Connect with us

Government

Attorney-General Lucien Wong reappointed for a second term

Published

5 years ago

on

Attorney-General Lucien Wong will be serving a second term after his reappointment and swearing in ceremony at the Istana on Tue (14 Jan).

Mr Wong, who has over three decades of legal experience, was previously the chairman and a senior partner of Singapore’s largest law firm Allen & Gledhill.

President Halimah Yacob, who officiated the ceremony on Tue, in a Facebook post the same day expressed her confidence in Mr Wong’s abilities to “discharge his duties fairly and with integrity”.

Mr Wong’s previous appointment as Attorney-General — a position that entails acting as a legal advisor to the Government — raised questions concerning potential conflict of interest, as he was previously the personal lawyer of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Two opposition parties have highlighted the issue three years ago, as seen in the Singapore Democratic Party’s letter to then-President Tony Tan and the Workers’ Party (WP) urging the Government to address the matter in Parliament.

The SDP urged Dr Tan to revoke Mr Wong’s position as the Attorney-General, as Mr Wong, in the capacity of the Attorney-General, had allegedly refused to look into Dr Lee Wei Ling’s and Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s allegations regarding PM Lee’s purported abuse of power in the 38 Oxley Road dispute.

“Mr Lucien Wong was sworn in as AG on 16 January 2017. However, the fact that Mr Wong was the PM’s personal lawyer was revealed to the public only in June 2017. The President may not have been aware of this fact or its full implications.

“The association of Mr Wong with PM Lee prior to his becoming the AG has created an acute conflict of interest which cannot be ignored. It is important that President Tan does the right thing in the interest of the people of Singapore and revoke Mr Lucien Wong’s appointment as AG.

“Any further delay or refusal to act will cause even greater erosion of confidence in our public institutions,” the letter read.

Low Thia Khiang — then-chief of the WP — said that Mr Wong was representing PM Lee’s in his private dispute against his siblings over the Lee family’s private property, and then — as an Attorney-General — had the power to advise the Government and the Cabinet on matters related to said property and their late father Lee Kuan Yew’s will pertaining to the house.

“Is there also a conflict of interest here? Was this consideration taken into account when (Mr Wong) was appointed the AG? Can the PM clarify the role of the Law Minister and the AG in this matter, and explain to the House whether there’s any conflict of interest,” Mr Low asked.

Ms Lim, chairman of the WP, said regarding Mr Wong that it was “also well-known that he had been a senior partner in the same firm as the Law Minister for a long time”.

“They probably understand each other intimately,” she said.

Ms Lim also noted how Law Ministers in the past had expressly endorsed the need for there to be distance between the Government and the AGC.

“For instance, Prof S Jayakumar recently gave an interview for a book marking AGC’s 150th Anniversary. There, he recalled how when he was appointed Minister of State for Law in 1981, he was given an office located at the AGC, then in High Street.

“Now, there is no legal prohibition on appointing the Government’s close friends and former party comrades as the AG or Deputy AG … But, from a system point of view, do these appointments instil public confidence that the AGC will act independently in matters where the Government, or worse, the PM, has an interest in the outcomes?” she asked the House.

While Mr Wong’s predecessor V K Rajah SC — who was appointed Attorney-General on 25 Jun 2014 — ended his service as the Attorney-General on 14 Jan 2017 upon reaching the retirement age of 60 years, Mr Wong was 63 years old at the time of his appointment for the first term of his tenure.

As Mr Wong is 67 years old this year, he will be 70 at the end of his second term as the Attorney-General.

Article 35(4) of the Constitution stipulates that the Attorney-General may be appointed for a specific period and — subject to clause (6) — vacate his office at the end of the period.

The Attorney-General is permitted to hold office until the age of 60 years old. However, according to Section 35(4)(b), an Attorney-General who has reached 60 years of age may remain in office for a fixed period of time agreed between the Attorney-General and the Government upon the President’s discretion, if the President takes up the advice of the Prime Minister.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
1 Comment
Subscribe
Notify of
1 Comment
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Government

PSD announces mid-year bonuses of 0.3 months and one-time payment of up to S$400 for civil servants in Singapore

Singapore’s civil servants will receive mid-year bonuses, with a 0.3-month Annual Variable Component (AVC) and junior grade officers to get an additional one-time payment of up to S$400.

The Public Service Division (PSD) said the decision “takes into consideration the weakened economic outlook, and significant downside risks that remain in the global economy.”

Published

1 year ago

on

19 June 2023

By

SINGAPORE — The Public Service Division (PSD) revealed on Monday (19 June) its decision to grant mid-year bonuses to civil servants in Singapore.

The government has allocated a mid-year Annual Variable Component (AVC) of 0.3 months for all civil servants. Additionally, junior grade officers will receive an extra one-time payment of up to S$400 (US$298).

The specific amount of the one-time payment depends on the civil servants’ respective job grades.

Civil servants in grades equivalent to MX13(I) and MX14 will receive an additional S$200, while those in grades equivalent to MX15 and MX16, along with those in the Operations Support Scheme (OSS) Grades III and IV, will receive a higher one-time payment of S$400.

PSD said the move comes after close consultations with public sector unions.

“This mid-year payment takes into consideration the weakened economic outlook, and significant downside risks that remain in the global economy.”

According to the PSD’s statement on Monday, Singapore’s economy experienced a modest growth rate of 0.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023. This expansion represents a slowdown from the 2.1 percent growth observed in the previous quarter.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has maintained its GDP growth forecast for 2023, estimating a range of “0.5 percent to 2.5 percent.” The government expects growth to settle around the mid-point of this forecast range.

However, there are concerns about the weakened external demand outlook and increased downside risks, including the potential impact of tighter global financial conditions and geopolitical tensions.

“The labour market continued to expand in the first quarter of 2023, albeit at a more moderated pace compared to the previous quarter.”

Total employment expanded for the sixth consecutive quarter, and unemployment rates remained low.

Given this backdrop, the government, in close consultation with public sector unions, has decided to provide all civil servants with a mid-year AVC of 0.3 months.

“In deciding the year-end AVC payments, the Government will continue to monitor the economic situation closely, and take into consideration the guidelines by the National Wages Council which will be released later in the year,” stated the PSD.

Continue Reading

Government

After transport minister’s spot-check at LRT, Malaysia’s health minister too conducts a spot-check at Klang Hospital

Published

2 years ago

on

30 December 2022

By

SELANGOR, MALAYSIA —  Malaysia civil servants now may need to have a stronger heart as well as being constantly alert, as some of their ministers might just decide to conduct spot checks at their workplace anytime to check their performance.

After the newly appointed Transport Minister Anthony Loke went incognito on LRT system for a spot-check, netizens also spotted Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa making an unofficial visit to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah(HTAR) in Klang on 28 December night.

Twitter user Ianiske shared a photo, showing that the minister did make a visit to the hospital, and spoke with some patients there to understand the issues on the ground regarding the public health services.

“Ok, I have checked, ” Ianiske wrote, “the health minister was at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital last night. HAHA.”

“Who would even notice her when she came by like a patient? No wonder she seems like asking people around. No one even realizes that she is the health minister.”

https://twitter.com/ansaleya/status/1608284539729678336

In the subsequent post, Ianiske also suggested that the minister should visit the hospital during peak hours, “Please.. just like my parents often refer to the government hospital. This govt issue has many critical issues.”

The Twitter user added that there are also other problems such as long patient waiting time and parking issue at hospital, hoping that the new Health Minister will look into these issues.

Zaliha: I wish to hear feedback from patients

On Thursday (29 Dec), Dr. Zaliha Mustafa confirmed that she had gone down to monitor the situation at the emergency department of HTAR hospital.

“I wish to hear feedback from patients about the services at HTAR, including the issue of long waiting times in the emergency department. ”

She said during the spot-check, she also heard suggestions from the emergency department workers to improve health services. They also expressed their concern for the issues raised.

“I will also strengthen the initiatives that are already implemented by HTAR before, and will see if they can be used in other emergency departments.”

She added that among the HTAR initiatives include arrangement for a short stay ward for stable patients who are expected to return after two or three days, and manage sick bed usage via digital technology and communication between hospital and public health clinic.

Dr Zaliha also promised to bring back all feedback that she received to the health ministry meeting to further improve the patient waiting time at the hospital’s emergency department.

Continue Reading

Trending