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Senior Minister of the
Republic of Singapore
Incumbent
Teo Chee Hean
since 1 May 2019
Prime Minister's Office
Style
AbbreviationSM
Appointer Prime Minister of Singapore
Term lengthAt the Prime Minister's pleasure
Formation2 January 1985; 39 years ago (1985-01-02)
Website www.pmo.gov.sg

Senior Minister of Singapore is a position in the Cabinet of Singapore. Holders of this office have previously served as either the prime minister or the deputy prime minister. Among the executive branch officeholders in the order of precedence, the position ranks after the prime minister and the deputy prime minister. Senior Ministers also serve as part of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and work at The Istana.

Background

S. Rajaratnam, Singapore's first Minister for Foreign Affairs, took on the newly-created role of Senior Minister in 1985 before retiring in 1988. [1] Prior to that, he served as Deputy Prime Minister between 1980 and 1985.

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, was appointed as Senior Minister in 1990, after being succeeded by Goh Chok Tong as prime minister. He was ranked second in the order of precedence, superseding the incumbent Deputy Prime Ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Ong Teng Cheong. [2]

Goh Chok Tong was appointed Senior Minister in 2004 after handing over the office of Prime Minister to Lee Hsien Loong. As Senior Minister, he was ranked second in the order of precedence, while Lee Kuan Yew, who was appointed as Minister Mentor, ranked third in the order of precedence. [3]

S. Jayakumar relinquished his role as Deputy Prime Minister in 2009 and was appointed as Senior Minister before retiring from politics in 2011. [4]

After the 2011 general election, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong left the Cabinet but remained as Members of Parliament. Goh accepted an honorary title of Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM); Lee was also offered a similar title but he declined and continued to serve as a Member of Parliament until his death on 23 March 2015. [5]

Between 21 May 2011 and 1 May 2019, the office of Senior Minister was vacant. After this eight-year gap, Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam were appointed after they relinquished their positions as Deputy Prime Minister. [6]

On 8 June 2023, Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced his intention to run for the 2023 presidential election and his scheduled resignation on 7 July 2023 from all his positions in the government and as a member of the People's Action Party, as the presidency is a non-partisan office.

On 16 April 2024, Prime Minister-designate Lawrence Wong announced that outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong would assume the office of Senior Minister and stay on in his Cabinet after stepping down as the Prime Minister on 15 May 2024. [7]

List of senior ministers

The Senior Minister is appointed as part of the Cabinet of Singapore. The incumbent senior minister is MP for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC Teo Chee Hean from the People's Action Party.

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Took office Left office Party Cabinet
S. Rajaratnam
MP for Kampong Glam
(1915–2006) 		2 January
1985 		13 September
1988 		PAP Lee K. VII
Vacant
13 September 1988–28 November 1990 		Lee K. VIII
Lee Kuan Yew
MP for Tanjong Pagar SMC
(until 1991)
MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC
(from 1991)
(1923–2015) 		28 November
1990 		12 August
2004 		PAP Goh I
Goh II
Goh III
Goh IV
Goh Chok Tong
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1941) 		12 August
2004 		21 May
2011 		PAP Lee H. I
Lee H. II
S. Jayakumar
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1939) 		1 April
2009 		21 May
2011 		PAP Lee H. II
Vacant
21 May 2011–1 May 2019 		Lee H. III
Lee H. IV
Tharman Shanmugaratnam
MP for Jurong GRC
(born 1957) 		1 May
2019 		7 July
2023 		PAP Lee H. IV
Lee H. V
Teo Chee Hean
MP for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC
(born 1954) 		1 May
2019 		Incumbent PAP Lee H. IV
Lee H. V
Lee Hsien Loong
MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC
(born 1952) 		Taking office on 15 May 2024 PAP Wong I

See also

References

  1. ^ National Library Board, Singapore. "S. Rajaratnam". nlb.gov.sg.
  2. ^ Rachel Chang (9 August 2015). "New man at the helm: The first leadership handover, from Lee Kuan Yew". The Straits Times.
  3. ^ National Library Board, Singapore. "Goh Chok Tong". nlb.gov.sg.
  4. ^ "Valedictory Letter from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Prof S. Jayakumar". pmo.gov.sg.
  5. ^ "SM Goh, MM Lee to leave Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. Singapore. 14 May 2011.
  6. ^ "Heng Swee Keat to be promoted to DPM in Cabinet reshuffle". Channel NewsAsia. 23 Apr 2019. Retrieved 23 Apr 2019.
  7. ^ "PM Lee to stay on as Senior Minister; any major Cabinet changes will come after GE: Lawrence Wong". CNA. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
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