Lee Hsien Loong's resignation will officially take effect today (May 15). On the evening of the 15th, Lee Hsien Loong will hand over to Lawrence Wong, who will lead the new cabinet to be sworn in on the same day. This means that starting today, Singapore will end the "Lee Hsien Loong Era" and usher in the "4G (Fourth Generation Leadership Team) Era".
Since Singapore was founded in 1965, it has had three prime ministers: Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong and Lee Hsien Loong. Lawrence Wong, who took over, is the country's fourth prime minister since independence.
Lee Hsien Loong and Lawrence Wong (Source: cctv-International News)
introduced himself on social media as a "bookworm, guitarist and dog lover"
Lawrence Wong was born in Singapore in 1972. He is also the first locally born prime minister after the founding of the People's Republic of China. . His ancestral home is Hainan. His father left Hainan Island in the 1940s when he was a boy and came to Nanyang to assist his grandfather who worked as a cook at the Malayan Railway Bureau.
Lawrence Wong is a special presence in Singaporean politics. Unlike other Singaporean government officials who received elite education, he does not have a typical elite academic background.
Lawrence Wong's father is a company employee and his mother is a primary school teacher. Like most Singaporeans, he grew up in a low-cost HDB flat provided by the government and attended an ordinary school. However, he has been an "academic master" since he was a child. After receiving a government scholarship, he entered the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States and received a bachelor's degree in economics.
(Source: Nanfeng Window)
He is also used to sharing life information online. He describes himself on social media as a "bookworm, guitarist and dog lover" and often displays a gentle and empathetic side.
It is said that Lawrence Wong began to teach himself guitar as early as the age of 8 and loves rock music and blues. When he was in college, Lawrence Wong and his American roommates would perform on the street regularly, performing for about two hours each time. When the "business" was good, they could earn 30 US dollars at a time.
He even participated in the musical adaptation of "The Legend of Heaven and the Dragon Sword". After
entered the political arena, his talent in playing guitar became one of his highlights. At a New Year's Eve event in 2014, Lawrence Wong, who was then Minister of State for the Ministry of Culture, performed an impromptu guitar performance and received applause from the audience. Recently, he once again successfully "broken the circle" by playing and singing southern Fujian folk songs on a short video platform.
Lawrence Wong (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
This "down-to-earth atmosphere" gives the people a brand new atmosphere. The People's Action Party has been in a strong position since the founding of the country and the public no longer has a favorable impression of politicians who are "above and above". The occasional vulnerability shown by the prime minister-elect has become a magic weapon to impress the people.
The selection of the fourth-generation successor took the longest time. In the end, Lawrence Wong won.
The selection of the fourth-generation successor took the longest time in history. It even made the second Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong couldn't help but publicly urge it in early 2018. Goh Chok Tong was selected as his successor five years before taking over, while Lee Hsien Loong stayed on standby for an extra 14 years.
Lee Hsien Loong (data map) (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
Lee Hsien Loong’s original successor was Wang Ruijie. In May 2019, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was appointed as the only deputy prime minister, and there is basically no suspense about succeeding Lee Hsien Loong. Major media outlets in Singapore have also reported on the identity of Heng Swee Keat's successor. 2020 is an election year in Singapore. If there is no epidemic, the succession may be completed soon after the election.
However, the arrival of the epidemic disrupted Lee Hsien Loong's handover plan. It was also this epidemic that gave Lawrence Wong the opportunity to stand in the spotlight. Lawrence Wong was entrusted with the important task of co-chairing the inter-departmental anti-epidemic group together with the then Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong. Lawrence Wong's role is mainly to communicate across departments and conduct offline visits with other ministers. Every evening, he will report the epidemic situation to all citizens on TV.
Lawrence Wong’s performance has been recognized by the majority of voters. Previously, Lawrence Wong had served as a senior civil servant for many years. He had worked in various departments such as trade and industry, finance, health, and energy. From 2005 to 2008, Lawrence Wong was Lee Hsien Loong's personal secretary.
In April 2021, Wang Ruijie suddenly announced that he would give up taking over. Since then, the popular candidates have fallen on Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing and Lawrence Wong.
In April 2022, Lawrence Wong, then Singapore's Finance Minister, was officially elected as the new leader of the fourth-generation leadership team of the country's ruling People's Action Party. Prior to this, Lawrence Wong had held key positions in Singapore's defense, communications and information, culture, national development, education and other departments.
Some scholars believe that Lawrence Wong may not necessarily have the most outstanding abilities, but his personality is the one that can best unite the team. This was also reflected in his cross-department coordination work during the epidemic, making him stand out among the candidates.
After Lawrence Wong takes over, the biggest challenge is the Singapore general election to be held in November next year at the latest. So far, his People's Action Party has faced no serious challenge. Coupled with Huang Xun's peaceful financial style, there is actually no suspense about next year's general election.
In December last year, Lawrence Wong, in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Singapore, led some senior Singaporean officials to visit China. This trip to China can provide clues to this matter. During Lawrence Wong's visit to China, he reached a number of cooperation agreements with China. The agreement between China and Singapore to exempt ordinary passport holders from visas (30 days) is one of the achievements of Lawrence Wong's visit to China.
Jimu News integrates Global Times, Global Figures, Nanfengchuang, China News Service, Beijing News, Reference News Network
(Source: Jimu News)
