What can Singaporeans expect in the next few months from our soon-to-be Prime Minister Lawrence Wong?

Following PM Lee's announcement on Apr. 15 that he would be handing over the top job to Wong, Mothership spoke to political analysts to get their views on his priorities as an incoming prime minister, the challenges he could face, and what Singaporeans can expect from Wong in the months to come.

One theme that emerged was that Wong's priority would likely be to convey a message of stability to Singaporeans, together with his vision for Singapore's future.

A GE held as early as September 2024 to establish a clear mandate for Wong's leadership could also be on the cards, some analysts predicted.

A message of stability...

Wong's rise to the prime minister role has been a long time coming.

Two years have elapsed since the People's Action Party's Fourth Generation (4G) leaders chose him to be PM Lee's successor.

His PM appointment also isn't likely to any shake things up domestically or internationally at the moment, said Mustafa Izzudin, Senior International Affairs Analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore.

Rather, Mustafa expects "a smooth and orderly transition of power" from PM Lee to DPM Wong "without any significant disruption to the current state of affairs".

"I think [the new PM] would want to keep things as they are for the moment, because stability and certainty are necessary to deal with multiple complexities and exigencies confronting Singapore," Mustafa added.

Former Nominated Member of Parliament Anthea Ong also believes that "business will continue as usual", without too many changes at least for the next few months.

She opined that one of Wong's priorities will be to unify Singaporeans behind the vision for a new social compact as espoused in the Forward Singapore exercise, which has been helmed by Wong himself.

"[It's really to] assure Singaporeans that as much as that there is a change in the leader, the larger objective for the country remains unchanged," she added.

And inspiring Singapore with a new vision

Meanwhile, Singapore Management University law professor Eugene Tan felt that the onus was on Wong and his team to inspire Singaporeans with a "compelling vision" and a concrete plan of action for the coming years.

"I think his first priority would be to demonstrate to Singaporeans that his team and him are ready and equal to the task of leading Singapore, for the next decade. It is not just making statements, it is really about painting a vision for Singapore and Singaporeans."

@mothershipsg SMU law professor Eugene Tan said: "He's not coming in as an unknown entity. He has been in politics since 2011." #singapore #tiktoksg #sgnews #sg ♬ original sound - Mothership

Similarly, Gillian Koh, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), felt that Wong and his team will need to demonstrate "a very high level of political capacity" to win over the populace.

"I think that voters will want to be assured that the new prime minister more than understands their concerns about the high cost of living in Singapore, which has been exacerbated by external economic and geopolitical trends, and do more to help them cope," she said.

For example, Wong would need to convince voters that raising taxes has been to fund social policies that would benefit the populace in the long-term, rather than the state "extracting the maximum in order to fatten the coffers", Koh noted.

GE might come as early as September 2024...

So when might Singaporeans expect the next GE?

"My hunch is that the PAP would like to have the election early," Tan said.

He suggested that signs point to a GE being held before the end of the year, and perhaps even as soon as September 2024.

Noting the timing of PM Lee's announcement to step down from the prime minister role, Tan said it suggests "some urgency where the ruling party is concerned with regard to the handover, but also with the conduct of the next general election".

Another factor which might motivate an earlier election is the recent uptick of conflict in the Middle East, Tan noted.

He referenced Iran's first ever direct attack on Israel on Apr. 14, with more than 200 drones and missiles launched in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike in Damascus.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the ruling party is thinking, that given the deteriorating geopolitical situation, it becomes important for Singapore leaders to have a renewed mandate to take Singapore through this challenging period," Tan said.

@mothershipsg SMU law professor Eugene Tan's "hunch" on why the General Elections could be earlier. #singapore #tiktoksg #sgnews #sg ♬ original sound - Mothership

Ong had a similar prediction — a GE held before the end of the year.

She felt it made sense for the GE to be held "sooner rather than later" to give Wong "a solid mandate".

"And I think it's not just for the party, but also for Singapore, because it provides us the clarity of the leadership for the country. Amidst this macro uncertainty that we are all sort of living with, that's an important clarity and certainty that we need."

@mothershipsg "I do think that it makes sense to come sooner rather than later to give Lawrence a solid mandate." #tiktoksg #sgnews ♬ original sound - Mothership

Or not

Mustafa, on the other hand, opined that holding the GE so soon after the handover was "not the most ideal and prudent".

Mustafa suggested the GE could take place after the PAP Convention in end-September 2024, if Wong wanted to hold a snap election.

But a more realistic prospect for Wong, he felt, would be to hold the GE in May 2025.

He pointed out that this timeline would also mean that there would be another Budget in 2025 before the election.

"[This] gives him a sufficient runway of at least a year before calling for an election," Mustafa said.

Top image from Lawrence Wong's Facebook / Instagram