffle?
A Cabinet reshuffle refers to changes in the composition of ministers — who’s in, who’s out, and who’s moved where.
Kind of like restructuring in the corporate world.
The reshuffle often comes two to three weeks after a general election and is especially necessary if ministers retire, step down, or lose their parliamentary seats.
For example, after the 2025 General Election, several key figures retired:
- Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean
- Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat
- Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen
- Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki bin Osman
Their departure opens the door for a new generation of leaders with new ideas and perspectives to step up.
How the Cabinet gets reshuffled also depends on the Prime Minister's priorities of the day.
For example, when then-PM Lee reshuffled his Cabinet in July 2020, Singapore was already in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was a "fast-moving, uncertain situation" which required "experience and a sure touch", he said.
Therefore, he chose to keep more experienced Ministers in his new Cabinet (with at least one term of government as political office holders).
A Cabinet reshuffle is also an opportunity for the Prime Minister to rotate his ministers so that they can gain exposure and experience in many different areas.
"The intent is to expose the Office Holders to different portfolios to gain both breadth and depth," said Lee in 2020, "to understand the intricacies of the issues, and to see things from different perspectives, and ultimately, from a national perspective."
Lastly, why is it called a Cabinet?
The term "cabinet", in the sixteenth century, referred to a small room or closet.
Subsequently, in England, the word was used to denote a small room typically found in the houses of nobility or royalty.
Over time, people started using the term "Cabinet" to refer to a small group of advisers whom the monarch of the day regularly consulted.
Eventually, it grew into the Cabinet system of government that we know today—a team of ministers led by a first among equals— which originated in Great Britain and was brought to Singapore when we were an English colony.
Top photos from Lee Hsien Loong/Facebook and Canva
