Lawrence Wong to be Singapore’s fourth prime minister from May 15

DEPUTY Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced on Monday (Apr 15).

PM Lee Hsien Loong will relinquish the office the same day. Thereafter, he will formally advise the president to appoint Wong to succeed him.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Istana at 8 pm on May 15. PMO said in the statement that Wong has the unanimous support of the People’s Action Party Members of Parliament.

In April 2022, Wong was picked by his peers to be the leader of Singapore’s fourth-generation (4G) team, paving the way for him to succeed PM Lee.

This was after Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the year before – in April 2021 – that he was stepping aside as the presumptive PM-in-waiting, citing the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, his age, as well as the heavy demands of the job.

At a People’s Action Party event last November, PM Lee confirmed that he would hand the reins to Wong by November 2024, before Singapore’s next general election that must be held by November 2025.

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In a video message, Wong said he accepts his new responsibility “with humility and a deep sense of duty”.

“When I was invited to enter politics in 2011, I agreed because I wanted to contribute to the Singapore story. I did not expect then to be asked to serve as the next prime minister of Singapore,” he said.

He pledged to give his all and devote “every ounce of my energy... to the service of our country and our people”.

In a separate social media post, PM Lee noted that Wong and the 4G leaders have worked hard to gain Singaporeans’ trust, especially during the pandemic.

“Through the Forward Singapore exercise, they have worked with many Singaporeans to refresh our social compact and develop the national agenda for a new generation,” he said.

“The 4G team (is) committed to keeping Singapore working well and moving ahead. These will always be top priorities for the government.”

He asked Singaporeans to give Wong and the 4G ministers their full support to create a brighter future for Singapore.

Thirteen years in politics

Wong, 51, entered Parliament after the 2011 General Election, and was appointed as minister of state for defence and education shortly after.

After stints in other ministries, his first full ministerial role was as minister for culture, community and youth. He later became minister for national development, then minister for education, before becoming minister for finance in 2021 – a post he still holds today.

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, he rose to prominence as one of the co-chairs of the government’s multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, fronting several major announcements in Singapore’s fight against the pandemic.

Prior to entering politics, he began his career in the civil service with stints as chief executive of the Energy Market Authority, and as principal private secretary to PM Lee.

When Wong takes over next month, it will mark the end of nearly two decades that PM Lee has spent as Singapore’s third prime minister.

PM Lee became deputy prime minister when former prime minister Goh Chok Tong assumed office in November 1990. Goh named PM Lee as his successor in 2003, and Lee was sworn in as prime minister in August 2004.