Is “rejuvenation” possible for a cabinet filled with oldies?

Is “rejuvenation” possible for a cabinet filled with oldies?

In an interview with the Straits Times, Dr Lee Boon Yang on Friday said his retirement from Government, where he has served for 24 years, is ‘necessary and timely as the process of rejuvenation must be sustained’.

‘The new Cabinet appointments will forge a stronger team to lead Singapore,’ said the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica), a day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced changes to the Cabinet and new appointments as part of a leadership renewal.

I do not see how this cabinet shake-up can be construed as any form of “rejuvenation.”

According to the Longman Dictionary, rejuvenation means a return to a completely new state or to make young or strong again.

Besides Dr Lee Boon Yang, no other ministers has relinquished their portfolios. It is the essentially the same team of ministers which Prime Minister Lee inherited from his predecessor.

As the Chinese saying goes - “change the soup but not the medicine”. The four oldies who should have made way for younger leaders a long time ago are still lingering around:

1. MM Lee Kuan Yew (86 years old): became MP in 1959, Prime Minister from 1965 - 1991.

2. SM Goh Chok Tong (68 years old): became MP in 1976, Prime Minister from 1991 to 2003.

3. SM Jayakumar (70 years old): became MP in 1980, Deputy Prime Minister from 2004 - 2009.

4. Wong Kan Seng (63 years old): became MP in 1984, Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 - now.

Nowhere in the world other than in dictatorships and military junta do we see two former Prime Ministers and one former Deputy Prime Minister remaining in the cabinet.

Won’t they be more of a hindrance than help to the younger generation of leaders who may not enjoy a free rein in the direction they want to lead the country?

George W Bush was the President of the United States for 8 years. Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for 10 years. When both stepped down from their positions recently, they did so completely without having any more business in government.

Can you imagine Obama making George Bush a senior advisor in his team or Tony Blair being appointed as a senior minister in the British cabinet? (He was made a Middle East envoy for the United Nations).

Former prime ministers and deputies who wish to continue serving Singapore can do so in another capacity which will minimize their influence in the present government.

The first Chief Minister of Singapore, David Marshall was made an Ambassador to France after he retired, a role which he clearly relished.

MM Lee, SM Goh and SM Jayakumar can be appointed as ambassadors or special envoys to promote bilateral ties between Singapore and our major trading partners.

This will allow their successors to implement their ideas, plans and vision for the nation freely without any interference.

The country is in urgent need of a fresh direction. For far too long, there is excessive emphasis on GDP growth at the expense of growing and developing our human capital.

A real leader knows when to retire gracefully to make way for young leaders they have groomed to take their place. Changing the first alphabet of the title from a “P” to a “S” is not rejuventation but degradation of our democracy.

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