On May 15, Singapore's new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was officially sworn in, ending a two-year period of "succession" and becoming the country's fourth prime minister since independence. Compared with Wang Ruijie, who suddenly gave up his succession due to health and age reasons, Huang Xuncai's succession status is not only a bonus of special timing and luck, but also reasonable. Over the past two years, he has led the 4th Generation (4G) leadership team for a smooth transition. The final entry into the Prime Minister's Office is the result of Singapore's current political operating mechanism and environment.
On May 13, 2024 local time, Singapore, Singapore's President Tharman Shanmuthagan (right) and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong walked at the Presidential Palace in Singapore. Visual China Diagram
The fight against the epidemic has been effective, highlighting the leadership ability
For Wong, the pandemic was the direct cause of his emergence as Lee Hsien Loong's successor, but also the subsequent propelled him to the front of the stage, to show leadership qualities and to cement his succession. On 22 January 2020, the day before the outbreak of the pandemic, the Singapore government established an inter-departmental working group on the fight against the pandemic, which was co-led by then Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong and then Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong. At that time, Huang Xuncai had been in politics for less than ten years, and the unprecedented pressure and challenges pushed him to the focus of public attention after his smooth promotion and low profile.
At the beginning of the outbreak, Lawrence Wong and his entire working group were in a state of "fighting in the fog", neither understanding the transmission characteristics of the virus itself, nor having developed an effective vaccine that could be developed. However, from pioneering the use of electronic technology for "contact tracing", the implementation of the "TraceTogether" programme, to the implementation of "circuit breaker" epidemic blocking measures, to promoting universal vaccination, improving the response capacity of the healthcare system, and adjusting the intensity of control according to the development of the epidemic, the anti-epidemic task force led by Lawrence Wong has "crossed the river by feeling the stones" and has made every effort to explore a well-organized and effective anti-epidemic model, which has been praised by the international community.
In this way, Lawrence Wong himself has won the general recognition of the government's anti-epidemic team and the people, and has helped him reach a new level in his political career when the special opportunity comes. In April 2022, a year after Heng Swee Keat resigned as the leader of the 4G team and gave up his succession, Lawrence Wong was finally selected by Lee Hsien Loong for his performance in leading the anti-epidemic work in the previous two years, and received 15 votes in the 19-member high-level vote of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) to become the successor of Singapore's prime minister.
Although the Omicron strain of the new crown virus was raging around the world during the same period, with the foundation of epidemic prevention laid in the early stage and the strengthened hospital admission capacity, Singapore's hospitalization rate and intensive care units were not saturated. Lawrence Wong and the Anti-epidemic Working Group faced daunting the daunting challenge of choosing between moderate control and cautious relaxation, dynamically adjusting the balance between economic development, people's normal life and epidemic prevention and control. As of June 2023, when Singapore stopped recording COVID-19 infections, the country's fatality rate was among the lowest in the world (0.08%), and the fully vaccinated rate (92%) was among the highest in the world.
Compared with the "flashy" macro statistics, Wong's work ability and personal characteristics in the past few years in response to the epidemic are the key to winning the trust of the ruling party's top brass and the public. Economist by training, Huang Xuncai respects science and has a rigorous attitude. At the beginning of the epidemic, the anti-epidemic working group assessed that there was no need to wear masks for the time being based on the experience of the SARS epidemic in 2003, and the World Health Organization has not yet given a recommendation on wearing masks. But based on the latest research results, especially the possibility of contagion of asymptomatic infected people, he insisted on implementing a new mask policy, and it was implemented.
According to Ngan Jinyong, who co-led the anti-epidemic working group at the time, Wong's decision-making thinking, as well as his participation in internal debates and communication with the public, reflect the important characteristics of a leader who is good at soliciting opinions from different sources and weighing policy considerations. In addition to his rational and pragmatic spirit, Lawrence Wong's successful implementation of the anti-epidemic policy proves that he has sufficient cross-departmental co-ordination, coordination and decision-making skills, as well as his ability to face the different emotional reactions of the people, communicate openly with the public, and build the credibility of government policies. Unlike in the past, as a financial expert and head of a single department, these are the traits that are more needed for the post of prime minister, who leads the overall work of the government.
At the same time, being data- and fact-oriented, with an objective, rational, and logically clear attitude against the populist outside world does not mean that Lawrence Wong ignores the emotions and feelings of the people. The current Minister for Health, Ong Ye Hong, believes that Lawrence Wong's close cooperation with colleagues from various government departments during the pandemic highlights his concern for the safety of Singaporeans. As early as March 2020, Lawrence Wong gave a speech to Parliament with rare tears of emotion, thanking all Singaporeans for their sacrifices and contributions to the fight against the epidemic, which had foreshadowed his new image as the future leader of the People's Action Party (PAP) - empathy, love for the country, sincere and delicate feelings, down-to-earth and warm.
"Move forward hand in hand" and prepare your homework in advance
If the anti-epidemic work has initially tested and confirmed Wong's ability to lead the entire government (rather than a professional department) and manage the country's affairs in an overall manner, then the "Singapore Together" campaign is his homework prepared in advance for the future leadership of the whole country, showing that he already has a blueprint and direction for himself to be the prime minister and the political country.
It is undeniable that although he has been smooth sailing since his political career, and even became the new prime minister of Singapore because of an unplanned opportunity, "too fast progress" also means that Lawrence Wong faces problems and challenges that his predecessor did not encounter: before he officially became prime minister, he only had two years to cultivate and prepare as a successor; In stark contrast, Lee Hsien Loong served as Goh Chok Tong's deputy for 14 years before becoming prime minister, while the latter served as deputy prime minister for five years before taking over from Lee Kuan Yew.
In the People's Action Party, which has always focused on a smooth transition of leadership, Lee Hsien Loong has too little time to prepare for Wong, not to mention that the latter will have to deal with the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. It is precisely because of the tight time and arduous tasks that Huang Xuncai can only quickly prepare for the formal administration. So three weeks after his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister, he officially launched a sizable "Singapore Forward Together" campaign.
The primary significance of the movement, in Lee's words, is "the renewal of the social contract" – an implicit agreement between the government and the people on their respective roles and responsibilities in Singapore's official definition, and essentially a relationship between the legitimacy of the new government and the people of the country. For a long time, under the influence of the Lee Kuan Yew era, Singapore's social contract emphasized more on national economic development and individual hard work under the logic of "meritocracy", but as the country gradually entered the post-Lee Kuan Yew era, Singaporean society also had a new understanding of the concept of social contract.
Therefore, Lawrence Wong and his 4G team need to engage in dialogue with people from all walks of life to explore the meaning of the social contract in the new era. Since the launch of the Singapore Together campaign on 28 June 2022, the Wong team has held 275 dialogues and invited more than 200,000 Singaporeans to contribute their views. After 16 months of dialogue with the community, the Government officially released a report of the same name on 27 October last year, with the theme of "Creating a Common Future Together", covering seven major changes in education, work, family, the elderly, the disadvantaged, long-term planning, and uniting the people.
Singaporean media and analysts found that the report clearly reflects a different approach from the Wong team's approach to the country's current demands for a "social contract". In the face of issues such as polarization in the domestic socio-economic field, protection of vulnerable groups, and aging population, as well as geopolitical challenges in the international community, climate change, and supply chain restructuring, Lawrence Wong's team will pay more attention to humanistic care than his predecessor, pay attention to the demands of the younger generation and vulnerable groups, pay attention to the sustainable development of the country, and ensure that the dividends of development are shared by all people.
While restoring the legitimacy of the government and the People's Action Party (PAP), Lawrence Wong has clearly demonstrated the government's policy in the "4G era" to the community at home and abroad through the Singapore Forward Together Movement. In the eyes of the public in the country, Wong's practice of exchanging ideas and listening to opinions in various areas of society has further shaped his image as warm, down-to-earth, open and inclusive, and willing to listen to the opinions of the grassroots people, and has changed the traditional impression that the PAP has long been elite, serious, and distancing itself from the people. Strengthening the "mass foundation" is undoubtedly the most important effect of Huang Xuncai's efforts to seize the limited time and prepare his homework in advance in the past two years.
Steadily transition to the changing times
Lawrence Wong is not only Singapore's shortest-serving reserve leader, but also the first-ever leader born after the country's independence (1965). If Singapore was still in the "Lee Kuan Yew era" in the broad sense of the word due to Lee Kuan Yew's deep involvement and guidance during the reigns of Goh Chok Tong and Lee Hsien Loong, then as Lee Hsien Loong fades out and Lee Kuan Yew's imprint fades, the country under Lawrence Wong will inevitably enter the "post-Lee Kuan Yew era".
With the shortest preparation time but facing a Singapore that is very different from the past, the young Lawrence Wong not only shoulders the expectations of the ruling party's top brass and colleagues, but also bears a lot of pressure from the whole country. Properly grasping the degree of change and change, and ultimately "responding to all changes with the same", has been the way for the People's Action Party (PAP) to respond to it for a long time. Whenever there is a change of leadership and a new leader in the early days of his administration, a smooth transition and "helping the horse to give him a ride" are the norm. In this sense, personnel arrangements play an indispensable role in the consolidation of the new leader's rule.
On May 13, the list of new cabinets announced by Lawrence Wong can be seen. Gan Kim Yong, who worked alongside him during the pandemic and co-led the working group, took over his position as vice premier and concurrently served as minister of trade and industry, while his "former successor" Heng Swee Keat was also retained. As the two deputies selected by Lawrence Wong, the former has been in politics for more than 20 years, served as the head of three government departments, and has established a strong tacit understanding with Lawrence Wong in the anti-epidemic work; The latter, who has extensive experience in finance and economics, will continue to serve as Chairman of the Economic Committee to help manage the most critical economic issues for Singapore's survival and development.
In addition, apart from Lee Hsien Loong, who confirmed his invitation to remain in the Cabinet as Senior Minister of State when he announced his resignation a month ago, the current Senior Minister of State and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean also remained in office. With only 13 years in politics, Briefing Wong's experience in international politics and Teo Chee Yin's track record in national defense and security affairs will effectively make up for the shortcomings of Briefings Wong's team and cope with the rapidly changing external environment.
More importantly, the retention of Lee Hsien Loong and Teo Chee Hian, as the main leaders of the previous era, is fully in line with the consistent logic of the People's Action Party (PAP) in transitioning power, and confirms that Lawrence Wong will not fundamentally change Singapore's founding spirit, the ruling party's governance philosophy, and the international strategy of "small country, big diplomacy". As for the other members of the Cabinet, there were no changes except for the promotion of three junior administrative officers (Lau Yin-ling, Chan Kwok-ming, Rahayu) and two backbenchers (Muk Yan Lee and Wong Wai-chung) as administrative officers. Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao newspaper described the Wong government as "an updated version of Lee Hsien Loong's cabinet", and the decision to list the cabinet was the result of discussions between the two new and old prime ministers.
The selection of the cabinet list also reflects Wong's consistent pragmatic and steady style. On the one hand, the next general election has not yet arrived (to be held by November next year at the latest), the term of office of the heads of various government departments has not yet ended, and the work plans and tasks formulated by each of them have yet to be completed.
On the other hand, Lawrence Wong has pledged at the press conference to ensure that Singaporeans continue to share in the fruits of the country's economic development, and retaining the proven cabinet team and testing and selecting new candidates on the basis of maintaining overall stability is a sound choice to serve the country's sustainable development and the ruling party's "self-renewal".
It is true that Singapore is undergoing unprecedented changes: a society dominated by post-founding people is no longer superstitious about the old stories of the "pioneering generation" who worked hard to start a business, and even less like the elitist government that is high up and regards itself as a mentor; It is impossible for a highly developed country to continue the development speed of the era of economic take-off, but it will inevitably encounter common challenges such as polarization and high cost of living. International and regional hotspot conflicts are intensifying, balancing diplomacy is becoming more and more difficult, and climate change has a particularly significant impact on small countries with very low resilience to risks...... However, the first thing Wong Xuncai must do for his "real age" and "political age" is to stabilize himself in order to lay the foundation for him to exert his strength in the "post-Lee Kuan Yew era".
(Hu Yukun, international politics columnist, member of the Translators Association of China)