SINGAPORE: The timing of Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s appointment as the new Prime Minister - to take place on May 15 - is not surprising and is dictated by the circumstances of the handover.
The ruling party had no choice but to do it as soon as possible after it was announced last year that the leadership transition would take place before the next General Election due by November 2025.
The timeline will give the new Prime Minister enough time to prepare the party for the electoral battle ahead.
I wrote a piece in November last year that because Mr Wong was asked to take on the task at short notice, he needed to fast track his learning of the top job and establish his relationship with the people and the international community.
Hence the handover should take place sooner rather than later.
Now that that decision has been made, all eyes will be on two milestones for Mr Wong in the coming months: The impending changes to the Cabinet line-up and the National Day Rally (NDR) in August.
As the new Prime Minister, his decisions on key ministerial appointments will be closely watched, especially on who he appoints as his deputy or deputies.
Though no one expects any surprises and political predictability is the order of the day here, there is still much riding on this important decision.
On Tuesday (Apr 16), Mr Wong told reporters that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will stay in the Cabinet as Senior Minister after the handover and there will not be many changes to the rest of the line-up for now.
"Our system works on the basis of continuity and progressive change. It has never been the case that when there is a leadership transition, all the older ministers step down at the same time," he said. Nevertheless, he said he "will also look at possible promotions as well as consider bringing in a few backbenchers to strengthen the team".
In the book Tall Order, former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong revealed that when he was forming his first Cabinet, Mr Ong Teng Cheong was his choice as deputy. But when he discussed this with his mentor, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the latter did not react well and questioned him on the choice.
According to Mr Goh, Mr Lee was thinking of the future and that Mr Lee Hsien Loong had the greater potential to be Prime Minister, not Mr Ong.
In the event, Mr Goh changed his mind and appointed two deputies, with Mr Lee Hsien Loong as first Deputy Prime Minister and Mr Ong as second Deputy Prime Minister.
The rest, as they say, is history, but it showed how politically significant these early Cabinet decisions can turn out to be.
Mr Wong will no doubt have an eye on the future in making this decision.
The NDR, usually held in the last week of August, will be Mr Wong’s first political test. It is the major speech of the year for a Prime Minister but for him it will have added significance for two reasons.
First, it will be a test of his ability to move and rally the ground.
One should not underestimate the challenge of pulling this off successfully for any new Prime Minister.
For two hours or so on live national TV, speaking in three languages, he has to connect with the people as Singapore’s new leader whom they can entrust their future with.
He has to come across as confident and reassuring, a leader who understands their problems and is able to find the right solutions.
It isn’t just about the content of the speech which, though important, will be largely forgotten by most people by the end of the week.
More lasting will be the impression he leaves with them on how he comes across as their leader - his demeanour and tone, as well as the emotional connection he is able to establish from the way he puts across his ideas and thinking.
One speech will not make him but falter badly and it could break him.
The second significance of the NDR has to do with the General Election.
As a platform to launch his campaign for the electoral battle ahead, there is no better opportunity when the eyes and ears of the nation are before you.
It is a powerful symbolic stage that occupies a special place in the national psyche, shaped in the beginning by founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who used it to great effect.
Mr Wong no doubt knows its significance and he is likely to use it to fire the first salvo of the General Election.
Does it mean the elections will be held soon after the NDR?
I do not think so.
Rather it will be a good bellwether, and the party will want to know how well it has gone down with the ground.
In fact, I do not think the General Election date has been decided.
For the new Prime Minister, it does not matter as much when it will be held. This year? Next year? No one can say for sure which is better.
Every leader wants to find the best time to go to the people when the ground is the sweetest. But it is an art that few master and it is easy to misread the ground, as has happened before.
Far more important is for the new Prime Minister to have as good a start in the job as possible, to try to gain as much support and connection as he can with Singaporeans and the international community, and strengthen his working relationship with his team.
These would be his priorities.
If he succeeds in these areas, the General Election can be held at any time.
Han Fook Kwang was a veteran newspaper editor and is a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
Continue reading...
The ruling party had no choice but to do it as soon as possible after it was announced last year that the leadership transition would take place before the next General Election due by November 2025.
The timeline will give the new Prime Minister enough time to prepare the party for the electoral battle ahead.
I wrote a piece in November last year that because Mr Wong was asked to take on the task at short notice, he needed to fast track his learning of the top job and establish his relationship with the people and the international community.
Hence the handover should take place sooner rather than later.
Now that that decision has been made, all eyes will be on two milestones for Mr Wong in the coming months: The impending changes to the Cabinet line-up and the National Day Rally (NDR) in August.
Related:
WHO WILL BE LAWRENCE WONG'S DEPUTY?
As the new Prime Minister, his decisions on key ministerial appointments will be closely watched, especially on who he appoints as his deputy or deputies.
Though no one expects any surprises and political predictability is the order of the day here, there is still much riding on this important decision.
On Tuesday (Apr 16), Mr Wong told reporters that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will stay in the Cabinet as Senior Minister after the handover and there will not be many changes to the rest of the line-up for now.
"Our system works on the basis of continuity and progressive change. It has never been the case that when there is a leadership transition, all the older ministers step down at the same time," he said. Nevertheless, he said he "will also look at possible promotions as well as consider bringing in a few backbenchers to strengthen the team".
In the book Tall Order, former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong revealed that when he was forming his first Cabinet, Mr Ong Teng Cheong was his choice as deputy. But when he discussed this with his mentor, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the latter did not react well and questioned him on the choice.
According to Mr Goh, Mr Lee was thinking of the future and that Mr Lee Hsien Loong had the greater potential to be Prime Minister, not Mr Ong.
In the event, Mr Goh changed his mind and appointed two deputies, with Mr Lee Hsien Loong as first Deputy Prime Minister and Mr Ong as second Deputy Prime Minister.
The rest, as they say, is history, but it showed how politically significant these early Cabinet decisions can turn out to be.
Mr Wong will no doubt have an eye on the future in making this decision.
MAJOR POLITICAL TESTS AHEAD
The NDR, usually held in the last week of August, will be Mr Wong’s first political test. It is the major speech of the year for a Prime Minister but for him it will have added significance for two reasons.
First, it will be a test of his ability to move and rally the ground.
One should not underestimate the challenge of pulling this off successfully for any new Prime Minister.
For two hours or so on live national TV, speaking in three languages, he has to connect with the people as Singapore’s new leader whom they can entrust their future with.
He has to come across as confident and reassuring, a leader who understands their problems and is able to find the right solutions.
It isn’t just about the content of the speech which, though important, will be largely forgotten by most people by the end of the week.
More lasting will be the impression he leaves with them on how he comes across as their leader - his demeanour and tone, as well as the emotional connection he is able to establish from the way he puts across his ideas and thinking.
One speech will not make him but falter badly and it could break him.
The second significance of the NDR has to do with the General Election.
As a platform to launch his campaign for the electoral battle ahead, there is no better opportunity when the eyes and ears of the nation are before you.
It is a powerful symbolic stage that occupies a special place in the national psyche, shaped in the beginning by founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who used it to great effect.
Mr Wong no doubt knows its significance and he is likely to use it to fire the first salvo of the General Election.
Related:
WHEN THE GROUND IS SWEETEST
Does it mean the elections will be held soon after the NDR?
I do not think so.
Rather it will be a good bellwether, and the party will want to know how well it has gone down with the ground.
In fact, I do not think the General Election date has been decided.
For the new Prime Minister, it does not matter as much when it will be held. This year? Next year? No one can say for sure which is better.
Every leader wants to find the best time to go to the people when the ground is the sweetest. But it is an art that few master and it is easy to misread the ground, as has happened before.
Far more important is for the new Prime Minister to have as good a start in the job as possible, to try to gain as much support and connection as he can with Singaporeans and the international community, and strengthen his working relationship with his team.
These would be his priorities.
If he succeeds in these areas, the General Election can be held at any time.
Han Fook Kwang was a veteran newspaper editor and is a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
Continue reading...