S’pore’s next PM ‘very likely’ already in Cabinet, but ‘clock is ticking’: PM Lee

SINGAPORE — The Republic’s next Prime Minister is “very likely” already in the Cabinet, but picking him from the prospective candidates will “take a while”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.

Asked about Singapore’s leadership succession in an interview with CNBC ahead of his official working visit to the United States from Saturday (Oct 21), Mr Lee said the process was underway and that the younger ministers will have to establish themselves and eventually reach a consensus on who would lead them.

However, he cautioned that the clock was ticking.

“(The leadership renewal process has) advanced, we’d continue to bring people in, to reinforce the team. But who’s to emerge? Well, time will tell. It cannot be a very long time, because the clock ticks and waits for no man,” Mr Lee told CNBC on Thursday (Oct 19).

When pressed a second time by CNBC anchor Christine Tan to name his successor, Mr Lee said: “There are people in the wings. The question is, who it will be, and that will need to be decided.”

Mr Lee has said on several occasions that he intends to step down some time after the next General Election (GE), which is due to be held by 2021.

Asked if the election could take place in the next two years, he said “yes, of course, any time”. Mr Lee did not elaborate on potential GE dates but added that “we always need to be prepared”.

Looking ahead to the challenges facing Singapore in the coming decades, the Prime Minister said the Government’s job is in helping the country stay at the top amid technological and economic challenges.

Pointing to the various measures introduced by the Government to date, including the setting up of a Committee on the Future Economy to develop new strategies as well as plans to roll out “industry transformation maps” for 23 sectors, Mr Lee said Singapore did not agree with a laissez-faire approach.

“We think that the Government has a constructive and active role to play, and we will do that – working with the industry and fostering the change rather than obstructing it,” he added.

His response prompted Ms Tan to ask about Singapore’s reputation as a “nanny state”, and whether the Republic still needed a “babysitter” given its developed economy.

Mr Lee said a balance has to be struck, as Singaporeans have high expectations for their Government even as some will say they want to tackle challenges on their own.

He added: “No government prospers by saying I do not need to do anything and just by being there, we have made the country thrive. You have to have an idea of what you need to do, what needs to be fixed, what can be improved, what we should now imagine together, which we did not previously imagine, and having thought of it, decide to do it. That is the government’s role.”

When asked about his life after his father’s death, Mr Lee said the family missed founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, thought of him often and would read his old speeches, where they still find elements that are relevant till this day.

“The way he puts it still has a ring to it. At the same time, we have to build on that and move forward, because if we just remained with what he had imagined and what he had done and nothing more, I think he’d have been very disappointed,” he added.

What advice would the late Mr Lee have given him if he were still alive?

“I think he would have said: ‘Press on, move on. Don’t be looking at the rear-view mirror. Remember what has happened, understand how you got here, but look forward and press forward’,” said Mr Lee.