4G leaders working together ‘equally, if not more important’ than identity of next PM

SINGAPORE — Amid the keen public interest surrounding the identity of Singapore’s next leader, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament on Wednesday (May 16) that there is more than one qualified candidate who can take over the top job.

Reiterating that Singaporeans should know who his successor is before the next General Election, which is due by January 2021, PM Lee nevertheless stressed that what is “just as important, if not more important, than the question of who would be the next PM” is the need for the fourth-generation (4G) leadership to work together.

Recounting how Singapore’s Prime Ministers including himself have always been well supported by their Cabinet colleagues, PM Lee told the House that the 4G leaders have been working together, making decisions as a team and taking collective responsibility for their decisions.

Referring to the choice of the next PM, he noted that “now it is about the team coming to a consensus on the best option”.

There is, however, “no other option” than for them to work as a team because the Cabinet has to join hands to help the next Prime Minister succeed. “If they cannot or do not do so, then the next PM will fail, whoever he is,” PM Lee said.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Goh Chok Tong — the Republic’s first two Prime Ministers — did not run Singapore by themselves, but were surrounded by “stalwart colleagues”.

The late Mr Lee had a “core team of very strong ministers supporting him” — Dr Goh Keng Swee, Mr S Rajaratnam, Mr Lim Kim San, Mr Hon Sui Sen, and Mr Othman Wok.

Mr Goh, who is now Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM), had a “talented team” too: Mr Ong Teng Cheong, Dr Tony Tan, Mr Wong Kan Seng, Prof S Jayakumar, Mr S Dhanabalan, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, and Mr George Yeo, just to name a few, said PM Lee.

“When I took over as Prime Minister, I inherited ESM Goh’s strong team and Mr Goh himself stayed on, and we added talent to his team,” PM Lee said. “Now he has stepped down, I rely on my own core team, which now also includes several of the 4G ministers.”

He added: “So the next PM must have, and will have, his own stalwart colleagues, too.”

Last month, PM Lee announced a much-anticipated Cabinet reshuffle, placing 4G leaders at the helm of nearly two-thirds of government ministries.

The younger leaders have a “major say in policies, and the direction to take Singapore”, said PM Lee, who urged the public to give the 4G leaders the time and space to carry out their work.

Acknowledging the public anxiety over the identity of the next Prime Minister, PM Lee nevertheless noted that the country’s top leader must command the respect and loyalty of his team, and have the support and confidence of the “broad mass” of Singaporeans.

“These things take time. They cannot be forced. I do not believe we’re ready to settle on a choice yet. Nor is it helpful to treat this either as a horse race or a campaign to lobby support for one or the other candidate. This is a team game,” he stressed. “We want a strong, cohesive team, so that Team Singapore is the winner.”

He added: “I am confident that when the time comes for me to hand over to a new prime minister, Singapore will be put into the hands of good stewards.”

HAS POLITICAL ELITE CLASS EMERGED, ASKS LOW THIA KHIANG

After PM Lee delivered his speech, former Workers’ Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang (above) — who is a Member of Parliament for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency — rose to ask the Prime Minister whether a “political elite class” had emerged, given that all three frontrunners for the PM post were either from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) or the Civil Service.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung are widely seen as potential successors to PM Lee.

Mr Heng and Mr Ong were senior civil servants before they entered politics, while Mr Chan was a former Chief of Army who attained the rank of Major-General.

In response to Mr Low, who had stepped down as WP chief last month, PM Lee said the candidates should be evaluated on their contributions rather than background.

“When you look at the person, you ask, ‘is he making a contribution? What are his strengths and weaknesses? What are his contributions? Does he or does he not measure up?’,” said PM Lee. “You don’t ask, where did he come from, who his parents are.”

He added: “Is it bad to come from the Civil Service or the SAF? No. Is it necessary to come from there? No. Is it good to have people from a wide range? Yes, and we do have a wide range.”

Not only does the present Cabinet consist of former private-sector executives, doctors and lawyers, new office-holders have also been brought in from the backbench, some of whom are armed with private sector experience, PM Lee said.

“We’re looking for people, wherever we can find them, to bring in, to form a Singapore team. And the stronger this team is, the harder I think Mr Low’s job (will be). And I can’t help it because of my objective: I just want the best team for Singapore.”