Lawrence Wong was sworn in as Singapore‘s new Prime Minister on Wednesday (May 15), marking the country’s first leadership change in 20 years. Wong, a 51-year-old economist-turned-politician, became only the fourth leader since the nation’s independence. He succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who stepped down from his position after two decades. He also pledged to make tomorrow better than today.
Wong took the oath with a deep sense of duty and humility for its 5.9 million population and declared that he would dedicate every ounce of his energy towards the people of Singapore. He belongs to a new generation of politicians that were specially chosen by the People‘s Action Party (PAP) and it is credited for ruling the country for a long time.
Who is Lawrence Wong?
Wong is the first Singaporean leader who was born after its independence in 1965. He will be succeedingLee Hsien Long who ruled the country for twenty years. He is an economist trained by the US, and has a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Michigan. Wong is also an ardent fan of Roger Federer and loves to play guitar in his free time. He went to the United States to study on a scholarship. Long plan was to step down from the leadership post before he turned 70.
The rise of Wong came into the limelight when the anointed successor of Long, Heng Swee Keat ruled himself out of the race. He was initially appointed as co-chair of the Covid pandemic task force. Wong was announced as the successor of Long in April 2022. After this, he was appointed as deputy prime minister. He gained experience in dealing with public issues prominently in employment, equality, and sustainability.
Wong’s upcoming challenges
Wong has raised a warning for Singapore and asked the country to be ready for a more violent, riskier, and messier world. He said that they can overcome all these issues by staying united. On China-US rivalry, he commented that Singapore will remain to play its stance as neutral. The country will keep its communication channels open with both countries. Singapore’s new prime minister is all set for the elections which are scheduled to happen in 2025. He has continued to hold his post of finance minister and has retained his cabinet.
(With inputs from Reuters and AP)