PM Lee to continue to be part of govt after stepping down next month, says incoming PM Wong
Earlier on Monday, it was announced that Lee will step down on May 15 after nearly 20 years of heading the government as part of the long-planned leadership transition.
PTI
Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong (IANS)
SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will stay in the Cabinet as Senior Minister after stepping down as the leader of the government on May 15, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who will succeed him, said on Tuesday.
“There won’t be many changes to the rest of the lineup for now,” Wong, who would be the fourth prime minister of the economically prosperous city-state of Singapore, said.
Earlier on Monday, it was announced that Lee will step down on May 15 after nearly 20 years of heading the government as part of the long-planned leadership transition.
Details of the cabinet reshuffle would be announced a few days before the swearing-in ceremony on May 15, Wong told reporters a day after the leadership handover date was announced.
“Our system works on the basis of continuity and progressive change. It has never been the case that when there is a leadership transition, all the older ministers step down at the same time,” the 51-year-old Prime Minister-to-be said.
“Instead, they continue to contribute in different ways, while making room for the younger ones. So, I will adopt the same approach when I take over,” Wong was quoted as saying by Channel News Asia.
Wong, who is also Finance Minister, said he is glad Lee has agreed to stay in the Cabinet as Senior Minister. Former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong also served as Senior Ministers after stepping down.
Bigger changes to the Cabinet will likely happen only after the General Election, which must be held by November 2025, said Wong.
“I’m already in the midst of looking for new candidates, especially those with potential to hold political office. So, depending on the outcome of the General Election, there will be an opportunity then to renew and strengthen the team with new members,” he said.
Lee, 72, was sworn in on August 12, 2004, as Singapore’s third Prime Minister. The transition comes 12 years after Lee pronounced in 2012 that he did not want to be Prime Minister beyond the age of 70, Channel News Asia said on Monday.
