Minister Mentor was a position in the

Cabinet of Singapore The Cabinet of Singapore forms the executive branch of the Government of Singapore together with the President. It is led by the Prime Minister who is the head of government. The Prime Minister is a Member of Parliament (MP) appointed by t ...

created in 2004 as part of a transition in political leadership. The only person to hold the post, between 2004 and 2011, was

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...

Background

On 12 August 2004, when

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former military officer who served as the third Prime Minister of Singapore, prime minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024, thereafter serving as a Senior Minister of S ...

succeeded

Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as the second prime minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004 and as a senior minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2011. He served as the secretary-general of the Peo ...

as the

prime minister of Singapore The prime minister of Singapore, is the head of government of Singapore. The President of Singapore, president appoints the prime minister on the advice and consent of the Cabinet of Singapore. The incumbent prime minister is Lawrence Wong, ...

, he announced the position of Minister Mentor, as part of a transition of political leadership, when naming his Cabinet. Prior to Lee Kuan Yew's appointment as Minister Mentor, he was Senior Minister between 1990 and 2004 under Goh Chok Tong's Cabinet. Goh was subsequently appointed Senior Minister under Lee Hsien Loong's Cabinet when he stepped down as prime minister. On 14 May 2011, following the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

that took place seven days earlier, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong announced their retirement from the Cabinet, but continued to serve as Members of Parliament (MPs) on the backbenches until Lee's death in 2015 and Goh's retirement from politics in 2020 respectively.

References

Government ministers of Singapore 2004 establishments in Singapore 2011 disestablishments in Singapore {{singapore-stub