At the age of 68, Khaw Boon Wan has been called out of retirement to chair the new media entity of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).
He is considered the best man for the job. They would have us believe that it has nothing to do with the fact that Khaw is a former heavyweight Minister and former Chairman of the People’s Action Party (PAP).
The current Chairman of SPH is Lee Boon Yang, yet another former Minister.
Singtel appoints ex-manpower minister Lim Swee Say as non-executive director
Mr Lim Swee Say was Singapore's minister for manpower from 2015 to 2018. PHOTO: MCI
Singtel on Tuesday (June 1) announced that it has appointed former manpower minister Lim Swee Say as a non-executive independent director in the group.
Mr Lim, 66, was Singapore's minister for manpower from 2015 to 2018. He had entered politics in 1997, and served as secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) prior to his appointment as manpower minister.
At present, he holds various positions such as NTUC trustee and chairman of the NTUC Administration and Research Unit's board of trustees. He is also deputy chairman of the Singapore Labour Foundation.
Former minister Khaw Boon Wan to be chairman of new entity after SPH media restructuring
SPH's current management shareholders agreed that Mr Khaw Boon Wan is the right choice given the national importance of the task and scale of the challenge.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Former Cabinet minister Khaw Boon Wan, 68, will chair the board of the new not-for-profit entity to be set up after Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) restructures its media operations.
This decision to appoint him has been discussed with SPH's current management shareholders, who agreed that Mr Khaw is the right choice, given the national importance of the task and scale of the challenge, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said on Monday (May 10).
The not-for-profit entity will be a company limited by guarantee (CLG) and SPH's media business will come under its charge. Such CLGs are typically formed to carry out non-profit-making activities that have some public or national interest.
SPH plan to hive off media business gets MCI support
SPH CHAIRMAN LEE BOON YANG was minister for information, communications and the arts before retiring from politics in 2009. He also held the defence and manpower portfolios during his 24 years of political office
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), which publishes The Straits Times, has received the Government's support for its plan to hive off its media business into a new company limited by guarantee (CLG), as part of SPH's ongoing strategic review.
Announcing the move yesterday, SPH chairman Lee Boon Yang said that the transfer will enable the media business to focus on quality journalism and invest in talent and new technology to strengthen its digital capabilities.
Signalling its support in a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said the Government is prepared to provide funding support to the CLG, to help it accelerate its digital transformation and build capabilities for the future.
SPH CEO SAYS HE IS SORRY AFTER TAKING “UMBRAGE” AT REPORTER’S QUESTION
SPH CEO Ng Yat Chung has apologised for his infamous outburst which has since gone viral, where he took “umbrage” at the question of a reporter.
Ng said that he was standing up for SPH Media’s long cherished editorial integrity and that he will continue to do so.
He added that he was a direct and blunt-speaking person, but that he apologises for any offence that he might have caused and regrets any distractions from the merits of the proposed restructuring.
Who is SPH CEO Ng Yat Chung?
Several video snippets from the Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) press conference on May 6, 2021 featuring its chief executive officer (CEO) Ng Yat Chung taking "umbrage" at a reporter's question sent the internet into a tizzy.
Many memes, illustrations and think pieces have since materialised as a result.
For the uninitiated, you might be wondering who Ng Yat Chung is and here are some facts about him:
- He was an SAF scholar
- He has three Master's degrees
- He was the fifth Chief of Defence
- He was a senior executive at Temasek Holdings
- He was the former CEO of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) prior to his role in SPH
- He has been the Chief Executive Officer/ Executive Director at SPH since Sep. 1, 2017
The elites have run The Straits Times into the ground. What’s next?
Today we heard the news that Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) is spinning off its media unit, including The Straits Times and many other publications, into a non-profit entity. This follows years of consistently poor performance amid digital disruption and other changes to the media industry.
Wiser minds will engage in more thorough post-mortems—has anybody seen Ho Ching’s feed today?—but I wanted to spark a small conversation on the culture of elite governance in Singapore.
“If not for the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS), the loss would have been a deeper S$39.5 million,” Lee Boon Yang, SPH’s chairman, said in reference to the media business’s first-ever lost of S$11.4m, for the financial year which ended Aug 31 2020.
'Kena arrow': Lawrence Wong, Ong Ye Kung comment on Covid-19 press conference memes
(From left) Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at the MTF press conference on May 31, 2021. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION
A look to the right by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong at a press conference on Monday (May 31) after a reporter posed a question has sparked several memes, suggesting the two men were "bosses" delegating work to Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.
It had happened just before Mr Wong answered the question, on whether the new coronavirus variants may cause another spike in cases, when measures would be relaxed and if the supposed new variant from Vietnam has been detected in Singapore. The three ministers, who co-chair the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, were giving updates on Singapore's Covid-19 situation at a virtual press conference that was broadcast live to the public.
Mr Ong, on hearing the question, looked to his right at Mr Wong. Mr Gan, who was seated in between both men, also looked at Mr Wong, who paused before answering the question.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic suspends teaching staff member who made racist remarks to couple in viral video
In the video, a man in a red polo T-shirt tells Mr Dave Parkash (in white) that it is "racist that Indians marry Chinese girls". (Photo: Facebook/Dave Parkash)
A man who made racist remarks towards an interracial couple is a staff member at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and the school has suspended him from teaching duties. The incident was captured on a video that was widely circulated online over the weekend.
The polytechnic is aware of the video, said an NP spokesperson on Monday (Jun 7). “We regret that the individual in question is a member of our staff. “We take a very serious view of the matter as the remarks made by the individual are highly offensive, disrespectful and goes against our staff Code of Conduct and values as a community,” said the spokesperson.
“We are investigating this matter internally, including considering the appropriate disciplinary action to be taken. Meanwhile, the staff in question has been suspended from his teaching duties.”
Woman who refused to wear mask at MBS offered bail, asks for charges against her to be dropped
Phoon Chiu Yoke leaving the State Courts on May 24. She has been offered an $8,000 bail. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
A woman who was captured on video refusing to wear a mask at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) integrated resort has been offered bail, after she was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for two weeks. Phoon Chiu Yoke, 53, has been offered $8,000 bail.
She faces seven charges for various offences, including failing to wear a mask at MBS, Newton hawker centre, Clarke Quay Central, Bras Basah Complex, and outside the State Courts building.
On Tuesday (June 8), Phoon told the court four times that she was a naval officer with a "strong professional standing", and asked for the charges against her to be dropped. “I have a very strong professional standing, not only in Singapore, but globally ... I served in the navy for 12 years and was the first female commanding officer,” she said.
Lim Boon Heng appointed chairman of Temasek
The former cabinet minister will take over from S Dhanabalan, who is retiring after a 17-year stint
Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s government-owned investment company, has appointed Lim Boon Heng as chairman, replacing S Dhanabalan.
Lim joined the Temasek board last year after retiring from a 30-year political career that included senior cabinet positions and leadership of Singapore’s trades union congress. He will take up the new role on August 1.
Like Lim, Dhanabalan was also a former cabinet minister. He is retiring as Temasek’s longest-serving chairman after 17 years in the job, and will become an honorary adviser after stepping down.
Lim Boon Heng appointed chairman of Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd
He assumes the non-executive role at Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund replacing S. Dhanabalan, who will retire on Aug. 1. Dhanabalan has held the chair for 17 years and turns 76 next month.
Lim joined Temasek's board a year ago. He was a government minister from 2001 to 2011 and is a former chairman of the People's Action Party that has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965. He is also a former unionist with the National Trades Union Congress.
His ascension will have little impact on Temasek's day-to-day operations, however. At Temasek, the chairman is less influential than the CEO. Ho Ching, the wife of Singapore's prime minister, has been CEO since 2004.
On Princes, Generals, and Temasek
The announcement that Lim Boon Heng would replace S. Dhanabalan as the Chairman of Temasek Holdings is the changing of generals with nothing but the delusion of control over the course of history. It is an announcement full of sound and fury signifying nothing.
From my personal conversations with people, I have actually heard generally complementary comments and anecdotes about Chairman Dhanabalan. However, the control over Temasek is dominated by a small number of people and filling the Chairman’s seat requires above all the ability to know how and when to say yes.
The appointment of Lim Boon Heng ultimately comes as no surprise. With no experience that would appear to suit him for the chairmanship of a major institutional investor other than being a PAP loyalist, he will fulfill the most important mandate of executing the policies faithfully as they are handed to him. The position could have ultimately gone to any number of PAP men that know where power lies and what their role is within the larger power structure and at Temasek.
Kena Arrow: 'I had a good laugh'
A look to the right by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong at a press conference on Monday (May 31) after a reporter posed a question has sparked several memes, suggesting the two men were "bosses" delegating work to Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.
It had happened just before Mr Wong answered the question, on whether the new coronavirus variants may cause another spike in cases, when measures would be relaxed and if the supposed new variant from Vietnam has been detected in Singapore. The three ministers, who co-chair the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, were giving updates on Singapore's Covid-19 situation at a virtual press conference that was broadcast live to the public.
Mr Ong, on hearing the question, looked to his right at Mr Wong. Mr Gan, who was seated in between both men, also looked at Mr Wong, who paused before answering the question.
