Cabinet reshuffle: Jeffrey Siow, David Neo to be acting ministers; 7 new MPs to take political office

SINGAPORE – Former top public servants Jeffrey Siow and David Neo will enter the Cabinet as acting ministers among seven new MPs taking political office in a Cabinet reshuffle announced on May 21.

Mr Siow, 46, a former permanent secretary, will be Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance, while Mr Neo, 47, a former army chief, will be Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Education.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced these changes at a press conference on May 21.

PM Wong said he is

appointing nine new office-holders in total

, comprising the seven new MPs and two promoted from the backbench – Mr Desmond Choo, 47, and Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, 44.

He said: “That’s one of the highest in recent history, and it’s because of the importance of leadership renewal.”

Three new MPs – Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, 50, Ms Jasmin Lau, 42, and Mr Goh Pei Ming, 43 – will become ministers of state. They, along with Mr Siow and Mr Neo, will be sworn into office on May 23. 

Another two will be made senior parliamentary secretaries: Ms Goh Hanyan, 39, and Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 40. They will be sworn in later, with Dr Syed Harun taking office from Oct 1. 

Mr Dinesh, former chief of the Agency for Integrated Care and a former brigadier-general in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), will join the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

He will also be appointed Mayor of South East District, replacing Mr Fahmi Aliman, who did not contest the recent general election.

Mr Dinesh said he was honoured to receive his three appointments, and that he hopes to be able to shape social policies to better serve Singaporeans, given his experience in community work.

Ms Lau, a former ministry deputy secretary, will join the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and the Ministry of Education (MOE). 

She will also take charge of the Government Technology Agency, a statutory board responsible for the Government’s digital services. 

Former SAF chief of staff – joint staff Goh Pei Ming will be minister of state at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). 

Ms Goh Hanyan, formerly a director at MDDI, will be appointed to two ministries: MCCY and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE).

Ms Goh told The Straits Times: “I hope to contribute meaningfully and to learn from those around me as we work together to build a better future for Singapore.”

Dr Syed Harun, a former Nominated MP, will join MOE and the Ministry of National Development (MND).

All seven were newly elected on May 3 and, during the hustings, had been tipped for political office by senior PAP leaders, including PM Wong. 

Leaders from the public service who entered politics have historically taken political office quickly after being elected. 

They include PM Wong, who was appointed Minister of State for Education and Defence at the first Cabinet reshuffle after being elected in 2011. He had resigned as chief of the Energy Market Authority before standing for election. 

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, also a former army chief, was appointed Acting Minister at the then Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports after being elected in 2011. 

Mr Neo is succeeding Mr Edwin Tong, who is moving to head the Ministry of Law. 

PM Wong said: “David has had experience previously helming the Silver Generation Office, so he knows what it takes to build strong community bonds.”

Mr Neo handed over the reins as army chief on March 21. He joined the Singapore Army in 1996 and helmed the service from March 2022.

The Tampines GRC MP was also programme director of the Pioneer Generation Office and the founding group chief of the Silver Generation Office under the Agency for Integrated Care, which coordinates the delivery of aged care services. 

Mr Siow, who is an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, will take over from Mr Chee Hong Tat at the Ministry of Transport. Mr Chee is moving to helm the MND. Mr Siow was previously second permanent secretary at MOM and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He has held various senior roles in the public service over his career, including managing director of statutory board Enterprise Singapore and principal private secretary to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong when he was prime minister.

PM Wong said: “He is familiar with land transport policies from his past experience as a civil servant. Of course, there’s much more to be done as a minister, he will be stretched and tested, but I’m confident he will be able to step up in this round.”

PM Wong added that the pair were appointed acting ministers after an assessment of their abilities and potential. 

Explaining the appointments, PM Wong said: “It’s really on the basis of having worked with them closely, feedback from different parties who have worked with them, interacted with them, and our assessment of their abilities and potential.”

Mr Siow told ST that he is honoured by his appointments and said he is looking forward to playing his part in the Cabinet to lead the Government in the coming years, while Mr Neo said he looks forward to working closely with all stakeholders – in the arts, in sports, in the community and with youth – to nurture a caring and cohesive Singapore.

PM Wong said the others coming in at a junior level also have the potential to do more. “Hopefully, they will develop, grow, and they will be able to take on larger responsibilities in due course.”

The next generation

With the latest Cabinet changes, Singapore is starting to see “the outlines of the next-generation team”, PM Wong said. 

He hopes that over time, younger office-holders will step up, he said.

He said: “The ones who do well and are able to take on more responsibilities, I would want them to do so, and maybe even amongst those whom I have not brought in this time around – existing backbenchers and other MPs whom I have not brought in this time round – there may be a chance for them to come in later.”

With this reshuffle, all ministries will have new office-holders, he added. “I’m doing this to give younger leaders more experience and exposure across different areas of government so as to prepare them for greater responsibilities in the future,” he said.

PM Wong added that he expects to make further adjustments in one or two years when more junior office-holders are “ready to step up”.

Ms Lau, who spoke at the press conference on behalf of the new political office-holders, said the group is grateful for the trust placed in them by senior leaders. 

She added that the group “fully trusts” the deployments PM Wong and other leaders have made. 

She said: “It is a long game. It is for the long haul, and so over time, we must remain committed and flexible in terms of where we are sent to and the work that we do now.”

The group will “hit the ground running” after being sworn in, and there is much to learn, said Ms Lau, who is an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC.

Many have been put into portfolios different from their past work, the former career civil servant said. Ms Lau spent most of her career in healthcare and was most recently deputy secretary (policy) at the Ministry of Health before resigning early in 2025 ahead of the election. 

She said: “We have to understand how policies have evolved over time to where they are, and we must also learn the impact of our work on the stakeholders in our different areas.

“So no time to waste there in terms of picking up and learning the ropes.”

But at the same time, the group is aware that there is no need for haste, and they must also be patient in the changes that they want to bring about, she added. 

She said: “We do have the energy to contribute, but we must also know that any work that we do must be considered carefully, and we must be quite clear about the purpose of the work that we do.

“On behalf of all the new political office-holders, we look forward to the work ahead.”