Succession question: Nikkei Asia asks if Lawrence Wong is ‘main man to watch’

Singapore—The ruling People’s Action Party’s succession plan was thrown into confusion with Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat bowing out of contention last month.

Immediately, suggestions as to who might be the next Prime Minister started floating around.

One strong candidate seems to have emerged above the pack, outgoing Education Minister Lawrence Wong. 

In a May 5 article, international publication Nikkei Asia asked if he is the “main man to watch”.

The case for believing Mr Wong is slated to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was strengthened by his appointment as Finance Minister, a position he will assume on May 15.

Mr Wong, as Minister for National Development last year, co-chaired the multi-ministry task force assigned to tackle the pandemic, and emerged as the Government’s frontman in its Covid-19 response.

He was perceived to have generally done well in this capacity, given the Government’s success in containing infections as well as the low death rate.

Mr Wong’s appointment as Finance Minister should not have come as a surprise to many, given that he was Second Minister in the Ministry of Finance (MOF) already, along with Ms Indranee Rajah.

The Finance Ministry portfolio is indeed an important one as the MOF is “responsible for managing Singapore’s fiscal policies and the structure of its economy”. The MOF also prepares the yearly national Budget.

And now, Mr Wong will be following in the footsteps of some historical political luminaries, including PM Lee, the well-beloved Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and former President Tony Tan, who all helmed the MOF at one point in their careers.

Nikkei Asia quotes Yu Liuqing, country analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, as saying, “After obtaining the finance minister portfolio, Lawrence Wong has the most comprehensive ministerial experience among all 4G ministers”.

The article also mentions that Mr Wong has had a longer career as an elected parliamentarian than another top contender, outgoing Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung.

“And unlike Ong, he has never lost an election race,” NIkkei Asia ads. 

“With opposition politicians making gains, most recently in last year’s general election, the PAP is likely to be looking for a proven winner with broad public support to help maintain its uninterrupted run in power.”

Mr Ong was part of the PAP team that lost to the Workers’ Party in the Aljunied GRC in the 2011 general election.

But Nikkei Asia is not the only international publication to speculate on Mr Wong’s chances of succeeding PM Lee.

In the Malay Mail last month, Ms Surekha A Yadav called the minister “the embodiment of the Singapore dream”.

“He is the son of a teacher and sales representative; he has risen through the ranks via education. Winning a coveted public scholarship to the University of Madison Wisconsin and then winning places at the University of Michigan and Harvard. He is the embodiment of the Singapore dream.

“Though his ascension is not certain, the responsibilities of the Finance Ministry will likely be a final test. If he can manage the economy as well as he has Covid-19, I suspect little will stop him from reaching the No 1 spot.”

/TISG

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