‘We are prepared to relook everything’: Lawrence Wong on new leadership’s approach
The 4G leadership’s vision of Singapore is one with multiple pathways of success and a diversity of views, says the incoming prime minister
SINGAPORE’S new leaders are “prepared to relook everything” and refresh policy approaches if necessary, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in an interview ahead of his swearing-in as the country’s fourth prime minister on Wednesday (May 15).
“It is not so much that we are going to slay a sacred cow for the sake of doing so, but we are prepared to re-examine all our assumptions,” he said.
The government will consider how, “under different circumstances, different societal expectations and needs”, things could be done differently, he added.
He pointed to the upcoming unemployment benefit scheme as an example of such thinking. In the past, the government rejected such policies, he noted.
“Now, under different circumstances, recognising that the economic environment is going to be more volatile... we feel it is necessary to have some support system in place,” he said. Details of the scheme are expected later this year.
“So, it is one illustration of how we are prepared to re-examine all our fundamental assumptions and consider ultimately what is the best way to take Singapore forward.”
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Such re-examination has been taking place through the Forward Singapore feedback exercise, he said, noting changes such as updated public housing definitions and “significant and substantial” improvements to the SkillsFuture programme.
New phase of development
In the hour-long interview, DPM Wong laid out the fourth-generation (4G) leadership’s vision for Singapore’s future.
The Republic is both undergoing a leadership transition and entering a new phase of development at a time when a new global order – “which is likely to be very messy and unpredictable” – is forming.
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The trend towards protectionism will hurt Singapore’s economy, but all is not “doom and gloom”. The silver lining, he said, is that there are still opportunities in Asia, “where the centre of gravity of the global economy will be”.
In particular, Asean is attractive to multinationals which want a presence in Asia and are diversifying beyond China or any one country.
If Singapore makes the right moves, it can “continue to thrive and excel even in a dark and troubled world”, said DPM Wong.
However, it is difficult to find a single benchmark in this new phase of growth, given that Singapore’s economy has reached a high level of development, he noted.
This is in contrast to the past, where Singapore could aspire to broad statements such as a “Swiss standard of living”.
“In this new phase, we are in uncharted territory,” he said. “We have to still learn from the best, find best practices, but we have to break new ground. We have to find fresh solutions for our problems and challenges.”
Younger Singaporeans themselves are going beyond old benchmarks of achievement such as the so-called five Cs – cash, car, credit card, condominium and country club – and do not want “the good life” to be defined by “narrow metrics based on material success”, he added.
“They are looking for meaning, they are looking for fulfilment, they are looking for purpose,” he said.
“I think these are very noble aspirations, and certainly we will do our part in the government to support these aspirations and help young Singaporeans to realise them.”
A shared responsibility
This is in line with the refreshed social compact captured in the new leadership’s Forward Singapore exercise, where there are multiple pathways of success.
DPM Wong said: “We must have a system and a society where every job is respected, where there is fair pay for every job, and we recognise people for each of their contributions.”
The social compact must also be about ensuring a greater sense of assurance and security for the basics in life – be it housing, education, healthcare or retirement, he said.
This assurance should be provided by not just the government, but by all of society, “so that we feel a sense of shared responsibility to one another”.
But even as the government builds this consensus, it recognises that Singapore is becoming a more diverse society – and the way forward is to embrace that diversity.
“From the government’s point of view, we do want to open up the space for different groups to be involved in shaping our future,” he said.
Granted, there will be cases where different groups must agree to disagree, he added. In some instances, the government may have to embark on policies that are unpopular, but necessary and important.
With other sensitive issues where different groups have different views, the government does not always have to take the lead. Instead, it can act as “an honest broker” for compromise, said DPM Wong.
Greater political contestation
There is also now a greater appetite for political contestation, and the opposition’s presence is here to stay.
“We accept that it is going to be a permanent feature in our political system,” he said, adding that the days of the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) dominance are over.
With future elections expected to be more hotly contested, it is “not unimaginable” for two or more opposition parties to get more than half the seats, form a coalition and run the government, he added.
“That is why when I say that I do not assume that PAP will win the next election, or that I will automatically be the PM after the election, I say that seriously,” he said.
“It is no longer a dominant system, one-party system.”
A calling in public service
When asked about his own political journey, DPM Wong said that he saw politics “as a continuation of public service”, where he eventually found his calling.
Granted, this was not the case when he first started his career as an economist at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), he said.
There, he was not involved in policy work, but in economic analysis – and the thought of leaving for the private sector did cross his mind.
But he was convinced to stay on by former transport minister Khaw Boon Wan – then permanent secretary at MTI – and former group president of sovereign wealth fund GIC Lim Siong Guan, who was then permanent secretary at the Ministry of Finance.
They told him that if he were to stay on, he might get exposure to other kinds of work, which he would find more meaningful and interesting.
Indeed, the longer he stayed, the more his responsibilities grew. Then in 2011, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong invited him to enter politics.
“I said: ‘Look, this is my calling. I decided that being in public service is what I would like to do,’” recalled DPM Wong. “And so, I saw entering politics as a continuation of that.”
Agreeing to be Singapore’s next prime minister was a “similar, yet different” experience, he said. “Similar because it is still very much a continuation, in my mind, of public service. Different because obviously, this is a much bigger step forward.”
Unlike in past transitions, where the new leadership team chose a prime minister through discussion, the 4G leaders invited Khaw to facilitate the process.
Khaw interviewed the 4G ministers, but was careful not to let on who the eventual pick would be, even when interviewing him, recalled DPM Wong.
When he found out he was selected, he and his wife were surprised. “But we had been prepared for it because she knew I was part of this process. And we knew that going into this, we would accept the outcome of the process.”
As part of preparing for the role, DPM Wong has been taking Malay language lessons. He has been doing so “on and off” since he was in the civil service.
He also continues to take Mandarin lessons – something which he “struggled with studying... in school”.
As for his leadership style, he said: “I will be open, consultative, I will listen. But in the end, I will not shirk from doing the right thing and the important decisions that are necessary to take Singapore forward.”
“I do not have to write my legacy today,” he said. “But for now, entering this role and taking on this responsibility, I will only endeavour to do my best and to serve with all my heart Singapore and Singaporeans.”
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