Mm and sm to leave cabinet

[Guest blackknight]

Singapore MM, SM to leave Cabinet

AsiaOne

Sat, May 14, 2011

SINGAPORE's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong are retiring from the Cabinet.

In a joint statement, MM Lee and SM Goh said they have studied the new political situation and that the time has come for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the younger leaders to have a fresh slate.

They also said the "younger generation wants to be more engaged".

Minister Mentor was Singapore's first Prime Minister in May 1959 after the People's Action Party won the General Election. He is the longest-serving PM in the Commonwealth and the longest-serving head of government in Asia.

He assumed the post of Senior Minister in 1990 and then Minister Mentor in 2004.

SM Goh was Prime Minister of Singapore from 1990 to August 2004 and served as Singapore's Senior Minister from 2004. Posts he held in the Cabinet include the Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, Minister for Health and Minister for Defence.

In SM Goh's Facebook fanpage MParader, he posted: "Just issued press statement to say that MM and I are retiring from Cabinet. PM can then refresh his Cabinet to forge a new Singapore consensus by rethinking policies and reshaping Singapore with fresh ideas.

I will now have more time to devote to our GRC. Team Marine Parade will build a consensus on creating our 4G Home. --- gct"

Replying to a question in the comment thread on whether he will still be a Senior Minister, he replied: "No more SM or MM in Cabinet. I am out of government but remains MP for MP GRC. Will have more time to spend with residents, something I have always enjoyed doing. --- gct"

Mr Lee and Mr Goh will remain MPs in their wards Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade GRCs respectively.

The Prime Minister has not yet responded to their statement.

MM Lee and SM Goh's media statement in its entirety:

"WE HAVE studied the new political situation and thought how it can affect the future. We have made our contributions to the development of Singapore. The time has come for a younger generation to carry Singapore forward in a more difficult and complex situation. The Prime Minister and his team of younger leaders should have a fresh clean slate. A younger generation, besides having a non-corrupt and meritocratic government and a high standard of living, wants to be more engaged in the decisions which affect them. After a watershed general election, we have decided to leave the cabinet and have a completely younger team of ministers to connect to and engage with this young generation in shaping the future of our Singapore.

But the younger team must always have in mind the interests of the older generation. This generation who has contributed to Singapore must be well-looked after. "