Singapore’s Lawrence Wong serves as acting PM as Lee Hsien Loong takes a week-long break

The move garnered attention in the city state, with one observer describing it as ‘intelligent leadership’ on Lee’s part

During Lee’s ‘local leave’ from Monday to Sunday, Wong will have a chance to chair his first Cabinet meeting

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Lawrence Wong was promoted earlier in June as the deputy prime minister. File photo: EPA-EFE/MCI

Published: 2:32pm, 13 Jun 2022Updated: 2:37pm, 13 Jun 2022

Singapore’s leader-in-waiting Lawrence Wong will get a taste of the country’s top political job this week as he stands in for the first time for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as he goes on holiday.

Lee on Sunday said he was on “local leave” from Monday until Sunday, giving Wong the opportunity to step in as acting prime minister during this period.

The prime minister’s office confirmed that Wong, who is also finance minister, would be standing in for Lee during this period.

Wong, 49, was last week promoted to deputy prime minister in a widely anticipated cabinet reshuffle that consolidated his position as Lee’s eventual successor, following a ruling party decision on the matter in April.

Wong’s almost immediate trial as acting prime minister garnered some attention among Singaporeans on Monday.

One avid observer of Singapore affairs, Devadas Krishnadas, wrote on LinkedIn that Lee had exercised “intelligent leadership” by giving his heir-apparent the opportunity to function as acting chief from his “very first day as deputy prime minister”.

“It may be for just one week, but during that time, Mr Wong will get the chance to chair his first Cabinet meeting,” he said.

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong. File photo: Bloomberg