Singapore founder Lee to quit cabinet

SINGAPORE - Singapore’s first prime minister and founding father of the modern city-state, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Saturday said he will leave the government cabinet to make way for a younger generation of leadership.

Former prime minister Goh Chok Tong also announced Saturday his decision to leave his cabinet post of senior minister, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The moves follow decades of service in key ministerial positions by both ministers and last week’s Singapore general election, in which the ruling People’s Action Party was returned to government but lost a portion of the popular vote and a number of key members of parliament to the opposition.

“A younger generation, besides having a non-corrupt and meritocratic government and a high standard of living, wants to be more engaged in the decisions which affect them,” both ministers said in a joint statement.

“After a watershed general election, we have decided to leave the cabinet and have a completely younger team of ministers to connect to and engage with this young generation in shaping the future of our Singapore.”