Singapore Is Facing a Dangerous World Without Lee
The city-state is entering uncharted territory with this leadership change. A fractious US-China relationship will be a major concern.
Lawrence Wong, Singapore's next prime minister.
Photographer: Lionel Ng/BloombergSingapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to deputy Lawrence Wong on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November 2025.
Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — will need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the island’s next chapter. The world that confronts it is far more precarious than at any other time in the nation’s history, except for the upheaval caused by Singapore’s decision to break away from Malaysia in 1965.