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Singapore will soon have its fourth prime minister since independence, as announced by the country’s current leader, Lee Hsien Loong, when his nearly 20-year term ends.
Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, will be the leader of the ruling People’s Action Party before the next general election and in all likelihood as early as November 2024 “if all goes well,” Lee announced on Sunday. Singapore will have to hold a general election by November 2025. ) Citing “full confidence” in Wong, Lee told a party convention that “there is no explanation as to why delay the political transition. “
The prime minister’s announcement marks the end of an already-postponed leadership transition for the Southeast Asian city-state. Lee, now 71, had hoped to hand over the reins before his 70th birthday, but was forced to delay his plans due to COVID. and the surprise withdrawal of Deputy Prime Minister and heir apparent Heng Swee Keat from the candidacy.
Lee served as Singapore’s prime minister for about 20 years and came to power in 2004. He is the son of the country’s founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, who is credited with putting Singapore on the path to its current peak of economic development. .
Wong will lead a party that has been in place since Singapore’s independence and will likely remain in place after the next general election. Wong will be the country’s fourth prime minister and the second of the Lee family.
In addition to serving as Deputy Prime Minister, he is also Singapore’s Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the country’s central bank. Wong was a member of parliament in May 2011 and has held positions in government ministries, adding the Ministry of Defense, Education and National Development.
Wong rose to prominence when he co-chaired the national task force on pandemics. The organization has been praised for its handling of the pandemic, which has kept deaths low, while encouraging mass vaccination and effectively managing the easing of restrictions in the country.
Wong is now leading Forward SG, a public consultation aimed at charting the way forward for the country. The organization released a report last week that highlights, among other things, the shortcomings of national policies on education, vocational education and the environment. We need to adopt broader definitions of success,” the report states. Analysts described the report as an imaginable and comfortable release from Wong’s campaign.
On Sunday, Lee said having Wong in office before the next general election would help the new PAP leader “lead the party in the campaign, win his own mandate and move the country forward with the nation as a whole. “
However, Singaporeans are increasingly dissatisfied with the new burden of living, especially when it comes to housing. Both the purchase value of social housing on the open market and rents have increased during the pandemic. (Most Singaporeans live in government-built housing. ))
The PAP won only 61. 2% of the popular vote in the 2020 general election, close to the record low of 60% recorded in 2011. The opposition also won an unprecedented 10 seats, the remaining 83 going to the PAP.
The ruling government, which prides itself on having a reputation for blank government, is also plagued by political scandals. In July, the country’s anti-corruption firm arrested Transport Minister S. Iswaran, as a result of a rare, high-profile corruption investigation. He has since been released on bail and placed on leave. That same month, two PAP lawmakers resigned over a high-profile extramarital affair.
Geopolitics and a slowing global economy also threaten Singapore’s position as a small, open country with ties to China and the United States. “We want to take the global as it is, not as it should be,” Wong told CNBC. in February.
But on Sunday, Wong said he was fit to take on his “next assignment” as the pending leader of the PAP (and Singapore). “We are in a position to take the initiative,” he said.
This story appears in Fortune. com
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