Singapore is a sovereign
republic and the country is officially known as Republic of Singapore. The
Constitution is the supreme law of the country. The President of Singapore is
the head of the State who has to exercise and perform such powers and functions
that have been conferred by the Constitution of Singapore. The Prime Minister
of Singapore is the head of the Government. Their functions, tenure and role
are mentioned in the Constitution.
Like most of the modern
governments Singapore too has three branches of Government namely: The
Legislature which comprises of the President and the Parliament, The Executive
which comprises of the Prime Minister leading the Cabinet of Ministers and
other office holders and The Judiciary which interprets the law.
The Parliament of Singapore is
unicameral meaning that there is only one legislative House unlike in U.S. or
India where there is bicameral system i.e., two legislative Houses. In
Singapore the Members of Parliament (MPs) are voted in the general elections by
the electorates. The leader of the political party that secures majority of the
seats in the Parliament is asked by the President to become the Prime Minister
and further the PM selects the ministers to form the Cabinet from the MPs that
are elected.
Cabinet in simple words would mean a team of senior most ministers who are chosen to lead, advise and oversee certain policy making areas like Health, Defense, Education etc. In Singapore President is the head of the State. It is the President who appoints the Prime Minister and other Cabinet members from the elected Members of Parliament so that they can collectively work for the welfare of their country.
These Members of Cabinet are appointed by the President of Singapore on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister of Singapore leads the Cabinet in the administration of the Government and they aim to implement the laws for the betterment of all. The Cabinet of Singapore is collectively responsible for all the Government policies that are undertaken during their governance.