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Singapore
Indian-origin Member of Parliament Murali Pillai, will become the Minister of State for Law and Transport in Singapore's new cabinet under Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. Pillai, who is 56 years old, will officially start his role on July 1, according to The Straits Times. Other cabinet members will begin their duties on May 15. Pillai is a lawyer and a member of the ruling People's Action Party.
Other Indian-origin politicians in the cabinet
The Singapore Prime Minister's Office announced the new cabinet lineup on Monday (May 13), which includes several Indian-origin politicians. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan will continue as Foreign Affairs Minister, K. Shanmugam will retain his roles as Minister of Home Affairs and Law, and Indranee Rajah will stay on as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.
The new cabinet, to be led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, will officially take office on Wednesday. Wong will succeed Lee Hsien Loong, who has led the country for 20 years and is stepping down. Gan Kim Yong, aged 65, will be promoted to Deputy Prime Minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle, while continuing to serve as Trade and Industry Minister. He will also serve as acting prime minister in the absence of the prime minister.
He will also become the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which acts as the country's central bank, and will take charge of the strategy group within the Prime Minister's Office.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, aged 63, will continue in his current role. Originally designated as the successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Heng has declined to assume the position.
In addition, Wong, aged 51, announced other promotions and appointments on Monday, but there were no significant changes to the ministers leading each ministry in this reshuffle. For instance, Wong will retain his position as the head of the Finance Ministry.
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Wong mentioned that his new team includes both experienced ministers and younger members. He plans to move around the fourth-generation (4G) ministers of the People's Action Party (PAP) to different roles. This way, they can gain more experience and knowledge if the party wins the next election.
(With inputs from agencies)