Lee Hsien Loong
Thirteen more years
For reason of age, present cabinet ministers won’t make the grade;
the next PM could be a a party outsider who knows nothing about
politics or statecraft. By Seah Chiang Nee, littlespeck.com
Apr 4, 2008
In most democracies, a Prime Minister who tells his party
colleagues that they can rule themselves out as contenders to
succeed him would have a political rebellion on his hands.
Evidently not in Singapore, where leadership succession is
centrally planned, possibly decided by a handful of people.
This mass exclusion is what has just happened in Singapore, when
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 56, made the following points:
-
- He will remain as Prime Minister until 2021 when he will be 69
years old.
- He will urgently “look and groom” contenders, including a
successor. Because of the long gestation period, the next Prime
Minister must currently be in his 30s or early 40s.
- This virtually rule out the entire batch of current ministers by
reason of age, if nothing else. Unless, Mr. Lee added, he is “run
over by a bus” in which case one of them will take over.
I do not know who had the bigger shock when first given the
information – the general public or People’s Action Party cabinet
ministers who had aspirations for the top post?
The first question I have is: Why was such a big national issue not
made in a policy statement to the nation or delivered in
Parliament? Instead, it was made in an interview with two
newspapers.
In fact, why was such a topic, which affects every Singaporean and
his children, not discussed in Parliament first?
There have been no comments from any senior leader. Every one who
is in it knows the game.
There had been PAP conflicts in the past but always confined within
four walls with the losers quietly leaving. After the Barisan
Sosialis (Socialist Front) breakaway, there had been no open
intra-party confrontation.
This explains a large part the PAP’s longevity.
There will be unlikely be any immediately impact in the cabinet to
Mr. Lee’s bombshell possibly at most one or two ministers resigning
“for personal reasons” over a decent period of time.
It is unrealistic to expect many people to walk away from two or
three million dollars a year.
Why the move?
The answer: The Charisma of Power!
To be effective, a political leader in Asia has to be seen as being
able to exercise control over his subordinates.
For nearly four years – especially during the past year or so - Mr.
Lee, who once suffered and was cured of cancer, has publicly been a
rather quiet Prime Minister.
It contrasted sharply with his much more assertive, high profile
father, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who at 84 is 28 years older,
and seen as overshadowing the Prime Minister.
Lee Senior still makes the important speeches and trots all over
the world to carry out state matters.
Recently, there had been periods when the Prime Minister had not
attended a big function or delivered a major speech (the last was
when he announced hosting the 2010 Youth Olympics).
This had led to frequent questions in the Internet whether he was
ill and receiving treatment or if he was contemplating quitting in
the next five-10 years.
The first order of the day is then: To make it clear that he will
be around for a long time and himself “find and groom” contenders
from whom a Prime Minister will be chosen.
In other words, he still retains the charisma of power.
The Prime Minister had to impress on his people – and his party
subordinates - that he wields this power and ready to use it.
His father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, is advancing in years. No one can
foretell if very one in the party hierarchy will stay united behind
him once the Minister Mentor is no longer around.
PM Lee had to consolidate his power by putting in people of his own
choice into the cabinet, so a future without Lee Kuan Yew will be
less vulnerable.
The recent cabinet reshuffle – with more changes to come – was seen
as part of the process.
For the moment, the objective has been achieved.
As long as Mr. Lee Kuan Yew continues to exert such powerful
influence over the country, the party remains under his
control.
if he thinks he wants to remain as pm until 2021, then i'll
like to remind him:
man proposes, god disposes.
i think those 2 newspapers must be local otherwise he will be
bombarded by the journalists!
