SINGAPORE: Jeffrey Siow, the second permanent secretary of two ministries, has resigned from the civil service and is set to enter politics.
Siow, who is at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), is the highest-ranking civil servant to resign so far, and the latest in a string of departures ahead of the general election.
He has held various senior roles in the public service over his career, including managing director of statutory board Enterprise Singapore and principal private secretary to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong when he was prime minister.
A statement by the Public Service Division (PSD) on March 25 said that Siow will retire on April 2 after 24 years of service.
On the same day, the resignations of two other senior civil servants were also announced internally. Both are also expected to enter politics.
They are: Shawn Loh (pic), the 2024 and 2025 Budget director, who is also director of security and resilience programmes at the Ministry of Finance (MOF); and Goh Hanyan, director in the Smart Nation Strategy Office and the national artificial intelligence (AI) group for policy and strategy at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).
Siow, 46, became second permanent secretary in January 2024 at MOM, where he implemented policies on foreign manpower, workplace safety and health, and fair employment.
During his tenure, landmark legislation on workplace discrimination and fair workplace practices was introduced.
Since September 2024, Siow has concurrently served as second permanent secretary at MTI, where he worked on strengthening Singapore’s economic growth as well as its relations with key partners like Asean, the United States and China.
He also led the establishment of the SME Pro-Enterprise Office as part of MTI’s push to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, said PSD in its statement.
Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing said Siow had “served with distinction and made a significant impact across a range of postings in his public service career”.
Before becoming a permanent secretary, Siow was the first managing director and chief operating officer of Enterprise Singapore, where he took charge of growing and transforming local businesses.
He was principal private secretary to Lee from 2017 to 2021 – a role which has among its alumni Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who worked with Lee; as well as Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, who both worked with the late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
Siow has also had stints at the transport, education and manpower ministries.
Former permanent secretaries – the highest rank in the civil service – who entered politics have later made it into the Cabinet.
Chee was second permanent secretary at MTI before joining politics in 2015. He was appointed minister of state after the election that year, and subsequently became transport minister and second minister for finance in 2024.
DPM Heng was also permanent secretary at MTI before becoming Singapore’s central bank chief and later running in the 2011 election. He was made education minister in his first term in government.
Siow is the most senior among a raft of civil servants who are leaving the service ahead of the election, which is widely expected by mid-year.
MOF’s Loh, 38, will leave the public service on April 6, The Straits Times has learnt.
Loh was director for the 2024 and 2025 Budgets, which were the first ones to include programmes from the Forward Singapore engagement exercise.
He joined MOF in June 2023, and worked on programmes including the CDC and SG60 voucher schemes.
His team also supported the transformations within various ministries as well as developments like Kallang Alive, a masterplan covering the future of the precinct around the Sports Hub. PM Wong had spoken about the masterplan during his maiden National Day Rally in 2024.
Before joining MOF, Loh was vice-president of Singapore businesses as well as industry manpower development at the Economic Development Board.
He also had a stint in the private sector, spending more than a year at Commonwealth Capital Group driving business expansion from 2020 to 2021.
Loh also served in the education and manpower ministries, as well as the Prime Minister’s Office.
MDDI’s Goh, who oversees Singapore’s Smart Nation and AI policies, has also resigned and is set to join politics. She will leave the service on April 3.
She was involved in shaping Singapore’s refreshed Smart Nation plan, known as Smart Nation 2.0, as well as the coordination and implementation of the Republic’s refreshed National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
Before her stint at MDDI, she was working on economy and sustainability under the strategy group in the Prime Minister’s Office for just under four years.
Goh had previously spent about a decade at the Economic Development Board, which included a three-year stint in Washington in the US.
The Straits Times has contacted Siow, Mr Loh and Ms Goh for comment.
ST had earlier reported on the resignations of deputy secretary Jasmin Lau from the Ministry of Health and Foo Cexiang, a director from the Ministry of Transport.
The PAP has traditionally tapped public service leaders when sourcing candidates. Those who are chosen to stand often resign in the lead-up to the election, as they are not allowed to participate in political activities while in service.
In the past, public servants have quit their roles close to the start of the hustings. - The Straits Times/ANN
