He made his political debut in the 2001 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won by an uncontested walkover. Ng was later elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) and has been winning subsequent general elections since.
Ng made his political debut in the 2001 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won by an uncontested walkover and Ng was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Toa Payoh Central ward of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC. Since 2001, he has been the Member of Parliament for that ward, having successfully retained his seat in subsequent general elections. He is also an adviser to the Bishan–Toa Payoh Town Council and Bishan–Toa Payoh grassroots organisations.
In August 2004, Ng was promoted to full Minister and appointed Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Education. In 2005, he relinquished his portfolio as Second Minister for Education and became Second Minister for Defence.[5] In April 2008, he stepped down from his post as Minister for Manpower and took up the portfolio of Minister for Education.
Ng was also Chairman of the Jobs Task Force at the Ministry of Manpower, and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Low Wage Workers.
In March 2010, Ng mentioned that the weight of mother-tongue language examinations in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) might be reduced in order to benefit some students who are weak in their mother-tongue due to the emphasis on the English language in the Singapore education system. This sparked a debate among Singaporeans who support emphasis on mother-tongue languages in education. Ng subsequently assured Singaporeans that the weight of mother-tongue language in the PSLE would not be reduced.
In 2011, Ng stepped down from his role as Minister for Education and was appointed Minister for Defence. In Parliament, he served as Deputy Leader of the House between 2007 and 2011 and later as Leader of the House between 2011 and 2015.[5]
On 4 November 2021, Ng described Taiwan's political status as an issue that for the People's Republic of China, "goes to the heart of the political legitimacy of the leader, of the party of the party and it's a deep red line. I can think of no scenario which there are winners if there is an actual physical confrontation over Taiwan ... So, I would advise us to stay very far away from that."[11]
^Ma, Xinru; Kang, David C. (2024). Beyond Power Transitions: The Lessons of East Asian History and the Future of U.S.-China Relations. Columbia Studies in International Order and Politics. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 183. ISBN978-0-231-55597-5.
The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency/seat he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; WP: The Workers' Party; PSP: Progress Singapore Party All of the leaders of the respective GRCs are in underline. MP(s) who is go on a leave of absence is in italic. NMPs do not belong to any party.
The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; WP: The Workers' Party NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term.
The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; SPP: Singapore People's Party; WP: The Workers' Party For NCMPs, Gerald Giam and Yee Jenn Jong are from the WP, while Lina Loh is from the SPP. NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term.
The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; SDA: Singapore Democratic Alliance; WP: The Workers' Party NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term.
