Singapore PM to form Cabinet over next 2 weeks

After a landslide victory in the general election by his party, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said late Saturday that he will form the Cabinet over the next two weeks.

The People's Action Party, led by Lee, won the election with 69. 86 percent of the popular votes, the highest since 2001's landslide victory of 75.3 percent.

One of Lee's urgent affairs is to decide who will assume the post of transport minister in the new Cabinet, as former Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew decided not to contest the general election just before the election period.

Transportation is a major issue during the election. Singapore' s metro system experienced a massive breakdown in July this year at peak hours on two of its major lines, affecting over 200,000 commuters.

"And so today we are reaping the fruits of work done by previous transport ministers, like Mr Lui Tuck Yew who has done a good job over the last four years. Some of the results are showing now but some of the results will not show for five, 10 (or) 15 years to come. So it's a very demanding job but I will find somebody," Lee said, adding that he still hasn't made a final decision.

Talking about how the government will interact with its people, Lee encourages Singaporeans, especially the young, to participate in diverse social issues such as social welfare and education in a more active way.

"Young people in particular have very diverse interests -- some are interested in animals, pet welfare, some in people, some in education, some in arts. And we encourage them to get involved in all these and the government will work directly with them," he said.

Source: XINHUA