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As the new leader of the People's Action Party's (PAP) 4G team and prime minister-in-waiting, Lawrence Wong, 49, will enter his stint at the top in circumstances vastly different from those faced by his predecessors.

GE2020 saw opposition party Workers' Party gain yet another GRC, while strengthening its hold over Aljunied.

At the same time, the entry of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) in the arena saw a very close-run contest in West Coast GRC, close enough that it could nominate two Non-Constituency Members of Parliament.

Simply put, Wong's imminent tenure as leader of the PAP seems likely to coincide with a political state of play where Singaporeans — especially the younger ones — are more open to considering opposing options.

Growing diversity of experiences

This climate has been fuelled at least in part by the emergence of an online space where users have access to different ideas and dissenting voices.

That Wong might be entering into such a zeitgeist was not lost on the man himself.

At the recent Istana Press Conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former PAP chairman Khaw Boon Wan, the Minister for Finance tackled a question on the concerns and aspirations of young Singaporeans by acknowledging that the 4G leaders had to work hard to win support and trust from that demographic.

"I fully recognise the growing diversity of experiences amongst Singaporeans," he said.

"And I would like every Singaporean to know and feel that they will always have a stake in our society, even as we chart our new way forward together. And as leader of the team that will be the approach the attitude and the spirit I adopt."

Young people's expectations will be high on the type of involvement that Wong promises; and he will no doubt be aware of just how hard the task at hand will be.

Us versus them

In November 2021, at an Institute of Policy Studies and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies forum on new tribalism and identity politics, Wong gave a speech on the primordial human inclination to gather into opposing groups.

"The internet has made it easier for such new tribes to form and organise themselves. Unfortunately, the echo chamber of social media often means that these tribes end up self-selecting information to support and reinforce their own views," said Wong.

It results, the minister argued, in a facade of community that is actually predicated on 'us versus them'-style mutual hate rather than inclusive connections.

No to tribalism

"Once this sort of tribal identity takes root, it becomes difficult to achieve any compromise," he added.

"Because when we anchor our politics on identity, any compromise seems like dishonour. Every grievance threatens one’s self-worth; and every setback a challenge to one’s sense of self. So we get a downward spiral: individualism and self-interest cause tribes to form; each tribe closes ranks upon itself; and politics becomes defined as all-out war among tribes."

As Wong pointed out, Singapore with its myriad of intersecting identities — race and religion being the predominant ones — is fecund ground for this kind of politics; harmony in the city-state, he said, "will always be on a knife-edge".

His sensitivity to the issue was on display during as September 2021 debate with PSP's Leong Mun Wai where Wong criticised the PSP's rhetoric on CECA for carrying "strong racist and xenophobic undertones".

The first post-65 PM

Wong will be the first Prime Minister who is born after Singapore's independence in 1965.

The 49-year-old, who was born on Dec 18 1972, is the second youngest minister in the cabinet.

The youngest minister is Minister for National Development Desmond Lee at 45.

Wong's first ministerial portfolio was in the newly created youth ministry, when he was appointed the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth in November 2012.

As the minister for MCCY from 2012-2015, Wong is likely to have a keen grasp of issues facing young Singaporeans.

As one of the younger ministers, Wong has been posting clips on video-sharing platform TikTok to engage younger Singaporeans.

Wong, with more than 30k followers on TikTok, appears to have found some success with his content, with one video clip reaching more than 1.5 million views.

His relative youthfulness, his past work with young Singaporeans, and his social media instincts will put him in good stead in persuading young Singaporeans with diverse views about Singapore's future.

"All must feel there is hope"

In Wong's vision, his prime ministership (if the PAP wins the next general election) will likely be one striving to ensure that irreparable rifts aren't formed.

"We may not always arrive at a perfect solution. But we will never let any group feel unheard, ignored or excluded. We will never let any group feel boxed in or ostracised," he said at the November 2021 forum.

"All must feel that they are part of the Singapore conversation; all must feel they are part of the Singapore family; all must feel there is hope for the future."

The question will be how Wong and the 4G leaders operationalise this vision.

"We do intend to engage the public later on and comprehensively review our policies," he said on April 16, 2022, at the Istana press conference.

"We'll see what needs to be adjusted and improved. This will be a major agenda for the 4G team."

Agree to disagree

Yet, failure to foster a political space where individuals can "agree to disagree" without demonising the other could lead to devastating results.

We only need to look at the United States, where wearing a face mask has taken significance akin to waving a political party's flag, to see the consequences of allowing tribalism to take root.

In arriving at the selection of Wong as first amongst equals, Khaw said that the finance minister was the choice of the overwhelming majority of the 4G leaders.

It is a sign that Wong is a unifying figure within the party.

He may be hoping to carry that reputation into his role as Singapore's (likely) next Prime Minister.

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Top image from Lawrence Wong's Facebook page