New office-holders seek to balance perspectives, consult widely as portfolios grow

SINGAPORE – Since assuming political office soon after the general election, the 2025 batch of office-holders has been stretched and given key responsibilities.

On top of their own portfolios, most of them have also been put into new government workgroups and committees relooking critical areas like fertility and restructuring the economy.

Six first-term MPs were sworn into political office after GE2025, the largest batch of new office-holders since 2001.

They are Acting Ministers Jeffrey Siow and David Neo, Ministers of State Dinesh Vasu Dash, Goh Pei Ming and Jasmin Lau, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary Syed Harun Alhabsyi took office in October.

The Straits Times interviewed five of them – Mr Neo, Mr Dinesh, Mr Goh, Ms Goh and Dr Syed Harun. They said the past year has been fast-paced as they get up to speed with their new portfolios while continuing to serve as MPs on the ground.

Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said being roped into one of the five committees looking at restructuring Singapore’s economy in August 2025 stretched him significantly.

He co-chairs the committee looking at how to manage the impact of restructuring with Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo.

Six of the 10 office-holders co-chairing the Economic Strategy Review committees are first-term MPs.

Mr Goh, who was chief of staff – joint staff in the Singapore Armed Forces before joining politics, said he did not have an economics background, nor had he worked closely with unions, trade associations and chambers, or industry partners before.

“I had to quickly familiarise myself with a different set of issues, from economic transformation to workforce transitions, and understand how these shifts affect both businesses and workers,” said the former brigadier-general.

The portfolios have accumulated quickly for the new political office-holders, and the two acting ministers have delivered high-profile speeches in Parliament.

In April, Acting Transport Minister and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow announced a close to $1 billion support package to help Singaporean households and firms manage cost increases from the Middle East conflict in a ministerial statement to Parliament.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo delivered a ministerial statement last November explaining the Government’s plans to gazette 38 Oxley Road – the site of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s family home – as a national monument.

Mr Dinesh and Mr Goh have been named to a new workgroup to drive a marriage and parenthood “reset” in Singapore to address the record low fertility rate, along with Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Goh Hanyan.

Mr Dinesh, who is Minister of State for Manpower and Culture, Community and Youth, was also appointed Mayor for the South East District. In April, he became the sole chairman of the Indian Engagement and Development Initiative, a committee put together to strengthen Singapore’s Indian community.

Moving policies

For Mr Dinesh, one of his highs was a Budget 2026 move to increase the local qualifying salary from $1,600 to $1,800. This is the minimum monthly wage firms must pay Singaporean employees in order to hire foreign workers.

The Finance Ministry had supported his team’s suggestion to increase this to benefit vulnerable workers in Singapore, he said, noting that supporting the vulnerable was something he campaigned on during the election.

He also recounted an exchange in Parliament over worker safety where he had to strike a balance between differing views.

During the February sitting, labour MP Melvin Yong called for stiffer penalties on employers who had not taken sufficient safety precautions at workplaces.

Mr Dinesh said this was a “clash of philosophies” where he had to take a balanced and nuanced approach despite feeling for Mr Yong’s cause.

“As a union MP, and as a person who is truly passionate about workers’ safety, I could understand where (Mr Yong) was coming from... However, I had to balance employers’ views as well, since accidents can sometimes be caused by errant workers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Neo said he had heard in July from national divers that they were not eligible for the Singapore School Sports Council Colours Award, unlike their peers in swimming.

Athletes in newer sports like tchoukball gave similar feedback, said the former army chief, who is also Senior Minister of State for Education.

Within two months, his two ministries managed to more than double the number of sports eligible for the award – a move Mr Neo announced in his maiden speech in Parliament in September 2025.

All said extensive consultation is a big part of their work before coming to a policy position.

Mr Neo noted that his ministry has a broad mandate, serving various communities including arts, heritage, charities, youth and sports.

His priority when he assumed office was to meet and listen to people across the sectors, preferably in small groups of 10 to 20, “to hear every voice”.

He said he had expected to hear diverse viewpoints, but was also surprised by the commonality across sectors.

“Regardless of sector, everyone wanted to do more and do better in their domain, to bring their craft or sport to more Singaporeans and grow their community, and to come together to make Singapore count regionally and internationally,” he said.

Mr Neo added that in every one of his roles, he has started by listening to how people experience the system and policies.

“This continues to be how I approach my current role,” he said. “My focus is on meeting and understanding people where they are at and how they experience things — what their goals are, what challenges they face, and how we can work together to create better outcomes for everyone.

Mr Goh Pei Ming said he was very conscious that he had much to pick up, and found himself listening more than speaking.

Tasked with combatting scams at the Home Affairs Ministry, he said the human stories have struck him most.

“Families affected, life savings lost, and trust broken. These experiences have reinforced for me that policy work is not abstract; it has real consequences for people’s lives,” he said.

“Across both policy and constituency work, I am constantly reminded that good policy must be grounded in data, shaped by feedback, and supported by strong communication and partnerships.”

Ms Goh said she was glad to be assigned the hawker sector in her role at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, calling it a “very ‘ground’ portfolio”.

She was pressed by WP MPs on the budget meal scheme at hawker centres in Parliament in September. The sector has since also felt the cost pressures from the global energy crisis, with some hawkers increasing their prices.

Ms Goh said she has visited coffee shops and hawker centres to figure out the sentiments that would inform the ministry’s further positions on the various issues.

The new MPs have also tapped the experience of senior PAP leaders.

Mr Dinesh said that while researching a policy position taken in the mid-1990s ahead of introducing a Bill, he e-mailed Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong for guidance.

“To my e-mail that was sent at 11.09pm, his reply came in 34 minutes later with almost an essay on the wider policy rationale, with detail and precision, on a decision that was taken almost 30 years ago,” he said.

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who represented Marine Parade for over four decades, has been a key mentor to the younger Mr Goh, his successor in the ward within the GRC.

“He brings invaluable historical perspective on both policy and constituency matters, often highlighting blind spots and offering a longer-term view,” Mr Goh Pei Ming said, adding that ESM Goh’s counsel has helped with navigating more complex or sensitive issues.

Being on the ground as MPs in their constituencies has also helped the office-holders ease into their portfolios and figure out how to better coordinate between agencies and stakeholders, they said.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and Education Syed Harun said the beauty of holding both roles is that it allows “very direct insight with constituents”.

“They trust you with the information, especially at a time when they are reaching out to the MP for help, to be able to advocate on their behalf,” said Dr Syed Harun, who represents Nee Soon GRC.

Visions for the future

Even as the office-holders deal with current issues, they have an eye on the future.

Mr Neo said that while the Government addresses more immediate economic challenges, such as cost-of-living pressures and support for workers and businesses, it must also consider the kind of society it is building.

He views his portfolio at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth as a key part of the national agenda. Engagements with young people are important to this effort, and they have told him about the Singapore they want to inherit.

“(They want) to define success on their own terms, to chart out new paths, and we will support them to achieve their fullest potential and chase their dreams,” he said.

Asked about his priorities for the year ahead, Mr Dinesh listed new initiatives in the pipeline for his Bedok ward in East Coast GRC.

They include more activities for the health and social connectedness of senior residents, who form a large proportion of his constituents, as well as a football clinic for vulnerable youth that he hopes to expand to more sports.

The former Agency for Integrated Care chief also plans to refresh a youth festival, previously held just for those living in the South East District, and open it to all young people across the island.

Mr Goh said he will focus on translating the work already done into more tangible improvements for Singaporeans. These include improving pre-school quality, supporting parents in balancing work and caregiving, and figuring out how to help people with disabilities after they leave formal schooling.

“Across all these areas, the underlying goal is the same – to give Singaporeans confidence,” he said. “Confidence that they will be supported through different stages of life, and that they and their families will remain safe and secure, even as challenges evolve.”