October 03, 2016, 07:13 PM 
Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong is away in India from 3 to 7 October for a working visit, at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
And as always, whenever PM Lee is out of the country, we have someone, usually a DPM, who steps up as Acting Prime Minister over the period that he's away.
But here's something interesting we noticed: we will have three PMs in total this week, courtesy of the following government e-gazette notice:
Screenshot from government e-gazette
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be the Acting PM today and tomorrow (October 3 and 4), while Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan will be the Acting PM from Wednesday through Friday (October 5 to 7 October).
PM Lee will be back in Singapore this weekend.
Why is PM away?
It has been a while since PM Lee visited India. His last trip was nearly four years ago, when he attended the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in December 2012.
In New Delhi, PM Lee will be hosted for lunch by PM Modi.
It's pretty much PM Modi returning the favour: PM Lee treated PM Modi to supper at Komala's in Little India when the latter visited last November.
Source: Lee Hsien Loong Facebook.
In New Delhi, the PMs will witness the exchange of three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on:
(i) cooperation in the field of industrial property between the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and the Indian Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion,
(ii) cooperation on the establishment of a North East Skills Centre in Assam between the Institute of Technical Education Education Services and the Government of Assam and
(iii) cooperation in skills development between the Institute of Technical Education Education Services and the Indian National Skill Development Corporation.
PM Lee will also meet Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and attend a reception for Singaporeans based in India.
No Acting PM Tharman?
DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam will not get to be Acting PM this week because he will be visiting the United States and France from October 5 to 12.
In fact, he was Acting Prime Minister on Sep 26 - 29, last week, when PM Lee was away in Japan.
No wonder he sounded just like a PM when he categorically stated he does not want to be PM.
He was actually the PM that day.
Top photo from Khaw Boon Wan's Facebook page.
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