From guitar covers to TikTok, Lawrence Wong has found his own tune

ONCE a lesser-known member of Singapore’s fourth-generation (4G) leadership, Lawrence Wong quickly rose to prominence – and arguably onto the path of becoming prime minister – during the Covid-19 crisis.

But those frequent pandemic-era press conferences that he fronted were not the only thing that helped raise his profile. In the last couple of years, his prolific social media posts have connected him to a younger generation in a significant way.

For better or for worse, Wong had a relatively low profile in his early political career, compared to some of his 4G peers. He was seldom named as a frontrunner for the top job, but nor did he make gaffes that lingered in the popular consciousness.