Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong to hand over charge to DPM Lawrence Wong on May 15; urges “full support” for “4G team”

One month from now, Singapore will see the tip of an period and the start of a brand new one, as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has set the date of May 15 to hand over charge of the nation’s highest workplace to his successor, present Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

The outgoing premier urged all Singaporeans to give their “full help” to “Lawrence and the 4G crew”. The time period “4G crew” refers to the newest era of nationwide management in Singapore — Lee was the third prime minister of the island nation, and Wong would be the fourth, therefore “4G”.

In a submit on the social community X on April 15 afternoon, PM Lee introduced: “I’ll relinquish my position as PM on 15 May 2024 & @LawrenceWongST will probably be sworn in as the subsequent PM on the identical day. I ask all Singaporeans to give Lawrence & his crew your full help, & work with them to create a brighter future for Singapore. – LHL http://go.gov.sg/handover-date.”

The submit directed X customers to the official Singapore Prime Minister’s Office web site, which confirmed: “Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will relinquish his workplace on 15 May 2024.

“He will formally advise the President to appoint Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Mr Lawrence Wong to succeed him. DPM Wong has the unanimous help of the PAP (People’s Action Party) MPs.

“The new Prime Minister will probably be sworn in at 8.00 pm on 15 May 2024 on the Istana.”

DPM Wong, who may be very energetic on social media, put out an Instagram submit following the announcement on X by PM Lee. In this submit, DPM Wong wrote: “I’m honoured to be requested to undertake this new accountability because the Prime Minister of Singapore.

“I settle for this accountability with humility and a deep sense of obligation. I pledge to provide you with my all on this enterprise.

“Together, we will construct a future that shines brightly for all Singaporeans.”

The transition had been anticipated, as PM Lee had made the deliberate succession of DPM Wong public in November 2023. However, setting a particular date for it now allows Singapore and the worldwide group to put together the subsequent section of multilateral and bilateral relations.

PM Lee had visited India in the course of the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023. Two months later, he introduced the succession of DPM Wong.

Lee wrote on Facebook this afternoon: “For any nation, a management transition is a big second. Lawrence and the 4G crew have labored arduous to achieve the folks’s belief, notably in the course of the pandemic. Through the Forward Singapore train, they’ve labored with many Singaporeans to refresh our social compact and develop the nationwide agenda for a brand new era.”

He added: “The 4G crew [is] dedicated to retaining Singapore working effectively and shifting forward. These will at all times be prime priorities for the federal government. I ask all Singaporeans to give Lawrence and his crew your full help, and work with them to create a brighter future for Singapore. – LHL”

Lee Hsien Loong, son of recent Singapore’s founder Lee Kuan Yew, has been the prime minister of Singapore and head of the People’s Action Party since August 2004. He had deferred stepping down from the highest place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.