After a year of uncertainty, PAP is back to the original plan and selected Heng Swee Keat's successor as his replacement for future premiership, once Lee Hsien Loong steps down - likely in or just before the next GE in 2025.I think the delay was due entirely to the pandemic and its unpredictable outcomes - particularly as two of the front runners have been members of the MMTF handling the national response.Ultimately, Singapore has emerged out of it as one of the best performers globally, with relatively few deaths, a broad and successful vaccination campaign and limited damage to the economy. Therefore, there was no need for any of the leaders to take a fall and one of them ended up in pole position to win the nomination to be the country's future PM.
If it wasn't for Covid-19 then the choice would have been obvious a long time ago, given the predictable standards of Singaporean meritocratic succession. Lawrence Wong has the best CV, having handled the finance portfolio with Heng Swee Keat since 2016 and, since last year, on his own, after leading the MOE and MND.He is also the least controversial candidate (not that there's much controversy in Singaporean politics, by global standards) and if not the most likable then the least unlikable of all.I think few would be able to find much against him.Of course, it would be better to field someone with more charisma, someone more inspirational and leader-like - but there were none of those in the lineup (that's perhaps a consequence of Singapore's prosperity, breeding generations of capable administrators and technocrats, not necessarily magnetic leaders). The past year has been good for PAP, with domestic opposition embarrassing itself on every corner with entertainment provided by PSP's Leong Mun Wai and Workers' Party implosion in the Raeesah Khan case. In comparison, while not someone to rally the masses, Lawrence Wong is offering stability and sanity. And after 2 tumultuous years, perhaps this is what Singapore needs right now. I'm sure the rest of the world approves too.
