Senior Minister facts for kids
Senior Minister (simplified Chinese: 国务资政; traditional Chinese: 國務資政, used to be called 内阁资政／內閣資政 before 12 August 2004, Malay: Menteri Kanan) is a political office in the Prime Minister's Office. The job of Senior Minister in the political system of Singapore is taken by a prime minister or senior cabinet minister when he or she retires from that office, but still can help the government with their long experience. However, some opposition critics say that the job of senior minister shows no respect for the political opposition in Singapore and the reliance of Singapore on a dominant-party system.
The last Senior Ministers of Singapore were Goh Chok Tong, the second Prime Minister of Singapore and S Jayakumar, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore. This job has been held by Goh since August 12, 2004, and used to be held by Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, from November 28, 1990, until August 12, 2004, and S. Rajaratnam, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, from 1985 to 1988. After Goh Chok Tong became Senior Minister, a new ministerial job, the Minister Mentor, was created and given to Lee Kuan Yew. On 26 March 2009, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong announced that the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (DPM) S. Jayakumar would let go of his job as the DPM and become Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.
In the the 2011 general elections, S. Jayakumar did not contest in the election and retired from politics.
After the elections, the Senior Minister position was renamed to Emeritus Senior Minister and is still headed by former prime minister Goh Chok Tong.
List of Senior Ministers of Singapore
| Senior Minister | Start of Term | End of Term |
|---|---|---|
| S. Rajaratnam | 1985 | 1988 |
| Lee Kuan Yew | 28 November 1990 | 12 August 2004 |
| Goh Chok Tong | 12 August 2004 | 21 May 2011 |
| S Jayakumar | 1 April 2009 | 21 May 2011 |
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