Ng Chee Meng returns to Cabinet as Minister in Prime Minister's Office a year after asking to stay out

National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng will return to Cabinet as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, as he announced a reshuffle of his ministerial team.

Wong described the return as "timely", pointing to the growing priority the government places on jobs and workplace transformation. Ng last held the same role until he left parliament after the 2020 General Election.

Speaking at a press conference, Wong said he had accepted Ng's request in May last year to focus solely on the labour movement and his Jalan Kayu ward. A year on, Ng had settled into the ward and worked hard on the ground, he said.

"And now as we look at the situation, we know that jobs and workplace transformation has become a much higher priority for the government," Wong said.

He noted these topics had featured heavily in parliamentary debates, including a motion on artificial intelligence and jobs that Ng had put forward.

Wong said Ng would be able to make a more impactful contribution as both NTUC Secretary-General and a minister. "So I approached him, and he agreed to do so," he said.

Reversal of a public request

The announcement reverses a position Ng had stated publicly just over a year earlier. Before Wong unveiled his leadership team in May 2025, Ng said he had asked the Prime Minister not to assign him any government position.

"Over the next five years, I will focus on my duties as the MP in Jalan Kayu and my role as secretary-general of NTUC. The needs of my residents and all Singaporean workers are my priorities," he said then.

In a written statement dated 6 May 2025, Ng confirmed he had asked Wong not to assign him any role in government, adding that the Prime Minister had "agreed to consider this".

Wong accepted the request, leaving Ng out of his first full Cabinet line-up on 21 May 2025. At the time, Wong called the absence "a temporary arrangement" and said he looked forward to the labour chief joining Cabinet "before too long", though he gave no timeline.

Scrutiny preceding the 2025 request

Ng's 2025 request came amid public scrutiny over several matters. He had faced criticism over his conduct at a Ministry of Education dialogue in 2017, where he was accused of being aggressive and condescending towards teachers.

In his 6 May 2025 statement, Ng said he did not remember his exact words, as nearly a decade had passed, and apologised if any remarks came across as disrespectful. He said he could have handled the situation better.

Around the same period in 2025, photographs circulated online showing Ng dining with Su Haijin, later convicted in a S$3 billion money laundering case. Ng said the dinner had taken place "some time back" and that he had no further contact with Su once he learnt of the police investigation.

The Income-Allianz deal

Ng also faced scrutiny over the proposed sale of Income Insurance to German insurer Allianz, in his capacity as NTUC Secretary-General. NTUC Enterprise, which Ng chaired, was the majority shareholder of the insurer.

The Singapore government blocked the deal in October 2024, citing concerns that a planned extraction of S$1.85 billion in capital could undermine Income's social mission of providing affordable insurance to lower-income Singaporeans.

Speaking at a rally on 27 April 2025, during the General Election campaign, Ng defended his involvement, saying the sale had been conducted in good faith. "I've initiated a review in NTUC Enterprise so that we can learn the right lessons humbly and do better for fellow Singaporeans," he said.

He did not address whether he had been aware of the capital extraction clause, which the government cited as its key reason for intervening.

The Income-Allianz deal

Ng also faced scrutiny over the proposed sale of Income Insurance to German insurer Allianz, in his capacity as NTUC Secretary-General. NTUC Enterprise, which Ng chaired, was the majority shareholder of the insurer.

NTUC had publicly backed the sale. In a statement shared by Ng on 5 August 2024, the labour movement supported NTUC Enterprise's decision to sell a 51 per cent stake in Income to Allianz, citing the insurer's need for capital and long-term sustainability.

Ng wrote that the offer was "good for Income, good for its policyholders", and would allow the insurer to fulfil its mission "from a stronger position".

The Singapore government blocked the deal in October 2024, citing concerns that a planned extraction of S$1.85 billion in capital could undermine Income's social mission of providing affordable insurance to lower-income Singaporeans. Allianz confirmed its withdrawal on 16 December 2024.

Critics, including former NTUC Income CEO Tan Suee Chieh, argued the sale contradicted an earlier written commitment that NTUC Enterprise would remain the majority shareholder to protect Income's social mission.

In an open letter dated 27 April 2025, during the election campaign, Tan urged Jalan Kayu voters to hold Ng accountable for his leadership role in the failed deal. He said Ng, as a member of the NTUC Enterprise board that approved it, bore leadership responsibility.

Tan also alleged that Ng had neither responded to his private representations in late July 2024 nor engaged publicly as scrutiny grew between August and October that year.

Speaking at a rally on 27 April 2025, during the General Election campaign, Ng defended his involvement, saying the sale had been conducted in good faith. "I've initiated a review in NTUC Enterprise so that we can learn the right lessons humbly and do better for fellow Singaporeans," he said.

He did not address whether he had been aware of the capital extraction clause, which the government cited as its key reason for intervening.

Ng's response to Ng Chee Meng's ministerial reappointment

Following the announcement, Ng said in a social media post that he was humbled by Wong's invitation and had accepted it "with a deep sense of responsibility". His commitments to Jalan Kayu residents and to workers "in an AI-disrupted world" remained unchanged, he said.

In a statement, NTUC said Ng's return would strengthen the voice of workers in national policymaking, citing his national policy experience and understanding of workers' concerns.

Ng's political record

Ng entered politics in 2015 as the highest-ranking military officer to do so, having served as Chief of Defence Force. Elected on the People's Action Party (PAP) slate in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, he was appointed acting minister for education (schools).

He later became a full minister and second minister for transport. In 2018, he relinquished those portfolios to become Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and NTUC Secretary-General.

His team lost Sengkang GRC to the Workers' Party at the 2020 General Election, though he remained NTUC chief. He returned to parliament on 3 May 2025, winning the single-seat ward of Jalan Kayu in the tightest contest of the 2025 General Election.