Ng Chee Meng’s political resurrection sparks debate — Bertha Hanson’s Comic characters trace how past NTUC leaders rose

SINGAPORE: Veteran journalist and commentator Bertha Henson has weighed in on the growing speculation surrounding Ng Chee Meng’s political future, following Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s recent remarks suggesting that the labour chief could soon return to Cabinet.

In a Facebook post, Henson pointed out that there has traditionally been a close link between the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

Typically, Cabinet ministers are seconded to helm NTUC, not the other way around. This practice has historical precedent: Several senior PAP politicians were appointed as NTUC Secretary-Generals while already serving in Cabinet. For example:

• Lim Chee Onn (1979–1983): Appointed while he was Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Office.

• Ong Teng Cheong (1983–1993): Took on the NTUC role while serving as Second Deputy Prime Minister and later continued as Deputy Prime Minister.

• Lim Boon Heng (1993–2006): Held the NTUC post concurrently with his roles as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the PAP.

• Lim Swee Say (2006–2015): Moved from Minister in the PMO to NTUC Secretary-General, and was later reappointed to Cabinet as Minister for Manpower.

In contrast, Ng Chee Meng was brought into NTUC in 2018 after a Cabinet reshuffle and continued as Secretary-General even after losing his parliamentary seat in the 2020 General Election. This makes his path a notable departure from tradition.

Ng had previously served as Education Minister and was co-opted into NTUC’s Central Committee in 2018 before being appointed Deputy Secretary-General. A year later, he was made Secretary-General, a post he retained even after his electoral defeat. He continued to play a high-profile role in the labour movement and was returned unopposed to the NTUC Central Committee in 2023.

Henson noted that despite controversies, including public criticism over NTUC Income’s tie-up with Allianz, questions about his past conduct as Education Minister, and a photo circulated online showing him with convicted money launderer Su Haijin—Ng was fielded again in the 2025 General Election. He narrowly defeated a first-time Workers’ Party candidate in Jalan Kayu SMC.

During the election campaign, Ng addressed some of the controversies, offering apologies but providing limited details. On the issue of his photo with Su, Ng explained he was meeting people from various sectors as part of his role at NTUC and stated he did not know Su personally. Unlike other ministers, he said he would not pursue legal action over the matter.

Henson also pointed out that the NTUC has remained silent on the latest developments — neither expressing support for Ng’s decision to remain out of Cabinet nor commenting on the Prime Minister’s remarks, which implied this could be a temporary situation.

“Never has a PAP politician come under so much public scrutiny for so many different aspects of his past,” Henson wrote. She questioned whether Ng’s narrow victory and past controversies might impact his potential Cabinet return, even as Prime Minister Wong appeared to leave the door open.

The post concludes with a teaser: “Chin and Chai take a look at how past NTUC sec-gens came to be,” suggesting a follow-up analysis on historical precedent in the NTUC-PAP relationship.