MHA permanent secretary Pang Kin Keong to retire from civil service

SINGAPORE - Veteran civil servant Pang Kin Keong, who is Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, will retire from the administrative service on June 1 after 35 years in the public service.

Mr Pang, 59, who joined the civil service in 1993, has served in various appointments, including as principal private secretary to then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, director of the Internal Security Department (ISD), and director in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

He was appointed Permanent Secretary for Law in 2010, and was also at the Ministry of Transport from 2012 before taking on his post in the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2017.

As Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, he played a central role in Singapore’s fight against Covid-19, chairing the Homefront Crisis Executive Group (HCEG) that guided the Government’s response to the pandemic, said the Public Service Division (PSD) in a statement announcing his retirement.

Mr Pang is also chairman of the HCEG convened alongside the Homefront Crisis Ministerial Committee (HCMC) to coordinate Singapore’s response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The HCEG, which comprises senior civil servants, reports to the HCMC.

Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing thanked Mr Pang for the lasting impact he made, in particular as chairman of the Homefront Crisis Executive Group and during his time at the Ministry of Home Affairs where he worked with other agencies and the community to make Singapore a safer and more harmonious country.

“I would like to thank Kin Keong for his many years of significant contributions and dedicated service to the public service and to Singapore,” said Mr Chan, who is also Minister for Defence.

At the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr Pang led efforts to deal with new security threats such as foreign interference and scams, as well as the ministry’s responses in many critical and sensitive operations, said the PSD.

He also spearheaded the Home Team’s transformation through technology, such as by setting up the Home Team Science and Technology Agency and implementing the New Clearance Concept for contactless and more secure immigration clearance at Singapore’s borders.

Before his stint at MHA, he was Permanent Secretary for Transport from 2012 to 2017, during which he led several major initiatives to position Singapore’s transport infrastructure for the future, including the planning of Changi Airport Terminal 5 and Tuas Port.

He also helped develop a more sustainable public transport system, such as through the New Rail Financing Framework and the Bus Contracting Framework, said the PSD.

At the Ministry of Law, from 2010 to 2012, he led the development of the masterplan to build up Singapore as an international hub for arbitration and legal services as well as intellectual property services.

Before being appointed permanent secretary, Mr Pang was director of the ISD. It was under his watch that terrorist leader Mas Selamat Kastari escaped detention in 2008 before being recaptured over a year later.

In a previous interview in Challenge, the Singapore Public Service’s magazine, Mr Pang had described the saga as the lowest point in his public service career.

He spoke of his worry that he would be posted out of ISD before his team could recapture Mas Selamat.

“I wanted at least to be able to say, yes, the mistake happened under me, but I rectified it under my watch as well,” he had said in the interview.

He had also said the “incredible teamwork” and loyalty of his staff was what kept him going, and that the experience taught him to stand by good staff who make honest mistakes, just as his superiors had stood by him.

In recognition of his contributions to the public service, Mr Pang was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2024.

He will be succeeded at the Ministry of Home Affairs by Mr Tan Chye Hee, 52, who will relinquish his appointment as Permanent Secretary (Information and Development) at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, said the PSD. As Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tan will take over as chairman of the HCEG.

A former police officer who joined the force in 1992, Mr Tan was previously also director of the Internal Security Department. He was appointed to the administrative service in 2001.

Meanwhile, Mr Wong Kang Jet, 46, will be appointed Second Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs), Second Permanent Secretary (Information) at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, and Second Permanent Secretary (Cybersecurity) at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mr Wong will relinquish his appointment as chief executive officer of the National Environment Agency (NEA). Dr Benjamin Koh, who is Deputy Secretary (Sustainability) in the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, will be appointed the interim CEO.

The changes will take effect from June 1.

The NEA said in a statement that it will announce the appointment of a new CEO in due course.