This petition was drafted with reference to a 2025 petition intended to stop Ng Chee Meng from joining Singapore’s Cabinet. I did not draft nor aid in the drafting of this previous petition. 

https://www.change.org/p/stop-ng-chee-meng-from-joining-singapore-cabinet

    In 2025, Ng Chee Meng returned to Parliament as an MP, defeating Andre Low of the Wokers’ Party. Upon election, Ng Chee Meng asked PM Lawrence Wong not to assign him any position in government- “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”, Ng stated. Despite being initially excluded from the cabinet, he was recently appointed a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office amidst a reshuffling of the cabinet. Though a previous petition, which has garnered over 28, 000 signatures, declared success, Ng Chee Meng’s return to Singapore’s cabinet reverses the victory we previously believed we had achieved.

    As such, we, the undersigned, implore Sec-Gen Ng Chee Meng to resign as a minister of the PMO. This request for resignation does not include his duties as a Member of Parliament and Sec-Gen of NTUC. 

We believe that Ng Chee Meng should not hold any ministerial appointment, and should resign from his new appointment immediately. This is on account of the same three reasons listed in the former petition. 

1. Slim margin of victory over a political newcomer
2. Lack of transparency and accountability in the NTUC-Allianz Controversy
3. Concerning past incidents

Slim Margin of Victory in Jalan-Kayu SMC

    In 2025’s General Election, Ng Chee Meng beat out WP’s Andre Low with a harrowing margin of 809 votes, obtaining 51.47% of the votes. Sec-Gen Ng beat Mr Low by a margin of 2.94%- the narrowest margin of victory, percentage-wise, of any PAP constituency in GE2025. This reflects the divisive nature of Ng’s bid for election. Ng Chee Meng, with his extraordinarily impressive qualifications, only barely won over a first-time contestant. 

    We view this as a sign that many of Sec-Gen Ng’s constituents do not have confidence in his suitability as an MP. Given this noteworthy lack of voter support as an MP, we feel that Ng Chee Meng is greatly unsuitable for further promotion to a ministerial position. 

NTUC-Allianz Controversy 

    While Sec-Gen Ng Chee Meng was NTUC’s head, he endorsed a prospective sale of a 51% majority of NTUC Income to Allianz. At the time, a Capital Extraction Plan, which would have returned $1.85 Billion to shareholders within three years of the deal, had not been disclosed to the public. Former NTUC CEO, Tan Suee Chieh, wrote of his great concern regarding the deal, “Income Insurance will be subject to the rigours of a shareholder profit-driven organisation, eventually losing its identity, its fundamental DNA as a social enterprise and its “People before Profits” philosophy”. 

Our government eventually vetoed the deal. 

NTUC’s CEC eventually said that they were unaware of this capital extraction plan. Ng Chee Meng’s initial endorsement of the deal as Sec-Gen of NTUC is concerning, and many Singaporeans have expressed their concerns with a perceived lack of accountability and transparency on Sec-Gen Ng’s part. Given his involvement in this previous controversy, with a controversial sale being endorsed by NTUC’s CEC and eventually having to be blocked by the government, we do not believe that Sec-Gen Ng Chee Meng is suitable for any ministerial role. 

Concerning past incidents

    In a 2017 Dialogue Session, Ng Chee Meng, who was then the minister of education,  reacted to a question from a Beginning Teacher pertaining to SAP Schools with anger. Ng told the Beginning Teacher “When Minister is talking to you, you better stand up”. Upon the Beginning Teacher standing up and returning to the microphone, Ng Chee Meng proceeded to aggressively question and lecture the Beginning Teacher. When another person came up to the microphone to supplement this previous question, Ng Chee Meng said, “You two no need to conspire against minister ok?”. In that same dialogue, Sec-Gen asked those present, “How many of you read at least one book a month?”. When many raised their hands, Sec-Gen Ng said, “Sure or not…? Fiction book or serious book?”. The room, which was full of teachers, then jeered and sighed loudly. 

    Sec-Gen Ng Chee Meng has since apologised for this, upon the release of a public account by the Beginning Teacher who Ng Chee Meng had disrespected. 

    An image with Ng Chee Meng having dinner with Fujian gang member and money-launderer Su Haijin also surfaced last year. (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ng-chee-meng-fujian-gang-su-haijin-photo-5111076

    Given these two incidents, we believe Sec-Gen Ng to be unsuitable for a Ministerial role. By disrespecting civil servants, to the point of being jeered loudly, Sec-Gen’s conduct raises serious questions and concerns about his character. Sec-Gen Ng, in his capacity as then Minister of Education, spoke incredibly condescendingly to Singapore’s teachers, who are worthy of respect and decent treatment. 

Given the listed three reasons, we, the undersigned, strongly believe Sec-Gen Ng Chee Meng to be unsuitable to be a minister in PM Lawrence Wong's cabinet, and call upon him to resign from his new appointment in the Prime Minister's office.