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Plans for leadership change derailed in Singapore as designated future prime minister steps aside
Chinese social media set abuzz as Singapore PM-designate steps aside, upending leadership transition
- Heng Swee Keat’s health and age came under scrutiny, with one analyst praising the outgoing deputy PM’s ‘overriding consideration’ for the city state’s well-being
- On Weibo and WeChat, the consensus seems to be that China-Singapore ties will not be affected no matter who succeeds current PM Lee Hsien Loong
“We need a leader who will not only rebuild Singapore post-Covid-19, but also lead the next phase of our nation-building effort,” Heng said, adding that he stood ready to support whomever the ruling People’s Action Party chose as the next leader.
Some typical responses included “this type of unpredictability is unheard of in Singapore”, and “everything on the island is carefully planned, right down to the last tree and shrub it plants. This is unbelievable.”
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Long Xingchun, president of the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs – a Sichuan-based think tank – described Heng’s withdrawal as “a very responsible decision” given his age and recent medical history, a point social media users also raised.
In 2016, Heng collapsed from a stroke during a cabinet meeting but resumed his duties three months later – less than a month after being discharged from hospital.
Fan Lei, deputy director at Shandong Youth University of Political Science’s Institute for International Studies and a Singapore specialist, said the health risks associated with former stroke patients should not be taken lightly given the high workload associated with being the city state’s leader. However, Heng – who has fully recovered from the stroke – said he was stepping down because he had “too short a runway”, considering he would likely be in his mid-60s by the time he took over as prime minister.
Noting that Singapore’s prime ministers usually governed for more than a decade to ensure policy continuity, Fan said the “short runway” that Heng spoke about in his letter was a real concern.
“By offering to resign, Heng has clearly shown that his overriding consideration was Singapore’s well-being. His disinclination for officialdom and power is praiseworthy and admirable,” Fan said.
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The 4G ministers had named Heng as their leader several years ago, and he was subsequently elevated to the position of deputy prime minister in May 2019.
A few Chinese social media users asked if the S$370 million (US$276 million) in wage support Singapore erroneously paid out last year had anything to do with Heng’s departure, after the government used the wrong dates to calculate the levy waivers and rebate payments that 5,400 companies should get.
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Long, who is also a former senior visiting fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam Institute School of International Studies, added that the country is governed by elites and has a pool of leadership talent.
“In addition to Heng, there are many outstanding talents. Singapore can definitely launch an excellent successor team and [find] a new prime minister,” he said, adding that the leadership transition blip is unlikely to affect Sino-Singapore ties, which he described as “extremely mature”.
Singapore’s government and its leaders – as well as various sectors of society – have close ties and exchanges with China, Long said, adding that both sides understood each other very well. “Changes in individual leaders will not affect the overall situation of Singapore-China relations,” he said.
Fan said that whoever succeeded Lee as prime minister would continue the island’s friendly and cooperative relationship with China, noting that Chan, the trade and industry minister, “has a unique advantage” in continuing bilateral relations thanks to his role in the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative.
The project, which is aimed at strengthening links between western China and Southeast Asia, was launched in 2015 and has focused on financial services, aviation, transport and logistics, and information and communications technology.
“If China-US relations worsen, Singapore will be placed in a more difficult situation and will face greater challenges in undertaking a balanced diplomacy,” Fan said.
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Weng Desheng, a news commentator and close observer of Singapore politics, noted that Heng had a long history of public service, having served in the Singapore Police Force and as principal private secretary to founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew when the latter was a senior minister.
“Heng understands Lee’s political philosophy and thoughts, and this may have contributed to his selection as [Lee Hsien Loong’s] successor,” Weng said. “There is an old [Chinese] saying about it being hard to find a general. This is the reality faced by Singapore’s fourth-generation leadership.”