PM Lee to go on leave for 2 weeks

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will go on leave from Thursday (Dec 17) until the end of the year, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

There will be no acting prime minister in Singapore in that time because Mr Lee will “remain contactable throughout this period”, PMO said in a statement on Wednesday.

When Mr Lee went on leave from Dec 21, 2019 to Jan 3, 2020, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was appointed acting prime minister from Dec 25 until the end of Mr Lee’s leave.

This was before Covid-19 hit Singapore, with the first confirmed case reported on Jan 23. 

In response to media queries, the prime minister's press secretary Chang Li Lin said on Wednesday that DPM Heng would also be on leave on some days while PM Lee is on leave.

PM Lee decided that he could continue since he is not travelling and will remain contactable, rather than switching between himself and DPM Heng as acting prime minister, Ms Chang added.

DPM Heng will chair the Cabinet meetings during this period.