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The
Straits Times, 28 Jul 04
SM will stay as adviser in new Cabinet
PM Goh will be Number 2 in the new Govt, while Senior Minister will
continue to act as consultant to the younger ministers
SENIOR Minister Lee Kuan Yew has indicated that his title might change
with the leadership handover on Aug 12 but his role would remain that
of 'a consultant, a counsellor, an adviser' to the younger ministers.
In an interview with Reuters late on Monday, he reaffirmed what he
had told The Straits Times last September - that he would remain in
the Cabinet when Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong became Prime
Minister.
The Senior Minister, who referred to himself as the 'No 2' in the
outgoing Cabinet, also said that 'Mr Goh Chok Tong will be the 'No
2' in the new government'. This is not unexpected as, going by precedent,
the outgoing Prime Minister ranks second in terms of protocol, if
he remains in Cabinet as Senior Minister. Mr Lee said his precise
title in the new Cabinet would be decided by the incoming Prime Minister,
though what it would be did not matter. 'My worth does not depend
on what I am called but on my standing with Singaporeans and the weight
they give to my views. Abroad, my established ties with foreign leaders
can be of value. 'I am still compos mentis, fortunately,' he said,
using the Latin phrase for being of sound mind.
DPM Lee said on Saturday that he was likely to announce his new Cabinet
line-up a day or two before he took over.
And in an interview last October, he told The Sunday Times that he
wanted both SM Lee and Mr Goh in his Cabinet. When asked at the time
if there would then be two senior ministers, DPM Lee replied that
'titles, we will think about later on'.
In Monday's interview with SM Lee, Reuters asked him who the Finance
Minister in the new Cabinet would be. The post is now held concurrently
by DPM Lee. The Senior Minister replied that this was for DPM Lee
to announce in his own time. 'In government matters, I do not talk
as his father. He will soon be PM, the boss,' he said.
As in previous interviews, SM Lee also indicated that the younger
ministers were now in charge and he would not block changes they wished
to make. 'I am responsible for my children's upbringing and not for
my grandchildren's upbringing,' was how he put it.
As an example, he said he had been 'dead set against' the plan to
build Singapore's first casino but would not stand in the way of the
project.
In the years ahead, he expects Singapore to continue changing and
probably at a faster rate in response to global changes. 'The substance
has been changing for several years now. It will continue to change,
probably faster. I believe there will be substantial change,' he said.
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