SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who takes over as the country’s fourth prime minister on May 15, said he will make tough decisions if needed, just as the nation’s founding fathers did.

“I believe when push comes to shove and the time comes to take hard decisions, I would do so, so long as the decision is in the interest of Singapore and Singaporeans.”

He said so in an interview with The Economist, when asked if he sees himself as a strong leader with “that iron in him”.

The phrase was famously uttered by founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who said this quality was essential for anyone who governs Singapore.

Asked further if his answer means that he sees himself in the mould of an abrasive leader who forces people to do what they do not want, DPM Wong replied: “I am who I am.

“I listen carefully to everyone’s views. When I go into a meeting, I do not start off assuming that I know all the answers. I want to get people’s insights, I want to get people’s perspectives, eventually thinking about what makes for the best decisions and outcomes for Singapore.”

While some decisions may not be popular, they stem from a conviction that they are the right ones to take, he said.

DPM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, gave the examples of the recent goods and services tax hike from 7 per cent to 9 per cent, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic when restrictions on social gatherings were in place.

“Singaporeans can be assured that I will be able to take the decisions in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans and explain to them why these difficult decisions are necessary,” he added.

In the interview, DPM Wong was also asked about politics in Singapore, his “much more typical upbringing” and its impact on his popularity with voters, as well as how his decision to retain Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as senior minister in his new Cabinet might prevent the fourth generation of political leaders from “finding its voice”.

“My background is what it is. If it is helpful that it makes it more relatable to Singaporeans, so much the better,” said DPM Wong, who grew up in a Housing Board estate in Marine Parade.

He studied at Tanjong Katong Secondary Technical School as it was near his home and, after that, Victoria Junior College. Later, he studied in the United States on a government scholarship and joined the civil service in 1997.

DPM Wong noted that Singaporeans are “discerning and wise voters”, adding: “I have no doubt that at the end of the day, they will expect me to deliver on the things that they care about – delivering a better life, delivering better standards of living for themselves and their children.”

If he and his team cannot meet these expectations and a better team emerges, Singaporeans will choose accordingly, he said.

DPM Wong added that the opposition presence in Parliament is here to stay, and that he does not assume that the People’s Action Party (PAP) will automatically return to power after the next general election.

“We will have to do our best to engage Singaporeans, we will have to do our best to involve them in decisions that they care deeply about, and in shaping our future, which is why we started doing so in our Forward Singapore exercise, engaging Singaporeans a lot more, not just in hearing them out.”

On PM Lee taking on the role of senior minister in his new Cabinet, DPM Wong said this is a “long-standing Singapore tradition” which has never prevented the new prime minister from setting the tone and making his own decisions.

He does not envision any difficulties on this front, he added.

“Each time we have a leadership transition, we do not just kick out all the older ministers and then have a complete new team come in. We value the more experienced ministers, and we invite them to continue contributing in different ways, in their own ways.”

Similarly, he will take over as secretary-general of the PAP in due course, DPM Wong said. 

He did not give a timeframe for this, although some observers have said that this could take place in November at the ruling party’s biennial conference, when its central executive committee is elected by cadre members.

DPM Wong was also asked about the legacy he would like to leave, assuming that he serves as prime minister for a decade.

Singapore’s transformation over the past 60 years has been nothing short of a miracle, he replied, adding that the country is an improbable nation forged only through the collective will of its people.

“The reality is, we are still a very tiny little island in a vast and dangerous world, which is going to get more dangerous in the coming years,” he said.

“My mission is to keep this miracle going for as long as I can. And to make sure our Little Red Dot shines brightly for as long as possible.”