Pictured is Lee Hsien Loong
Singapore has ushered in a fourth generation of leaders, and the biggest change in domestic affairs is likely to be reflected in foreign affairs. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially submitted his resignation on May 13, and at 8 pm on the 15th, Lawrence Wong was inaugurated as Singapore's fourth prime minister. For Singapore, this is the end of an era, and it is not easy for Lee Hsien Loong, who has suffered from cancer twice, to lead Singapore to where it is today. What changes will his successor, Lawrence Wong, bring to Singapore?
It is well known that Lawrence Wong has neither a political family background nor the preferred figure of the fourth generation of leaders. He was born in Hainan, and is a rare second-generation immigrant in Singapore's cabinet. In contrast to previous leaders of the People's Action Party, Lawrence Wong did not attend a prestigious school like Raffles Institution or won a presidential scholarship. Before him, Lee Hsien Loong was supposed to succeed Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policy Heng Swee Keat. However, there are several shining points in Wong Xuncai that make him stand out and overtake in corners, which also determines his future governance direction and style.
The picture shows Huang Xuncai
First of all, Wong is a typical technocrat with extensive political experience, having served in the Ministries of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and from 2005 to 2008 as Lee Hsien Loong's chief private secretary. Since then, he has successively served as the "top leader" of the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and other departments. It can be said that he is Lee Hsien Loong's personally cultivated and single-handedly promoted successor, which has largely ensured the continuity of Singapore's domestic policy. In the future, Lee Hsien Loong will continue Singapore's political tradition and continue to serve as Senior Minister of State. In fact, this also ensures that in terms of domestic policy, the Huang Xuncai government will focus on "stability", and there will be no big mistakes, and the important issues will definitely be collective decision-making.
While there won't be much change in policy, Lawrence Wong's style of governance is likely to be very different. In this regard, its grassroots background has become the biggest advantage. Since the founding of Singapore, the leaders of the People's Action Party have always advocated the concepts of "elitism" and "meritocracy". While Singapore has achieved remarkable development under the leadership of the People's Action Party, some also believe that the grassroots are not being better cared for.
The picture shows Lee Hsien Loong shaking hands with Lawrence Wong at the annual meeting of the People's Action Party
Compared with other political elites, Huang Xuncai is not only low-key and introverted, down-to-earth and hard-working, but also more down-to-earth. As a post-70s generation, he is good at playing and singing the guitar and is a "man of temperament", which makes him popular with the general public, especially the younger generation. During the pandemic, he led Singapore's anti-epidemic efforts, and it was also during this period that Wong's reputation soared, and many people thought that he was more sensitive to the suffering of the people. Wong's ascension to power has helped bring the PAP closer to ordinary Singaporeans.
However, judging from his resume, what Huang lacks is relatively lack of diplomatic experience. Of course, Lawrence Wong is unlikely to change Singapore's current great-power balancing strategy. But in terms of international influence, Wong is currently unable to compete with Lee Hsien Loong.
Many people will feel this way, although it is a city-state, Singapore's presence in the international public opinion arena is not weak. As a country that is not even self-sufficient in fresh water, Singapore has made the leap from a third world to a first world country. Among them, one of the prerequisites is to properly handle relations with major powers and deal with uncertainties in international politics. It is also because of this achievement that Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, is considered to be a rare leader with outstanding ability, and Lee Hsien Loong inherited his father's aura to a certain extent. To this day, people are willing to hear what Singapore's leaders have to say on many important international issues. It remains to be seen whether Lawrence Wong will be able to sustain this influence.
Pictured is Ma Kaishuo
This is not a new issue, as was raised a few years ago by Singapore's former representative to the United Nations, Mr. Ma Kaishuo, who argued that Singapore would no longer have a leader with global influence like Lee Kuan Yew, so Singapore should exercise restraint and be less vocal and interfering in matters involving major powers. As a result, the argument caused an uproar in Singapore, with many criticizing Mr. Ma for being disrespectful to the current leader.
But objectively speaking, although Ma Kaishuo's words are not good, they do tell a fact. With the intensification of strategic competition among major powers, this problem may become more prominent in the future. Singapore's leaders will also face more difficult choices, and how to balance relations with major powers will be a huge challenge for Singapore's new government.