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| Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong. —THE STRAITS TIMES/VNA Photo |
SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has succeeded Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong as the leader of the People’s Action Party (PAP), completing the ruling party’s leadership transition from 3G, or the third generation, to 4G.
SM Lee will remain on the party’s highest decision-making body as a member.
He had earlier announced that he would step down as secretary-general after 20 years at the helm.
This means PM Wong now holds the party’s reins and will lead it into the next general election, which must be held by November 2025.
In a media release by the PAP announcing its central executive committee’s (CEC) new line-up and appointments on Dec 4, the new CEC expressed its appreciation for SM Lee’s many years of leadership and service to the party and Singapore.
The party also said it has co-opted four additional members into the CEC, bringing the number of members in it to 18.
The four are labour chief Ng Chee Meng, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Foreign Affairs Sim Ann, Tampines GRC MP Desmond Choo and Dr Lam Pin Min.
The CEC appointments followed the November 24 election of the first 12 members of the PAP’s top decision-making body at its biennial PAP Awards and Conference. They were elected by the party’s cadres, who form its inner circle.
In speeches then, PM Wong and SM Lee announced that they would be completing the leadership transition, with SM Lee adding that he intended to propose that the new CEC elect PM Wong as secretary-general at its first meeting.
The next two highest vote-getters are customarily co-opted into the CEC on the same day. This time, they were Chee Hong Tat and Dr Tan See Leng.
The PAP also announced party appointments, separate from its CEC ones, leading with Chan Chun Sing as chairman of its headquarters executive committee, succeeding PM Wong.
This is a promotion for Chan, who was vice-chairman of the headquarters executive committee in the 37th CEC.
The party retained Alex Yam, Desmond Tan and Tan Kiat How as its assistant organising secretaries, and added Ms Low Yen Ling to the post.
Chee, who is new to the CEC, was appointed as chairman of the PAP’s Policy Forum Council. Dr Tan was reappointed as chairman of PAP Seniors Group.
The party also reappointed the same leaders for two new groups it had created in June to better tackle issues that cut across traditional demographic lines. — THE STRAITS TIMES/ANN
Source: Vietnam News/ Vietnam Insider