Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong Names Lawrence Wong As Successor

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said over the weekend that Finance Minister Lawrence Wong would succeed him as the city-state's leader, Reuters reported.

Photo Insert: "The plan is for Lawrence to succeed me as PM, either before or after (if the PAP wins) the next General Election. It is due in 2025 and will surely be a tough fight," posted Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook.

Wong was chosen as leader of the ruling People's Action Party's (PAP) so-called fourth generation team, according to an announcement on Thursday, paving the way for him to become prime minister.

"The plan is for Lawrence to succeed me as PM, either before or after (if the PAP wins) the next General Election. It is due in 2025 and will surely be a tough fight," Lee said in a social media post on Saturday. Lee, whose father Lee Kuan Yew was the island nation's independence leader, has been prime minister since 2004.

Stability has long been one of wealthy Singapore's major strengths, making it a haven for investors and businesses in a region where political upheaval is not uncommon.

Wong, 49, who helped steer the Southeast Asian city-state through the COVID-19 pandemic as co-chair of the government's task force, had been tipped by analysts as a potential successor to Lee, 70.

Leadership succession in the country, governed by the PAP since its 1965 independence, is normally a carefully planned affair. The opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) criticized the choice of Wong, saying he is no different from his colleagues in terms of his outlook for Singapore.

“Decades of groupthink and conformity has made PAP leaders unable to see that Singapore is in dire need of reform of its economic, social, and political systems,” SDP told Yahoo News Singapore. If the PAP were unable to govern with “openness and democracy instead of its archaic practice of intimidation and, manipulation,” Wong is likely to “continue to lead Singapore without clear direction.”

He has not articulated a bold vision for Singapore and looks set to rely on past practices that will keep Singapore from achieving its full potential, the opposition party added. “Different person, same story. Therein lies the danger for Singapore,” SDP said.

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