RIYADH, 27 Feb 2018:
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman reshuffled some of the kingdom’s top military officers and several deputy ministers yesterday in a broad shakeup seen as elevating younger officials in key economic and security areas.
The chief of staff was retired and replaced by first lieutenant general Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwayli while new chiefs were appointed to the country’s air defence and land forces, according to royal decrees published by state media.
Several new deputies in economic and security-related ministries as well as a handful of new city mayors were appointed, including Tamadur bint Youssef al-Ramah as deputy labour minister – a rare senior post for a woman in the deeply conservative kingdom.
The decrees also included the appointment of three deputy governors from among the descendants of Princes Ahmed, Talal and Muqrin – brothers of King Salman – some of whom may have felt sidelined by recent changes since his accession to the throne in 2015.
One of them, new deputy governor of Asir province – Prince Turki bin Talal – is the brother of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who was detained in the government’s anti-corruption campaign and only released last month.
The way Saudi Arabia is run has seen major changes under 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who rocketed to the heights of power from near obscurity after his father became king following the death of King Abdullah in 2015 and is pushing big economic and social reforms.
He is popular with many Saudi youths, who make up the vast majority of the population, but has irked some with his unconventional approach – including a palace coup last summer in which he pushed out his cousin to become heir to the throne.
Saudi analyst Ahmed al-Towayan, speaking on Saudi state television, said the new appointments were “pumping young blood” into local government while elevating young commanders into top military posts.
Meanwhile, Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong today said he will reshuffle his Cabinet in coming months to give more responsibility to the next generation of leaders.
Lee said last year that he would step down in the next couple of years, and the city-state has to hold a general election by early 2021. Lee has said his successor is likely to be a member of the Cabinet.
“I will reshuffle the Cabinet after Parliament prorogues, to give the younger members more exposure and responsibility. This way, my successor will be supported by a stronger and more experienced team, committed to leading Singapore to a better and brighter future,” he said in a Facebook post.
Parliament will re-open in May after a prorogue, or recess.
Questions about succession in the wealthy Southeast Asian city state – which has been governed by the People’s Action Party (PAP) since independence – came into focus when Lee, who has twice survived cancer, fell ill during a televised speech in 2016 and stumbled at a podium.
The Singapore media and political analysts say finance minister Heng Swee Keat, education minister Ong Ye Kung and cabinet member Chan Chun Sing are contenders to be the island’s next leader.
Deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, also mentioned as a potential successor, has repeatedly said he does not want the job.
Former prime minister Goh Chok Tong said in a Facebook post in December he hoped Singapore’s current crop of leaders could choose Lee’s potential successor in six to nine months’ time.
Lee responded by saying the process would probably take a little longer, local media reported.
In the 2015 general election, the PAP won almost 70% of the popular vote and swept all but six of parliament’s 89 seats. The party’s lowest vote share was 60% in 2011.
– Reuters