SINGAPORE: After Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong announced his new Cabinet on Wednesday evening (May 21), Ravi Philemon, the secretary-general of the opposition party Red Dot United (RDU), expressed disappointment.
“Women’s voices are muted. Young people’s voices are not heard. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s first Cabinet announcement was a moment that should have signalled meaningful change. Instead, it reinforced the status quo,” Mr Philemon wrote in a social media post.
While the announcement revealed some reshuffling and a couple of new faces from the May 3 polls were appointed to lead ministries, the members of the Cabinet have remained the same since PM Wong took office a year ago.
For Mr Philemon, this appeared to be a missed opportunity for PM Wong to address “real gaps in leadership” that had been present prior to the election, and he expressed that preserving the status quo would have “real consequences—for working families, for women, for young people, and for the vulnerable.”
The RDU chief noted that only three of the 15 full ministers are women, despite women having been nearly a third of the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) candidates in the GE. Mr Philemon wrote that this could mean that policies that affect women, such as childcare options, work-from-home rights, legal protections at the workplace, and recognition for unpaid caregiving, would be deprioritised.
“The global research is conclusive. Governments with at least 50% women ministers score 17 points higher on the Women, Business and the Law Index, which measures legal equality in economic opportunity. Countries with more women in leadership are more likely to pass laws that remove inequality, strengthen protections for families, and invest in the long-term well-being of society. These aren’t cosmetic gains—they are structural,” he wrote.
Mr Philemon also noted that the average age of the new Cabinet is 55.1, adding concerns that younger Singaporeans today are “living through a very different Singapore” in terms of job security, housing costs, climate change, mental health, and other issues.
“The issues that affect young people most are dealt with in a piecemeal way—because their voices are not present in the Cabinet room. Things must change. Let’s not forget—Singapore is one of the few countries where 18-year-olds are expected to serve, to train, to carry a rifle for national defence, but cannot vote.”
The RDU chief also raised the issue of what he characterised as “bloated government and wasted resources” and again questioned why Singapore would need multiple Mayors, Senior Ministers, Ministers of State, and Senior Parliamentary Secretaries.
“For me, politics should always be about people, so Cabinets must reflect the people. That means more women at the table. More youth helping to shape the national agenda, and a leaner, more focused government that puts its weight—and its budget—behind solving real problems, not maintaining political comfort.
“RDU and I will remain committed to that fight. The fight to ensure Singaporeans are treated as first-class citizens in their own country, the only home we have,” he wrote. /TISG