'It's not a reality show': Singapore's Lee says decision on his successor will take 'a little longer' as 4G ministers search for 'first among equals' to be next PM
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said younger ministers tasked with picking someone among themselves to take over from him needed "a little longer" to make a decision, with a successor likely to be named well before elections due in 2025.
Lee has sparingly discussed the issue of succession this year, after the previous heir apparent, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, bowed out in April.
Heng's decision, as well as a pledge by Lee during elections last year to see out the Covid-19 pandemic as prime minister, has meant a power transition initially scheduled to take place by next year - when Lee turns 70 - has been delayed. Still, national interest in the matter has remained high, with the public and political observers closely scrutinising remarks by the top contenders within the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) for clues on who might be ahead in the succession race.
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Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, 48, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, 52, and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, 52, are seen as the most likely to succeed Lee.
Speaking on Sunday at the PAP's annual conference, Lee said the fourth-generation, or "4G", ministers tasked with picking a leader among themselves had emphasised that the issue was not about "selecting a boss or the winner of a race".
"It's not a reality show. It's deadly serious life-and-death decisions for Singaporeans," Lee told party members at the event, which was held in hybrid format.
"It's about developing a strong team and settling among themselves a primus inter pares, a first among equals, one who can bring others together and bring out the best from every member of the team," he said. "The 4G team will need a little longer to make a decision, but I am confident that they will settle it before the next general election comes around."
While the date for the city state's next election has not been set - it must be held by 2025 - Lee said he was confident the 4G ministers would settle the matter "in good time".
"I am sure they will make a wise choice and that in due course, I will be able to hand over the nation into good hands," he said.
In the wide-ranging speech, the veteran leader touched on the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant, noting that while authorities were still studying the development, residents had to be mentally prepared for more "bumps along the road" as "we may well be forced to take a few steps back, before we can take more steps forward".
Lee also sought to emphasise that citizens' trust in the PAP had been crucial for the country's successes amid the Covid-19 crisis.
While Singapore has battled several outbreaks, its death rate per capita is one of the world's lowest. It also has one of the world's highest vaccination rates, with 87 per cent of its 5.45 million people fully vaccinated.
Lee said Singaporeans' trust in the PAP allowed the government to make tough decisions, including repeated rounds of tightening and easing of social gathering measures - contrasting this with the low public trust in authority seen in the United States and elsewhere.
In the US, Lee noted that attitudes on dealing with Covid-19 were split along partisan lines, with Democrats eager to get jabbed and wear masks while many Republicans remained unvaccinated.
He said his government was aware that the decisions it made amid fast-changing developments during the pandemic were bound to disappoint certain quarters.
"But as I told the ministers, in a crisis as leaders we cannot afford to waiver," Lee said. "It is not the time to worry about being popular or looking good. You have been elected for one purpose and you have to focus on your duty - to make the right decision, keep Singapore safe and see Singapore and Singaporeans through this crisis."
In his speech, Lee did not mention the Workers' Party - the country's biggest opposition group - but some of his remarks appeared to be a barely veiled criticism of a recent controversy involving it.
Raeesah Khan, one of the Workers' Party's 10 MPs, on November 1 admitted to lying in parliament when she criticised the police earlier in the year for being insensitive towards a rape survivor.
Khan's admission elicited sharp rebukes from the Workers' Party and the PAP, and the 27-year-old is currently being investigated by a parliamentary committee for breach of parliamentary privilege.
Lee did not mention Khan, but underscored that the PAP - in power without interruption since 1959 - was known to take firm disciplinary action against members who "misbehave" or "misspeak".
"We will put it right because [the party member] knows that's the right thing to do, and the party will insist on it," Lee said.
The ruling party "sets the tone for Singapore politics" and "voters have to apply these same standards of integrity and honesty to every group and person who participates in politics and public life," Lee said.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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