• Permanent Secretaries, under the general supervision of the Ministers, supervise the departments that they is allocated to.
• A Permanent Secretary is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. However, unlike Ministers of State and Parliamentary Secretaries, Permanent Secretaries are not political officers.
• The word “Permanent” in the title also refers to how Permanent Secretaries usually hold their positions even though political officials are constantly changing.

Changes have been made to several permanent secretaries in various ministries. Singapore’s Ambassador to China, Mr. Stanley Loh has been appointed as the Second Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Social and Family Development, and the Prime Minister’s Office (Special Duties). In addition, four other Permanent Secretaries will also see changes to the ministries they serve. (Lianhe Zaobao, 11/2/2019)