Two of the People's Action Party's (PAP) fourth-generation leaders, Mr Lawrence Wong and Mrs Josephine Teo, have been appointed to lead its charity arm, in the party's latest self-renewal move involving its next-generation leaders.
Mr Wong, who is Minister for National Development, will be chairman of the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) council of management from tomorrow.
He takes over from Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is stepping down after 12 years at the helm.
Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs Josephine Teo will take over from Mr Wong as chairman of the PCF executive committee on the same day, said PCF yesterday.
The council of management sets the overall direction for PCF, which runs a large network of pre-schools and senior care service centres in the heartland.
Most of its 10 members are Cabinet ministers, including Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say.
The executive committee, on the other hand, is in charge of running programmes and day-to-day operations. Junior ministers and backbenchers form the majority of its 12 members.
The new appointments are the first since the party was returned to power in the Sept 11 General Election this year. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was earlier put in charge of the PAP's efforts to analyse its performance in the election, while labour chief Chan Chun Sing was tasked with heading the executive committee of the party's headquarters.
Under Mr Gan's watch, PCF grew the number of kindergartens and childcare centres to 369, and centralised the recruitment of teachers and curriculum development.
It also built its first senior care centre, which will officially open next year.
Mr Gan said the foundation is "better positioned today to cater to the growing educational and welfare needs of our community", an achievement he credited to the PCF staff and branch activists.
Mr Wong, who helped to oversee the restructuring of the PCF's pre-school services in the last four years, said the foundation will strive especially to support children with special needs and those from disadvantaged families.
PCF will also look at how to better support seniors, he added.
Mrs Teo, who is also Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, has been on the executive committee for the last eight years.
She said PCF "will continue to serve its educational, welfare and community mission with a strong sense of purpose".
