Senior Minister
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- The title "Senior Minister" was also a title used in Canada, before "Deputy Prime Minister" was introduced in 1977.
Senior Minister (simplified Chinese: 国务资政; traditional Chinese: 國務資政, previously called 内阁资政／內閣資政 before 12 August 2004,Malay: Menteri Kanan) is a political office in the political system of Singapore taken by a prime minister or senior cabinet minister when he or she retires from that office, but still has something to offer the government based on his or her long experience. This, however, implies a reliance on a dominant-party system, and several opposition critics find this as evidence for contempt for the political opposition in Singapore.
The current Senior Ministers of Singapore are Goh Chok Tong, the second Prime Minister of Singapore and S Jayakumar, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore. This office has been held by Goh since August 12, 2004, and was formerly held by Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, from November 28, 1990, through August 12, 2004. Upon the appointment of Goh Chok Tong as Senior Minister, a new ministerial role in the form of Minister Mentor was created and assigned to Lee Kuan Yew. On 26 March 2009, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong announced that the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore S Jayakumar would relinquish his post as the DPM and be appointed Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.
In General Elections 2011, S Jayakumar did not stand for re-election and thus retired from public service. On 14 May 2011, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew announced their retirement from the cabinet after a watershed General Elections 2011.[1]
[edit] List of Senior Ministers of Singapore
| Senior Minister | Start of Term | End of Term |
|---|---|---|
| S. Rajaratnam | 1985 | 1988 |
| Lee Kuan Yew | 28 November 1990 | 12 August 2004 |
| Goh Chok Tong | 12 August 2004 | 21 May 2011 |
| S Jayakumar | 1 April 2009 | 21 May 2011 |
[edit] References
- ^ "SM Goh, MM Lee to leave Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia (Singapore). 14 May 2011. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1128878/1/.html.
