PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong said today he would be handing over leadership reins to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong before the next general election, though he did not give the exact timeline of when this would happen. 

He added that if it all went well, he would do so by the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) 70th birthday on November 21 next year. 

Addressing over 1,000 PAP members, Lee said “high quality leadership” was key for the PAP government to achieve its three key priorities: to govern competently, keep clean, and win elections. 

Having been in government for almost 40 years, Lee said there was “no way” it could have adopted tough but necessary policies for the long term if it had to constantly worry about being in power. 

“Today’s Singapore could not have been built by a weak government hanging on to power by a slim majority, or with the governing party and policies chopping and changing after each election,” he added. 

He said the possibility of PAP being challenged or another taking over as government was always there and “always has to be there”, as it is the essence of democracy. 

However, if a significant proportion of Singaporeans wanted PAP to be checked by the opposition and more opposition members were voted into parliament, the political dynamic would change, he said. 

Future elections would then not be about how many seats the opposition could win, but instead about which party won a majority to form the next government. 

“They will be about whether the winning party receives a strong enough mandate, and has enough capable members of parliament, to form a competent cabinet and govern Singapore well and for the long term,” said Lee. 

He added that the opposition would try to tell voters not to worry that opposition parties were aiming to form the next government. He said the PAP would continue to think long-term, even if it had a majority of just one in parliament. 

“But with lives and futures at stake, voters must worry,” said Lee. 

Therefore, on PAP’s part, Lee said the party must keep working hard to prepare for elections to keep winning a strong mandate. 

To do this, the party must articulate its vision clearly and keep the nation’s long-term interests front and centre, deliver on good policies that benefit Singaporeans, and maintain integrity and trust in PAP. 

Lee said the decision on the leadership handover was made after thorough discussions with ministers from both the third generation and 4G leadership slates. 

He noted that Wong and the 4G leadership team had been serving for many years, taking on greater responsibilities along the way and preparing well to take over. 

Navigating the nation through the Covid-19 pandemic and partnering Singaporeans in the Forward SG exercise to map out future directions were among the key things 4G leaders had done, Lee said. 

“Lawrence (Wong) has told me that he is ready,” said Lee. 

“I have full confidence in Lawrence and his team. There is no reason to delay the political transition.” 

After the handover, Lee said he would be at “the new PM’s disposal” and would go wherever the latter found him useful. 

“I will do my best to help him and his team to fight and win the next GE, and to fulfil their responsibilities,” said Lee. 

“I want to help him fulfil his responsibilities leading the country so that Singapore can continue to succeed beyond me and the 3G minister colleagues for many years to come.” – todayonline, November 5, 2023.