Politics
PM-in-waiting Lawrence Wong urges Singaporeans to work with him
Following the announcement to succeed the PM position on 15 May, DPM Lawrence Wong appealed for Singaporeans’ support in a video message, urging collaboration under PAP’s leadership. “Together we can build a future that shines brightly for all Singaporeans,” he said.
SINGAPORE: On Monday (15 April), Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office officially announced Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s decision to step down, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong slated to succeed him on 15 May 2024.
The PMO’s statement confirmed the transition:
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will relinquish his office on 15 May 2024. ”
“He will formally advise the President to appoint Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Mr Lawrence Wong to succeed him.”
“DPM Wong has the unanimous support of the PAP MPs.”
“The new Prime Minister will be sworn in at 8.00 pm on 15 May 2024 at the Istana.”
In response to the official announcement, DPM Wong urged Singaporeans to collaborate with him and his team in shaping the next chapter of the Singapore story.
In a video message posted on social media shortly after the PMO’s announcement, DPM Wong sought the support of Singaporeans “in our shared vision as one united people.”
Reflecting on his political journey since 2011, DPM Wong expressed humility and a deep sense of duty in accepting the responsibility of serving as prime minister.
“I accept this responsibility with humility and a deep sense of duty. I pledge to give my all in this undertaking,” he said.
“Every ounce of my energy shall be devoted to the service of our country and our people. ”
“Your dreams will inspire my action. Your concerns will guide my decisions.”
“I ask each of you to join me in this journey. Share your ideas, share your passions and dreams. Work with me and my team.”
He believed that together, Singaporeans can build a future that shines brightly for all, fostering a democratic society based on justice and equality.
“Let us move forward as one Team Singapore, and write the next chapter of our Singapore story together.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat took to Facebook to express his heartfelt appreciation towards PM Lee for his exemplary leadership spanning two decades, notably during pivotal moments like the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Under PM Lee’s guidance, we prioritized the well-being of Singaporeans while strategically investing and enhancing our capabilities to secure Singapore’s future,” DPM Heng emphasized.
He continued, “Today, Singapore shines as a beacon of openness and collaboration amidst a global landscape marked by hesitancy.”
In addition to commending PM Lee’s stewardship, DPM Heng extended warm congratulations to Lawrence Wong and voiced unwavering confidence in Singapore’s ongoing prosperity under his leadership.
DPM Wong expected to lead ruling party in upcoming GE
Mr Wong, 51, will assume the role of Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister and is expected to lead the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) into the upcoming elections slated for November 2025.
In November 2023, Speaking at the PAP’s convention, PM Lee signalled a leadership transition, indicating his intention to pass the baton to DPM Wong before the upcoming General Election.
PM Lee stated that the next GE will coincide with the party’s leadership transition to the 4G team, setting a tentative timeline for this to occur by the PAP’s 70th birthday on 21 November 2024.
Previously expressing his wish “to step down before his 70th birthday in February 2022,” the unexpected COVID-19 challenges of the pandemic disrupted Lee’s plans.
The succession plan has been in the public eye since DPM Heng Swee Keat stepped aside, allowing a younger leader with a ‘longer runway’ to lead the party, with DPM Wong subsequently being endorsed as the leader of the 4G team.
PM Lee had expressed full confidence in DPM Wong and the 4G team.
In 2018, the public was informed that Mr Heng, a former top civil servant, had been chosen by his PAP peers as “first among equals” and was set to become Singapore’s fourth prime minister upon PM Lee’s retirement.
PM Lee, who was 66 at the time and had succeeded Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister in 2004, had intended to hand over the reins of power by February 2022, his 70th birthday.
In July 2020, amidst Singapore’s GE, PM Lee expressed his commitment to see Singapore through the crisis and hand over the country “intact and in working order” to his successor.
By April 2021, after the PAP’s victory in the 2020 general election, Heng conveyed his intentions to stand aside.
Reflecting on the severity of the pandemic, Heng commented, “I believe it’s better for someone younger, with a longer runway, to take on this role.”
Subsequently, a year later, in April 2022,DPM Wong was announced as the leader of the ruling PAP fourth-generation team.
Based on the recent announcement, it is reasonable to anticipate that the General Election will be held before the party’s anniversary in November.
In response to the PAP’s dominant 2/3 majority in Parliament, Singapore’s political landscape has witnessed increased manoeuvring, intensifying grassroots outreach efforts, and witnessing alternative parties forming political alliances — both formal and informal — to contest in the upcoming GE.
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Lee kuan yew had once infamously declared: “we (meaning dictator of pap) will do what we think is right. NEVER MIND WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK!” Lawrence Wrong is just a replica of the pap psyche. An obedient puppet he is. He will never care about what the people think.
This whole succession farce sits on several screw ups. Firstly, how can pinky be sitting as prime minister continually for 20 years? Is this a family dynasty or business? Pinky failed miserably the last 2 decades on succession planning, so desperately bad that woody goh had to poke pinky in the media to hasten succession planning. After woody poked pinky, there was still hardly a fart about succession plan for years until the former principal secretary of lee kuan yew, heng, the short guy with the “short runway”, became tentatively the “chosen one”. Heng screwed up repeatedly in pariahment –… Read more »
Wrong mindset already.
He’s supposed to work FOR us !!!
It’s our taxes that pay his and his cronies’ world’s highest salarie$$$$$$$
LW: Our graduates want good and quality jobs , not cleaners food delivery jobs, taxi driver jobs , etc. We want jobs that paid well and not those (highly paid jobs , high positions’) jobs given to foreigners Can you solve? Singapore has talent !!!
LW: Singapore birth rate is low. We want True born citizens and not imported citizens. Can you solve?
Sorry PM post not chosen by the people. just another papsident case. Will give him a miss
LW, why your boss stepping down ?
Cant face a more devastating result in the coming GE?
Still wants to stay on as SM..shameless..!
No need now..hes got LHL as SM to hold his hand from 15th may..
You local Sinkie should work with the PAP for the next 5 yrs till another election in 2030, to ensure another 4.5% of jobs goes to FTs to make the total % of jobs going to FTs to 99%.
Leaving only 1% of jobs left for you balless , strawberry locals!😆😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣
Let’s see if 16 May 2024 morning will be brighter or just as gloomy.
Will we be getting more vouchers. PAP already running out of vouchers names. We have another one called climate vouchers. Don’t know what is for!
We have CDC vouchers, GST vouchers, resilience vouchers, u-save, rebate etc.
I would suggest more like Vote PAP vouchers. New PM vouchers
Singaporeans truly surviving on vouchers.
It’s a tad too late to beg SGs to work with you ..
They’ve been doing so all the while ,but you, your boss and PAP colleagues designed policies that kept betraying us…
I’m sure you’ll still be earning your mil$ salary bcuz your NCs and the rich n super rich sgs is enough to give you another ill-deserved mandate…cuz they depend on PAP for their continued stressless survival in SG…
Just last week, MOM released that 94.5% of jobs went to non Singaporeans in 2023 and Lawrence Wrong is asking us to work with Pap?
Mr Lawrence Wong, you must work for Singaporeans, do not expect Singaporeans to work “with” you. The people are not your servants, you are theirs. Do not forget that you are drawing your salary from taxpayers. They are paying you for a service.
You can demonstrate your willingness to work for Singaporeans and Singapore by excising the CPIB, ELD and CSC from your future office and making them completely and wholly independent organisations.
As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. But what is less commonly known is that the same is true for inaction.
Do we need a election as to who we shall vote for Prime Minister? No? or is he again selected by his own people?
It may well be the “same bitter wine” in a “younger” bottle.Given that LW has all along been nurtured under Pappy’s “group think” elitist environment, anyone with the right mind would not expect to see any structural changes to the uncomfortable lives of SG voters.Let’s see how many more GRCs Pappies will loose in the coming GE.
.
WL: “..seek you trust, your support...”
——————
Typical entitled mentality of our million$ monkeys. Firstly, Trust must be EARNED, cannot be demanded for like what his Kayu boss did. LawlanWong should tell us how he has gained our Trust; so far it seems he has only gained his boss’s cork (to suck).
Leadership 101. Obviously Wong wouldn’t make it.
No matter how you look at the gov it is just shameless money politics who sell themselves off as whiter than white
you can’t say nor accuse them of “black” in the court of law because in the eyes of the law they are white or the standard of whiteness so the vast majority( influential elites most vocal) will have to carve the narrative around incorruptibility.
If the law is on their side it means those against them are lawless. Why do you suppose so many have been “shut up” or locked up?(look at China, the copycat )
Before he even ascend to the throne he already has arrows headed his way. Arrows will continue be shot by all his detractors, critics and supporters of oppositions. during his tenure until he gets unseated. And the whole process repeats itself at the expense of many lives locally and globally.
We work with you. And you work with us.
These are polar opposites and U just demonstrated your ignorance YET 2.5 Millions of Dollars salary you planned to bank in SIPHONED from SG Reserves.
The IMPENDING DISASTER continuing it’s spectacle RIGHT in plain sight of 6 Million sheeps.
There is no business like (political) show business.
“When the going gets tough,
The tough get going” doesnt apply to this LHL..
He just jumps ship and lets another carry the responsibilities..
When life was good with less home and internationsl challenges, he stayed put altho was still a lameduck pm.
He must have heard all the cussing from ground level…
& figured its time to let go.
Has anyone notice that WL has that silly smile-smile look whenever he ask Singaporeans to work with him (like sibei kan, hor)? The same look Loong gave when he said to give him a strong mandate. The SOP for pappies?
Work with him means to help him achieve his KPI’s kissing his boss, not the KPI’s that would work for the benefit of Singaporeans.
This servant urged all his masters to work with him???
Did I hear and see wrongly?
LOL.
He and his group of servants should work with all the masters instead.
Not yet pm and already, … the cringeworthy and nauseating statements are flowing, touching the hearts, minds and souls of the idiots and imbeciles, … that it’s truly meant for !!!
Show us the jobs. Talk is Free, no longer cheap
2023 all the jobs or most of the jobs go to who???Singaporeans or Foreigners?
Superb wayang performance. He even learnt to exclude the crocodile tears part.
Work with him?…when LW was a FM , then a DPM, did he try to speak out re several unfair PAP policies that saw many 1000s SGs being disadvantaged ie housing jobs, healthcare etc.
So is LW suddenly going to play God and reverse those policies in SGs favour..?
He cannot, can he,?… as hes just going to be another PAP lameduck PM .
Its not an easy job we know…but we are sceptical if things will change much…
Pinky Ah Gua step back and Lau Po Po step up.No difference there.
Our lives are not going to improve anytime soon.
Same lip service always before any GE. Only see prices soaring higher keeping these clown in office. Obviously before the GE they’ll denounce their own mothers and promise you all sorts. Remember, these are the guys that opened the floodgate to ruin your livelihoods and gave your lunches to a foreigner which they value more than you.
“Your dreams will inspire my action. Your concerns will guide my decisions.”
Your actions have dashed Singaporeans’ dream. Singaporeans’ concerns will now inspire how they vote and hopefully the outcome will guide you to change your preset decisions. And don’t tell Singaporeans nothing has been cast in stone.
“Your dreams will inspire my action. Your concerns will guide my decisions.”
Very nice sounding words.
PAP’s new motto in order to win next GE?
Now they offer us the sky and moon…
Dunno if he and his team can or will fulfill this pledge..
Promises cant put food on citizens tables.
He asked Sheeps to work with him. This is itself an ARROGANT ‘arse’ (ask), a stupid idiotic openning salvo, a proud arrogant way patronising sheeps.
The ACTUAL CORRECT WAY of PUTTING ACROSS is to phrase, as REQUEST Sheeps to give him opportunity to WORK with Us. Not we work with U. You work with us.
Who is the head, he or she in power calls the shot , simple as that. Democracy, or having an opposition/s in the house, doesn’t change anything if you don’t have the number to take on the head or to be cocksure, replace the head. Btw, anybody goes after the head is in danger of sedition, by law if have to. To “vto” is actually a call, in spirit, to chop off “the head”. If you chop it off, who is next in line? Democracy is a farce. No one who rises to the head will not be the next… Read more »
same white wine from the same bottle will taste the same lah.
Will it be the same tape recorder? chase your dreams , chase your rainbow? tsk tsk tsk
First , he has to share with us how $1000 salary can afford HDB and $8 heart surgery. tsk tsk tsk
Ah Wong…Don’t want to work with me , is it? For those iron teeth oppo fuckers?
Never mind, i get mandate, what we say ……WILL BE LAW!😆😆😆😆
“Your dreams will inspire my action. Your concerns will guide my decisions.”??
Our dreams is to have a truly democratic country but the actions by pap have been proven to be a nightmare…..We were very concern about an over crowded Singapore with our limited resources run too thin and good jobs taken away from locals, pap decides to bring in more anyway. So how do you think the above statement resonant with the citizens?
I think our problem just got bigger..
Sure ,
Why Not ?
Change the soup
It doesn’t change the medicine
Got public holiday or not ?
Anwar Ibrahim immediately upon his PM appointment declared 2 days holiday in Msia after a GE hung parliament.
Go F spider. If cannot find spiders, F yourself.
For me , No Way
Mastermind ?
Go fly kite .