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Deputy Prime Minister of the
Republic of Singapore
Flag of Singapore.svg
Coat of arms of Singapore.svg
Coat of arms of Singapore
Heng Swee Keat.jpg Gan Kim Yong - 2022 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Heng Swee Keat
since 1 May 2019
Gan Kim Yong
since 15 May 2024
Style
Abbreviation DPM
Appointer Prime Minister
Term length At the Prime Minister's pleasure
Inaugural holder Toh Chin Chye
Formation 3 June 1959; 66 years ago (1959-06-03)
Salary S$1,870,000 annually
(including S$192,500 MP salary)

The Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore is a very important leader in the government of Singapore. This person helps the Prime Minister run the country. Think of them as the Prime Minister's main helper and second-in-command.

Currently, Singapore has two Deputy Prime Ministers. They are Heng Swee Keat and Gan Kim Yong. Mr. Heng started his role on May 1, 2019, and Mr. Gan on May 15, 2024.

What is a Deputy Prime Minister?

The Deputy Prime Minister is the second most important job in Singapore's government. This person is a senior member of the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of top ministers who make big decisions for the country.

Sometimes, if the Prime Minister is away from Singapore, the Deputy Prime Minister steps in. They act as the Prime Minister until the leader returns.

How the Role Started

The job of Deputy Prime Minister began in 1959. This was when Singapore gained self-governance from the British Empire. This meant Singapore could make its own decisions, even though it was still connected to Britain.

The first person to hold this important role was Toh Chin Chye. He served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1959 to 1968.

The title stayed the same even when Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963. Singapore was a state within Malaysia for two years. After Singapore became fully independent in 1965, the role of Deputy Prime Minister continued.

Recent Deputy Prime Ministers

Since the mid-1980s, Singapore has often had two Deputy Prime Ministers at the same time. This helps share the big responsibilities of leading the country.

Heng Swee Keat became Deputy Prime Minister on May 1, 2019. At the same time, he was also the Minister of Finance. Before him, Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam were the Deputy Prime Ministers. Mr. Heng later stepped down from his finance role in April 2021.

Lawrence Wong took on the role of Deputy Prime Minister on June 13, 2022. He served alongside Mr. Heng Swee Keat. Mr. Wong had also been the Minister of Finance since 2021. He left the Deputy Prime Minister role on May 14, 2024. He was the shortest-serving Deputy Prime Minister.

On the same day, May 15, 2024, Gan Kim Yong became a Deputy Prime Minister. He now serves with Mr. Heng Swee Keat.

List of Deputy Prime Ministers

This table shows the people who have served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore.

Political parties

     People's Action Party (PAP)

No. Portrait Name
Constituency
(Birth–Death)
Time in Office Political party Cabinet
Started Ended Total Time
1 Toh Chin Chye
(1921–2012)
Represented Rochore
5 June 1959 2 August 1968 9 years,
58 days
PAP Lee K. I
Lee K. II
No one held the position (2 August 1968–1 March 1973)
2 Goh Keng Swee
(1918–2010)
Represented Kreta Ayer
1 March 1973 1 January 1985 11 years,
306 days
PAP Lee K. IV
Lee K. V
Lee K. VI
3 S Rajaratnam c. 1940s.jpg S. Rajaratnam
(1915–2006)
Represented Kreta Ayer
1 June 1980 1 January 1985 4 years,
214 days
PAP Lee K. V
Lee K. VI
4 GohChokTong-WashingtonDC-20010614.jpg Goh Chok Tong
(born 1941)
Represented Marine Parade SMC
(1976–1988)
Represented Marine Parade GRC
(1988–2020)
2 January 1985 28 November 1990 5 years,
330 days
PAP Lee K. VII
Lee K. VIII
4 Ong Teng Cheong.jpg Ong Teng Cheong
(1936–2002)
Represented Kim Keat SMC
(1972–1991)
Represented Toa Payoh GRC
(1991–1993)
2 January 1985 1 September 1993 8 years,
242 days
PAP Lee K. VII<
Lee K. VIII
Goh I
Goh II
5 Lee Hsien-Loong - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012 cropped.jpg Lee Hsien Loong
(born 1952)
Represented Teck Ghee SMC
(1984–1991)
Represented Ang Mo Kio GRC
(from 1991)
28 November 1990 12 August 2004 13 years,
258 days
PAP Goh I
Goh II
Goh III
Goh IV
6 Tony Tan Keng Yam cropp.jpg Tony Tan
(born 1940)
Represented Sembawang GRC
1 August 1995 1 September 2005 10 years,
31 days
PAP Goh II
Goh III
Goh IV
Lee H. I
7 Jayakumar (1).jpg S. Jayakumar
(born 1939)
Represented East Coast GRC
12 August 2004 1 April 2009 4 years,
232 days
PAP Lee H. I
Lee H. II
8 WongKanSeng-20060314.jpg Wong Kan Seng
(born 1946)
Represented Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC
1 September 2005 21 May 2011 5 years,
262 days
PAP Lee H. I
Lee H. II
9 Teo Chee Hean 2.jpg Teo Chee Hean
(born 1954)
Represented Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC
1 April 2009 30 April 2019 10 years,
30 days
PAP Lee H. II
Lee H. III
Lee H. IV
10 Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the official opening of Yuan Ching Secondary School's new building, Singapore - 20100716 (cropped).jpg Tharman Shanmugaratnam
(born 1957)
Represented Jurong GRC
21 May 2011 30 April 2019 7 years,
345 days
PAP Lee H. III
Lee H. IV
11 Heng Swee Keat.jpg Heng Swee Keat
(born 1961)
Represented Tampines GRC
(2011–2020)
Represented East Coast GRC
(from 2020)
1 May 2019 Incumbent 6 years, 54 days PAP Lee H. IV
Lee H. V
Wong I
12 Lawrence Wong 20230526.jpg Lawrence Wong
(born 1972)
Represented Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC
13 June 2022 14 May 2024 1 year, 336 days PAP Lee H. V
13 Gan Kim Yong - 2022 (cropped).jpg Gan Kim Yong
(born 1959)
Represented Chua Chu Kang GRC
15 May 2024 Incumbent 1 year, 41 days PAP Wong I

See also

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