On May 15, Singapore completed the transition of power, and Lawrence Wong successfully succeeded Lee Hsien Loong's resignation as prime minister, becoming the fourth generation of leaders in Singapore's history since independence in 1965.
Singapore has a parliamentary republic, with the president as the head of state, but the executive power is in the hands of the prime minister. The completion of the transition between the old and the new government in Singapore indicates that the People's Action Party (PAP), which has been in power for nearly 70 years, has begun to meet the new changes and challenges brought about by the changing times with a new attitude.
1. Why did Lee Hsien Loong resign?
Lee Hsien Loong is a responsible and politically visionary leader, and the main reason for his resignation as prime minister is that he believes it is better for Singapore's long-term development. Speaking at the National Day rally in August 2023, Lee Hsien Loong said, "We are the stewards of Singapore, entrusted with the responsibility of leading and taking care of our country; Our time as stewards is short, but we are building Singapore for generations to come. ”
The leadership change is something Lee Hsien Loong and the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) have been "orchestrating for years". Lee Hsien Loong's team agreed: "The transition of leadership is always tricky for any country. Whether the PAP can achieve the "success of the third transition in history" is directly related to the success or failure of Singapore's future development.
"Singapore's prime minister must be in the prime of life." In an interview with The Straits Times in September 2012, Lee Hsien Loong made it clear that he would not continue to be prime minister after the age of 70 and that Singapore should not have a prime minister over 70 years old, because leading a small country requires a lot of energy and the ability to resonate with young voters. In 1992, Lee Hsien Loong was diagnosed with lymphoma, which was later diagnosed with prostate cancer. "You have to learn to accept your limits," he said. In August 2016, Lee Hsien Loong was helped off the stage to rest after he suddenly fainted during his National Day speech, and after returning to the podium, he made it clear that "my successor must be ready to 'take over' shortly after the next general election." ”
In recent years, the People's Action Party (PAP) has been challenged to its position as never before. In the 13th parliamentary election held in 2020, against the backdrop of a whopping 96% voter turnout, the PAP won 83 of the 93 seats, while the Workers' Party (WP) won the remaining 10 seats, the most seats held by opposition MPs since 1968. The PAP's share of the popular vote fell to 61.2 per cent from nearly 70 per cent five years ago, largely due to the generational shift in the population and the dissatisfaction of young voters with the PAP's carefully managed, repressive Singaporean politics. Post-election surveys found that the Workers' Party had the highest support among those aged 21 to 25. Speaking after the election results, Lee Hsien Loong said: "Young people have significantly different life visions and priorities, which will have to be reflected in our political processes and government policies.
In addition, since the beginning of 2023, there have been frequent scandals involving key figures in Singapore's leadership team, such as the peachy news, corruption, and the "black and white house mansion" incident, all of which have humiliated the Singapore government, which is based on "integrity and integrity", and also undermined the public's trust in the ruling party, which has long prided itself on maintaining the highest standards of integrity.
Lee Hsien Loong was acutely aware of the stark reality: "If the government does not always think about whether we will be able to hold out after the next election, then the government will not be able to take a long-term view, make long-term plans, and adopt difficult but necessary policies." An important condition for perseverance is undoubtedly to replace the old with the new, "It is in the best interest of the country to let young people deal with the great challenges ahead." ”
In April 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was elected as the new leader of the fourth generation of the People's Action Party (PAP) leadership team with overwhelming support. In November 2023, Lee Hsien Loong announced at the PAP congress that he would hand over the baton to Lawrence Wong before the next parliamentary election, giving the new cabinet more time to prepare for winning the next general election.
Lee Hsien Loong was originally scheduled to step down in 2022, but due to the impact of the pandemic and the "exit" of his chosen successor, Heng Swee Keat, he had to postpone the handover, but his image as a "good promise" in the eyes of Singaporeans has not been affected.
2. Why is the new prime minister appreciated by Lee Hsien Loong and the ruling party?
Lee Hsien Loong, who had always been reluctant to carry the aura of his father Lee Kuan Yew, was increasingly aware of the need for institutionalization of Singapore's politics rather than continuing to follow the path of hereditary succession. Moreover, even if Lee Hsien Loong intends to let one of his three sons "inherit the throne", it is not feasible at the practical level.
The eldest son, Li Yipeng, was a patient with albinism and autism, and was not suitable to be a successor due to physical and mental conditions. The third son, Li Haoyi, graduated from MIT with a degree in computer science and engineering, and is not interested in politics. The second son, Li Hongyi, was born in 1987 and studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and although he currently holds a leadership position in the Singapore government's Science and Technology Agency, he is far from the prime minister's status in terms of age and seniority.
In November 2018, the People's Action Party (PAP) announced that Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policy, Heng Swee Keat, had been elected as the first assistant secretary-general, Lee Hsien Loong's first successor, under the PAP's "meritocracy". Born in 1962 in Chaozhou, Guangdong, Heng Swee Keat holds a double degree in Economics from Cambridge and Harvard Public Administration, and has been in politics since 1995, serving as Senior Secretary to Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. However, in the July 2020 parliamentary election, the five-member candidate team of the People's Action Party (PAP) led by Heng Swee Keat was almost "wiped out" by the Workers' Party in the traditional "base" East Coast GRC, and although it narrowly won with 53.41% of the vote, it was a loss of face in the context of the rules absolutely in favor of the People's Action Party. On April 8, 2021, the then 59-year-old Heng Swee Keat publicly announced his resignation as the fourth-generation team leader due to "age and health" reasons and gave up his successor status. Subsequently, Lee Hsien Loong and the People's Action Party (PAP) finally identified Lawrence Wong as his successor.
Lawrence Wong meets the unwritten rule of the People's Action Party (PAP) that a candidate for prime minister must have a Chinese identity and a background from a prestigious European and American university. Nearly 75% of Singapore's population is Chinese, with a high degree of openness, Chinese identity is conducive to winning Chinese votes and support, and the background of studying in Europe and the United States is conducive to effective communication with Western countries. Born in 1972 in Singapore, he went to the United States to study at the age of 22 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin, the University of Michigan, and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University in 2004.
Lawrence Wong is an outstanding talent carefully selected and nurtured by Lee Hsien Loong and the People's Action Party over the years. After returning to Singapore, Lawrence Wong joined the Ministry of Trade and Industry as a civil servant, and since then has served in various ministries such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health, where he has been promoted from Assistant Director to Director. From 2005 to 2008, Lawrence Wong served as Lee Hsien Loong's principal private secretary. In 2011, with Lee Hsien Loong's encouragement, Lawrence Wong was elected to Parliament and entered politics, where he was appointed Minister of Defence and Minister of Education, and has since taken charge of key ministries such as the Ministry of National Development, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and the Ministry of Communications and Information. In 2021, Singapore's cabinet was reshuffled, and Lawrence Wong became the finance minister who was just one step away from a successor to the prime minister.
The age advantage is also an important reason. The 51-year-old has been fond of reading and music since his school days, and has participated in a musical adapted from "Heaven and Dragon Slayer", and is accustomed to sharing information about his life online. He is active on social media, introducing himself as a "bookworm, guitarist, and dog lover" on his Instagram account, and posting videos of guitar playing on his TikTok account. His energetic, down-to-earth and humane personality has won him the hearts of the public, especially young voters. At the same time, because of its humble personal temperament and people-friendly and pragmatic leadership style, it is also popular among the people, and is known as the "elite of the grassroots".
After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, Lawrence Wong was appointed as the chairman of the anti-epidemic joint department. In the process of leading the fight against the epidemic, he has a steady style, clear thinking, and meticulous attention, and has formulated and introduced a variety of effective measures to deal with the crisis and sound economic policies, which have won high recognition and praise from the public.
Within the party, Mr. Wong also enjoys the support of the vast majority of high-level personnel. In April 2022, the Singapore People's Action Party (PAP) once again nominated a fourth-generation leadership team. The group of 19 people was made up, and 15 of them were nominated by Lawrence Wong.
3. The political trend of Singapore in the "Wong Xuncai era".
Since 1965, Singapore has created the "East Asian Miracle" in just over 20 years, and in the 80s of the last century, it became one of the "Four Little Tigers" in East Asia from a poor and backward island country. In the context of the new era, how to make Singapore's success surpass three generations is the responsibility, mission and responsibility of Lawrence Wong and the People's Action Party.
Since the 2011 general election, the proportion of people born after the founding of the People's Republic of China has exceeded that of the "entrepreneurial generation" born before the founding of the country, which means that the majority of Singaporeans no longer unconditionally support the PAP because of their high recognition of the pioneering achievements of the year, but take the existing prosperity and development for granted. Votes are cast for by different political parties in response to emerging economic and social issues, as well as by the character and style of the candidates. The future stability and development of Singapore will depend on whether Lawrence Wong's team can win the support of the "new" Singaporeans and strengthen their trust and confidence in the People's Action Party.
In April 2024, after announcing the handover to Lawrence Wong, Lee Hsien Loong said the decision "will ensure the continuity and stability of the leadership team that is the hallmark of our system." "Our system operates on the principle of continuity and incremental change," Wong said. Lawrence Wong has a calm, rational and easy-going personality, and is able to adopt a wide range of policy suggestions and opinions from all parties in the decision-making process. After he takes over as prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong will be appointed as Senior Counsellor, and there will be some minor changes in the new cabinet, but there will be no major changes. But after the election, Lawrence Wong will reshuffle his cabinet to bring in young talent, striking a good balance between experienced ministers and new members who can offer fresh perspectives.
The parliamentary elections to be held before November 2025 will be a crucial test and measure of the recognition and support of Lawrence Wong by the people of Singapore. In order to meet the needs of Singaporeans, especially young voters, for political diversity and alleviate people's "aesthetic fatigue", Lawrence Wong's campaign team will strengthen the inclusiveness and adaptability of the ruling party, emphasizing that the PAP must be the party of all Singaporeans, recognizing and respecting the role of opposition MPs in parliament as a checks and balances on the ruling party, and no longer stepping up efforts to publicize the great achievements made by the PAP as Singapore's "pioneering generation" in the founding of the country and economic take-off, and will no longer continue to regard itself as the "mentor" and guardian of the people. Rather, it is necessary to establish an image of a political party that is closer to the people, more honest, and more deeply integrated into the people. At the same time, the new government will also introduce new measures to increase the employment rate of young people, ensure that the lives of the majority of the middle class and their children continue to improve, and the most vulnerable in society continue to be cared for, so as to bring new vision and hope to the people of Singapore, and effectively enhance the trust and reputation of the People's Action Party.
Source: "Teacher Li Wen said" WeChat public account
Author: Li Wen: Researcher, Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Zheng Xinnan is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Marxism, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Editor: Hu Liang
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