SINGAPORE Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said today plans to hand over power to a younger generation of leaders are “back on track” after being disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

Lee, 71, had planned to step down by 2022, before his 70th birthday, and hand the reins to his deputy, Lawrence Wong.

But that was postponed as Lee said he had to lead Singapore through the coronavirus crisis.

“Now Covid is behind us, and my succession plans are back on track,” Lee said in his annual National Day Rally speech.

A series of rare political scandals that have rocked the ruling party recently “will not delay my timetable for renewal”, he added.

The scandals, which officials admit have hurt the government’s reputation for incorruptibility, included the transport minister being probed for corruption and two ruling party legislators resigning over an affair.

Lee, however, did not specify when he will hand over to Wong, 50, the current finance minister. General elections are not due until 2025.

If Wong takes over, it would be only the second time since Singapore’s independence in 1965 that the prime minister is not a member of the Lee family.

Lee Hsien Loong’s father, Lee Kuan Yew, was the country’s first prime minister.

Lee is “still holding his cards very close to his chest”, said Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, on why the prime minister did not reveal a succession timetable.

“It’s no surprise because once he sets the timeline, he could become effectively a lame duck.” – AFP, August 20, 2023.