Those who are curious about who will be our next Prime Minister will have to keep guessing.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave nothing away in his comments on leadership succession in his interview with CNBC on Thursday, ahead of his official working visit to the United States.

He gave this short answer when asked how close he is on finding his successor:

I think it is very likely that he is in the cabinet already. But which one? That will take a while to work out.

All the hints that could be gleaned from this are: The next prime minister is most likely now a cabinet minister -- and we will not have a female PM.

That's not saying very much, but still something to think about.

Younger ministers will decide

PM Lee did not name names in the interview, but he did describe the process on how the next PM will emerge, and it is something that younger Ministers will decide:

"I have explained this quite often, and quite publicly that I have assembled a team, a strong team of younger ministers. They have to establish themselves, among themselves, they have to work out their relationships and assess one another. Publicly, they have to gain the confidence of the public and show the public what they are able to do. In time, they will have to come to a consensus as to who should be leading the team into the next stage. Beyond me. The process has taken some time. We have been bringing in people in every election – 2006, 2011, 2015. So it has advanced, we will continue to bring people in to reinforce the team, but who is to emerge? Well, time will tell. It cannot be a very long time, because the clock ticks and waits for no man."

As the countdown to the next election, which PM Lee said could be "anytime" in the next two years, starts, it is increasingly clear that the time to select the next PM among the younger ministers will come sooner than later.

It is publicly understood that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, NTUC Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing and Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung are seen as among the front runners for the top post.

According to PAP folklore (see Men in White, Chapter 24, page 420), a meeting was held by former President Tony Tan at his Bukit Timah home to get the 2G leaders in the then-Cabinet to select the second-generation PM.

As revealed by PM Lee himself in an interview with the local Chinese media in January 2015, the 3G Ministers selected him as their leader over a meal organised by then Home Affairs Minister and PAP Second Assistant Secretary-General Wong Kan Seng.

It will be interesting to find out how the 4G Ministers reach a consensus on who will be the person to lead them in the next generation leadership.

[related_story]

Ready to step down

PM Lee, who is 65, had publicly said he would step down after the next election before he turns 70.

He also told CNBC that he is ready step down in the next couple of years, after ensuring someone is ready to take over from him and putting in place a smooth power transition.

On whether he will stay on in government after his handover, he said that will be "up to the next Prime Minister".

The full interview on CNBC Conversation will be aired in Singapore at the following times:

• Oct. 21 (Sat): 6:30am, 9:30am, 6:30pm
• Oct. 22 (Sun): 5:30am, 7:30am, 10:30am, 7:30pm

Top photo from PM Lee Facebook

Here are some totally unrelated but equally interesting stories:

HDB things we are so used to now but will probably not miss in 10 years’ time

Which of these cool young Singaporeans would you want your kid to grow up to be?