DPM Lawrence Wong lays out his vision for S'pore, says 'deepest belief' is a society 'that benefits many, not a few'

In his first major speech laying out his vision for Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong —  identified in April as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's successor — revealed on Monday (June 28) his "deepest belief" and hope for the country's future, but stressed that he "cannot make it happen by myself".

"I hope to see a society and system that benefits many, not a few; that rewards a wide variety of talents, not a conventional or narrow few; that values and celebrates all individuals for who they are and what they can achieve; and provides all with opportunities to do better throughout their lives," he said in a speech before a dialogue organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) where he unveiled a year-long public consultation process dubbed Forward Singapore.

At the end of the dialogue, Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, also spoke about the ways that his leadership would be different from Singapore's past leaders, noting that each had to “adapt to the circumstances and needs of society of their time”.

Mr Wong said that his own leadership style will also cater to the nation's different challenges and needs.

“With Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the founding generation of leaders, they led Singapore through revolutionary times. So of course they had to adopt a certain style of leadership that was necessary for that time... Since then, Singapore has evolved. It's a different society."