Singapore's system of government
Singapore is a Republic with a parliamentary system of government based on the British Westminster model. This means, among other things, that Members of Parliament are voted in through regular General Elections. The time lapse of each General Election should not be longer than five years from the date of the Parliament’s first sitting after the elections. In addition, General Elections must be held within three months of the dissolution of Parliament.
Singapore was rated among the best-run countries, scoring high points for its control of corruption, quality of regulation and Government effectiveness, according to a World Bank report in July 2007.
Singapore's President
The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore provides for a President who is the Head of State.
In January 1991, the Constitution was amended to allow for the election of a President by the citizens of Singapore. The elected President will hold office for a fixed term of six years. Prior to the amendments, the President was appointed by Parliament and had only a largely ceremonial role. Under the revision, the President was also empowered with certain veto powers and can also examine the Government’s exercise of its powers. Read more about the powers of the President here.
Singapore has had a total of six Presidents in its history. They are:
- The late Encik Yusof bin Ishak (9 August 1965 to 23 November 1970)
- The late Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares (2 January 1971 – 12 May 1981)
- The late Mr C V Devan Nair (24 October 1981 – 28 March 1985)
- The late Mr Wee Kim Wee (2 September 1985 – 1 September 1993)
- The late Mr Ong Teng Cheong (2 September 1993 – 1 September 1999)
- Mr S R Nathan (1 September 1999 – Present)
Singapore’s first Elected President was Mr Ong Teng Cheong, who was elected after the first Presidential elections on 28 August 1993.
Mr S R Nathan became the second Elected President on 1 September 1999. On 17 August 2005, Mr Nathan was re-elected and he was sworn-in for his second term of office on 1 September 2005.
The Cabinet
The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister, and is responsible for all government policies and the day-to-day administration of the state affairs of Singapore. The members of the Cabinet consist of Ministers drawn from the Members of Parliament, who are appointed by the President on advice from the Prime Minister. Click here for a list of the current Members of Parliament.
Singapore Ministries
The Singapore Government is also quite lean. The Prime Minister’s Office and 14 ministries oversee a population base of 4.5 million people. The Government is always thinking of ways to further cut red tape and divest non-core and non-strategic businesses.
Apart from having a relatively small government, Singapore leaders are strong believers of multi-tasking. Like Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who is also the Finance Minister, some Singapore ministers hold two portfolios. Please refer to the list of who’s who in the Singapore Cabinet.
Or you can visit websites of individual ministries listed below:
- Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
Find out what Singapore is doing to help build a caring, cohesive and resilient society. The ministry will show you its “many helping hands” to assist the less fortunate in society.
- Ministry of Defence
Visit the website to learn more about Singapore’s defence philosophy as a small nation. The ministry works hard to maintain peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor.
- Ministry of Education
Education is central to Singapore’s future in an ever changing world. Learn about our unique experience in how we bring up our young at home and teach them in school to help shape Singapore in the next generation.
- Ministry of Finance
The ministry controls the national purse strings: Managing public finances in a prudent manner and overseeing the nation’s burgeoning reserves of more than US$100 billion – one of the highest in the world. The Finance Ministry also designs policies to further promote Singapore as an international business and financial centre.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Understand how Singapore safeguards the interests of the country and its Citizens through effective diplomacy.
- Ministry of Health
This is the brain behind many policies and initiatives to help ensure that good and affordable basic medical services are available to all Singaporeans despite the global trend of rising medical costs.
- Ministry of Home Affairs
Visit the security guardian of Singapore to appreciate the efforts put in by the ministry to ensure people's safety, providing an environment where people feel totally safe, secure and at ease. Ultimately, the goal is to help create a safe home where we are free to live, work, play and bring up our families.
- Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
This is the main channel to help develop Singapore as a Global City for information, communications and the arts.
- Ministry of Law
Find out more about Singapore’s legal system and its plans to enhance the country’s excellent business climate, through sound, transparent and pro-business legal policies.
- Ministry of Manpower
This is the main gateway for many international visitors who are interested to work in Singapore. Apart from managing the entry and exit of our foreign guest workers, the ministry aspires to help Singapore create a globally competitive workforce by tapping local and foreign talent.
- Ministry of National Development
Visit the ministry to see how it has made Singapore one of the most attractive Asian cities to live, work and play in. This is done through meticulous planning for land usage, promoting architecture and urban design excellence, and stepping up greening efforts in land-scarce Singapore.
- Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources
Apart from relentless efforts to maintain high standards of public health and protection against the spread of communicable diseases, the ministry is involved in managing a scarce resource in Singapore – water. Visit the website to find out how Singapore has become increasingly self-reliant on its water needs.
- Ministry of Trade and Industry
The ministry does more than identifying opportunities for growth and giving broad directions for the economy. It oversees ten crucial agencies, such as technology trailblazer A*STAR and top economic salesman, the Economic Development Board. In addition, the ministry oversees the development of many trade superhighways known as Free Trade Agreements.
- Ministry of Transport
Singapore is a natural air and sea hub due to its strategic location, but the ministry doesn’t take it for granted. Apart from efforts to improve Singapore’s land transport system, find out more about its moves to entrench Singapore as the ultimate ‘port of call’ in Asia.
Please visit SINGOV for more details on the Singapore Government.
Parliament
The Singapore Parliament has a single House and, together with the President of Singapore, is known as the Legislature.
The functions of Parliament include making laws, controlling the state's finances and taking up a critical/inquisitorial role to check on the actions of the governing party and the Ministries. For a description of what a sitting in Parliament encompasses, please visit the Parliament of Singapore webpage.
To ensure a wider range of views and opinions in Parliament, the Constitution allows for the appointment of up to three Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) and up to nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs). NCMPs are appointed from the best-performing losers from opposition political parties in the previous general election, who will hold a minority seating in Parliament to ensure that there will be a minimum number of opposition representatives in the House. NMPs are not connected to any political parties and are appointed to ensure a wider representation of community views in Parliament. Find out more about how Singapore’s Parliament is organised here.