Ministers' decisions carefully recorded to build up body of knowledge, says Chan Chun Sing

Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 27 Feb 2026
Author: Tham Yuen-C

Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing was responding to WP MP He Ting Ru, who had asked about the exercise of executive discretion.

Decisions made by Singapore’s ministers are carefully recorded, along with their grounds, said Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing.

This builds up over time into a corpus of knowledge on ministerial discretion, he added, likening it to building up case law.

Mr Chan was responding to Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC), who had asked about the exercise of executive discretion as Parliament debated the budget of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Ms He wanted to know how ministerial powers, under laws such as the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act and the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, are monitored to ensure they are exercised judiciously.

She suggested that public bodies should publish periodic reports detailing how their discretionary powers are used, and asked that the legal principles guiding executive discretion be made publicly known.

This will provide a clear framework for decision-making and reduce public concern about motives, she added.

In response, Mr Chan said the law intentionally grants discretion to ministers and other officials so that they can exercise their judgment on how best to handle individual cases based on specific facts, rather than “mechanically applying a rigid rule”.

The prime minister assigns responsibilities, including statutory functions, to ministers, and all of these functions must be exercised strictly in accordance with the law, he said.

Such powers are subject to parliamentary oversight and safeguards, Mr Chan added, noting that the rationale behind granting discretionary functions, as well as their scope, limits and any necessary safeguards, would have been debated in Parliament when the legislation was passed.

He said that while each minister is responsible for exercising his or her assigned statutory functions, the most important issues are brought to the Cabinet for discussion before a final decision is made.

Ultimately, the Cabinet remains collectively responsible to Parliament, added Mr Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Defence Minister.

In his speech, Mr Chan also covered how the public service is preparing for a rapidly changing international and domestic landscape.

Mr Foo Cexiang (Tanjong Pagar GRC) and Nominated MP Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari had asked how the public service was preparing its officers amid a changed global landscape and Singapore’s economic transformation.

Mr Chan outlined three core priorities for public officers – understanding the world, understanding the people and understanding technology – which he said they would have to do well to ensure Singapore remains exceptional.

Given how small and open Singapore is, and how everything from trade to security and food is affected by global developments, it is crucial for public officers to understand the new world order to make sound decisions for Singapore, he said.

To help them build up global exposure and connections, the public service has ramped up overseas postings and attachments to international organisations and the private sector, he added.

As a result, nearly four out of 10 officers in central leadership development programmes have had structured overseas exposure, he said.

Mr Chan also stressed the importance of understanding technology as the Government enhances science, technology and engineering capabilities across the entire public service.

As part of this push, all public officers are required to go through digital and AI training, he added, with training for senior leaders accelerating over the past year to ensure readiness at every level, from permanent secretaries down to the newest officers.

At the same time, the public service is launching supplementary programmes under the Career Fitness Movement to provide targeted support for officers at different career and life stages, he added.

He said the public service has also worked to further deepen trust with Singaporeans, via initiatives such as the Singapore Government Partnerships Office, which was set up to foster collaboration between the Government and citizens. It received more than 1,600 partnership proposals in 2025.

“To ensure Singapore is ready for the future, our public service will equip our officers to understand the world, understand our people and understand technology.”