🇸🇬 Succession season in Singapore

Hello friends!

Well, that was a surprise from Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will hand over the reins to Lawrence Wong next month. We knew it’d happen eventually, but I did not expect it to happen on a Monday afternoon I’d set aside to watch the new season of Heartbreak High (no spoilers!).

Premium readers, you won’t hear from me tomorrow on account of an engagement this evening. But I’ll be in your inbox nice and early Thursday to chat Philippines. Join us if you’d like:

See you then!
Erin Cook

There we go! May 15 is the date Singapore gets its first new prime minister since Lee Hsien Loong rose to the top in August 2004. Lawrence Wong, of the so-called 4G (fourth generation) of People’s Action Party leadership, will take the hot seat, as was announced months ago. 

Wong has long been tapped as the country’s fourth prime minister so the naming itself isn’t all that interesting. What is interesting, however, is what it means for the next election and the People’s Action Party, who are seeing votes peel off each race. Stability is the game for Singaopre and it’s clear LHL and the party think now is the ideal time to change hands. 

“I accept this responsibility with humility and a deep sense of duty. I pledge to give my all in this undertaking,” Wong said, as per the Straits Times. “Every ounce of my energy shall be devoted to the service of our country and our people. Your dreams will inspire my action. Your concerns will guide my decisions. Share your ideas, share your passions and dreams. Walk with me and my team, together we can build a future that shines brightly for all Singaporeans.”

Jeeze, steady on. 

For his part, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hasn’t really said anything substantial yet beyond an enthusiastic endorsement for Wong, but I would be very interested in any statements from him in the future. Dad Lee Kuan Yew wrote no less than four hundred memoirs of his time as Singapore’s founding prime minister and elder statesman and, truly, I’d be curious to read something similar from LHL. Just one book will do though, I’m sure, for the PM who has become one of the most intriguing leaders in Asia this century. 

He’s overseen some integral years to both the city and the region more broadly. And his approach to the China/US ‘balance’ forced upon the region is especially interesting. I would love to see him reflect on that at length. (I also loved when the Atlantic used a photo of him hanging out at the White House to illustrate a 2018 piece about the ‘Asian squat.’) 

But enough about LHL, he’s old news. It’s the Lawrence Wong show! Like many a new generation of leader, he was elevated to fresh prominence during the pandemic as co-chair of the government’s response committee. Channel News Asia traces his career here from the civil service to politics and notes he loves to play guitar and was educated in the US. Rock on. 

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I should’ve known something was up when team Wong posted this charmingly weird Reel to Instagram last week.

Still, with this announcement maybe it is a case of sooner rather than later. It could mean the party is “on an accelerated timeline,” Eugene Tan at SMU told the Straits Times overnight. “In other words, to put in place the government for the next five years before things spiral downwards. This will enable Singaporeans to be clear-eyed about the issues and challenges, and determine who should represent them in Parliament and which party should form the government,” he added. I can see it. Don’t expect anything immediate, however. Wait for September, following the National Day celebrations, or at the end of the year after the party’s central committee elections. 

Not so soon, predicts NUS’ ​​Gillian Koh. She told the ST she would expect polls in May next year, giving Wong ample time to adjust and for voters to get used to the idea. “Mr Wong will be better served by giving himself enough time for them to warm up to him in that role, and for his own party to be firmly under his leadership by then,” she said. That will also cover National Day AND a new budget, so I think I might be on Koh’s side. 

Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh has an interesting view: Wong will need to shore up support within the cabinet before he’s able to do anything. “For now, his leadership style seems to be diffused, which allows others in the team to show leadership strengths in different areas. It is, however, very important that Singaporeans see him as the leader who is calling most of the shots,” he said. 

(He had a very interesting interview with Rice Media just the other day)  

Leong Chan-Hoong at NTU spoke with Channel News Asia and added himself to the end-of-the-year tally. Elvin Ong from NUS is with Koh, saying the September to November window is “possible” but post-budget is also a strong possibility: “This year’s Budget seems to have mixed reviews, some say oh, it is like an election Budget, some say it is not. So it is kind of unclear.” 

I’m not sure if we’ll get any hints. I’ve always been caught fairly unawares by the election announcement in Singapore but, of course, I have no experience of how that works when leadership changes hands. In the meantime, I’m waiting for interesting takes from Kirsten Han, Cherian George and the gang at Jom Media as well as foreign media poking about (someone call Barr). I’m wary of LHL hagiography so please send me good takes as you see them!