Chinanews.com, May 15 (Reporter Gan Tian) On August 12, 2004, 52-year-old Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as the third prime minister of Singapore at the Presidential Palace of Singapore. At the inauguration ceremony, Lee Hsien Loong shook hands with his father, Lee Kuan Yew, who was still alive at the time, leaving behind a classic scene in Singapore's political history.
In the 20 years since he took office, Lee Hsien Loong has fulfilled his promise to build Singapore's economy and create a better future, dedicating his "adult life" to Singapore.
Now, Lee Hsien Loong has officially handed over his resignation and that of the entire government to Singaporean President Tharman Shantarata, effective May 15, 2024. Lawrence Wong was sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister of Singapore on the 15th. On the same day, Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as Senior Minister of State and continued to serve in the Cabinet.
When asked if he has any regrets or reluctance in the past 20 years, Lee Hsien Loong said frankly in a recent media interview, "There are no regrets, what should be done, we have done it, and the results are for people to evaluate." ”
Lee Hsien Loong shakes hands with his father, Lee Kuan Yew, after being sworn in as Singapore's prime minister in 2004.
A "top student" who loves photography
Lee Hsien Loong was born in Singapore in 1952 and is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. When Lee Hsien Loong was growing up, his father's words and deeds influenced his philosophy of life.
In 1954, when Lee Hsien Loong was two years old, the Singapore People's Action Party (PAP) was founded. Since he was sensible, he often saw his uncle and uncle come to his home for meetings. In 1959, when Lee Hsien Loong was seven years old, Singapore achieved autonomy and Lee Kuan Yew became prime minister. Since then, following his father to the constituency has become one of Lee Hsien Loong's extracurricular activities.
After graduating from secondary school, Lee Hsien Loong attended the National Junior College in Singapore and then went to Cambridge University in the United Kingdom to study mathematics and computing.
Lee Hsien Loong also loves photography and often shares his life on social media. In a recent interview with the media, he mentioned that one of his plans after leaving office is to study photography or artificial intelligence (AI) courses and practice the spirit of "lifelong learning".
Data map: On October 1, 2015 local time, Lee Hsien Loong was re-elected as Singapore's prime minister and attended the inauguration ceremony.
"Witnesses, Participants, and Sequels"
Since the 80s of the 20th century, Lee Hsien Loong has entered the Singapore political arena and successively served as the Second Minister of Defence, Minister of Trade and Industry, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. Lee Hsien Loong became Singapore's prime minister in August 2004 and was re-elected four times.
Looking back at Lee Hsien Loong's political career, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao commented that he has become "a witness, participant and continuator of Singapore's political history".
Gu Qingyang, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said in an exclusive interview with Chinanews that from the perspective of his personal governing style, Lee Hsien Loong has "affinity" and "inclusiveness", and always smiles when he appears in public. In terms of governance, Lee Hsien Loong also attaches great importance to reducing the gap between the rich and the poor and taking care of the disadvantaged.
In particular, Koo stressed that Lee Hsien Loong has a forward-looking vision in dealing with the crisis and "knows how to use it to prepare for the next step of development".
Before Lee Hsien Loong took over as prime minister in 2004, Singapore had just experienced the SARS epidemic and in 2008, it was hit by the global financial crisis. Gu Qingyang believes that in the face of shocks, Lee Hsien Loong used national reserves for the first time to help Singapore gradually recover its economy and launch a revitalization plan, which can be said to be "very bold".
Under Lee Hsien Loong's leadership, Singapore has become a dynamic and diversified economy, with significant GDP growth per capita and a more diversified economic structure. Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratna wrote to Lee Hsien Loong, saying, "You are the one who has given the people the confidence to work together to get through every difficult time." ”
Data map: On June 11, 2018, then-US President Trump arrived at the Presidential Palace in Singapore and had a bilateral meeting with Lee Hsien Loong.
"Tea Pourer" and "Blender"
In June 2018 in Singapore, North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un held a meeting with then-US President Donald Trump, making this "small country" at the forefront of the Asia-Pacific region a focus of global "grand diplomacy" and attracting countless attention.
In an interview with the media, Lee Hsien Loong gave a low-key answer to Singapore's role in the historic meeting, "We are just pouring tea for this occasion." ”
In fact, this reflects Singapore's strategy of "balanced diplomacy". How does Lee Hsien Loong, a self-proclaimed "tea pourer", anchor the direction of Singapore's foreign policy and lead the way?
Gu Qingyang pointed out to Chinanews that as a small country, Singapore's way of survival lies in achieving its own development by accelerating its international development, that is, making extensive contacts in diplomacy and maintaining friendly relations with major powers. At the same time, Singapore also hopes to become a "mediator" between certain opposing countries or regions in the world and contribute to world peace and development.
Regarding his foreign policy, Lee Hsien Loong himself said, "We are still a small red dot, more red, but still small." We also have to defend our interests when everyone is squeezing each other, and we are not the biggest party. We need to take a stand, which requires a lot of work and keeps the Ministry of Foreign Affairs very busy. ”
Data map: Lee Hsien Loong.
"Old Friends"
Lee Hsien Loong is also an "old friend" familiar to the Chinese people, and is one of the most visited foreign leaders in China. According to Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, Lee Hsien Loong has visited China 14 times in the past 20 years.
Over the years, Lee Hsien Loong has repeatedly emphasised the importance of learning Mandarin. In 2021, in order to encourage Singaporeans to overcome the difficulties under the new crown epidemic, Lee Hsien Loong even hummed the old Chinese song "In the Spring" when he delivered a speech at the National Day mass rally, which attracted applause from the audience.
"'Potpourri in the spring, Lang Rig Lang Rig Lang Rig'." After singing, Lee Hsien Loong said in fluent Chinese, "The most interesting thing is the last few lyrics, 'No need to be sad, no need to hurt, the future has its own wind and waves...... Forward, don't hesitate, there is light at the end of the darkness'. ”
Gu Qingyang pointed out that China is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs and global governance, and Singapore has always attached importance to its relations with China. Over the past 20 years, Lee Hsien Loong has inherited Lee Kuan Yew's diplomatic tradition and focused on developing relations with China.
One detail, Koo said, is that Lee Hsien Loong "put a lot of effort" into understanding Chinese culture and language, and he speaks Mandarin very fluently, which also reflects his pragmatic side. During Lee Hsien Loong's tenure, Singapore-China relations have maintained a high level of development, and we believe that extensive cooperation will continue in the future.
On March 29, 2015 local time, Lee Kuan Yew's state funeral was held, and Lee Hsien Loong delivered a eulogy.
Applause and tears
In the eyes of Singaporeans, Lee Hsien Loong has always been smiling, kind and kind. But at some special moments, people also saw the uncontrollable tears and surging emotions of this leader who picked up the burden of a country.
In 1982, at the age of 30, Lee Hsien Loong suffered a major blow in his life, and his first wife, Wong Mingyang, died of a heart attack. Until 2003, Lee Hsien Loong's eyes were still red when he talked about his ex-wife in media interviews, and he admitted that it was the "darkest moment" of his life.
In 2015, Lee Hsien Loong lost his esteemed father, Lee Kuan Yew. During his televised address to Singapore's nationals, Lee Hsien Loong choked up several times and could not hide his grief. "[Lee Kuan Yew] has dedicated his life to Singapore...... His loss is a huge loss to Singapore and my family. ”
Eight years later, Lee Hsien Loong, who also dedicated his "adult life" to Singapore, choked up again. This time, the tears were shed for himself.
"It is a great blessing and honor for me to serve my country." At the end of 2023, Lee Hsien Loong announced that he would hand over the baton to Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong. In his speech, he reviewed his political career.
At one point, he choked up and couldn't speak, and was silent for about 40 seconds to calm his emotions, and the audience gave him a standing ovation.
"I've been Prime Minister for 20 years. Singapore and the PAP have gone through many trials and tribulations and have been completely transformed. But some things never change. We remain fully committed to Singapore. He called for full support for Lawrence Wong and his team as they work together to take Singapore to new heights.
Amid applause and tears, Lee Hsien Loong turned and walked out of the center of Singapore's political scene, leaving behind a story to be told by future generations.