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Lawrence Wong succeeds Lee Hsien Loong, the son of the country’s founder, as prime minister. The guitar player is considered close to the people.
Lawrence Wong is only the fourth prime minister in Singapore’s history – and the first to be born after Singapore’s independence from Malaysia.
Wong is considered close to the people – after all, he is the first prime minister who did not go to an elite school. He grew up in government-subsidized housing. As do the majority of the Singaporean population.
On social media he shows himself to be a passionate guitar player. For example, with a solo piece by Taylor Swift that went viral.
PAP has been on the gear levers for decades
Lawrence Wong was not the first choice for the office of prime minister. Only after the candidate originally slated for the post withdrew was Wong chosen for the office.
Legend:
Singaporeans attend Wong’s inauguration ceremony virtually.
Reuters/Caroline Chia
Like his predecessors, he is a member of the People’s Action Party PAP. The ruling party is the dominant political force in Singapore and has been in power continuously for decades. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, Singapore is considered a “flawed democracy”, while others speak of a “state-controlled” democracy.
The air is getting thinner for the party
But voters are certainly capable of expressing their dissatisfaction. The 2020 election saw the PAP lose the most parliamentary seats to the opposition since independence.
Although the PAP still has an overwhelming majority in parliament, it must prepare for more political competition. Wong said in a recent interview on Singapore television that in the future it is quite conceivable that several opposition parties could form a government together.
Wong’s task will be to maintain the party’s leadership and power in the coming years and decades. He will be confronted with a whole range of challenges: These include rising costs of living and an aging society in which many jobs are already being taken on by migrants.
In foreign policy, the country is faced with increasing rivalry between the USA and China. Singapore has so far benefited as an important ally of both superpowers.
Predecessor remains at Wong’s side
Wong’s predecessor as prime minister – Lee Hsien Loong, son of the country’s founder – resigned from his position today. But the now 72-year-old will not disappear from politics.
He becomes a “senior minister” – a position that was created for former prime ministers to act as an advisor and probably also as a watchdog to the new one.