Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who just got his new cabinet sworn in on Friday night, is all set to navigate through this crazy world order that he calls turbulent and uncertain. He’s promising a more consultative style of governance as he takes on this challenge. Addressing a bunch of fancy guests at the Istana lawn, Wong mentioned that Singaporeans wanted a government that’s strong and stable, but they also wanted to keep some opposition MPs in their constituencies. Not really sure why this matters, but hey, that’s democracy for you.
Wong seems pretty stoked about the results of the May 3 election, calling it a “clear mandate” for his People’s Action Party (PAP). Apparently, they got a “strengthened majority” this time around. Wong believes that this is what Singaporeans wanted in these uncertain times – they wanted leaders they could trust, a government they could rely on, and a clear path forward for the country’s development. This should give Singapore a leg up when it comes to foreign policy, or at least that’s what Wong thinks. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like he’s trying to sound really confident about the whole thing.
As for his new cabinet line-up, Wong made some key changes. Former education minister Chan Chun Sing is now in charge of defense, and there are two new faces in the mix – former senior civil servant Jeffrey Siow and ex-chief of army David Neo. They’re taking on the roles of acting ministers for transport and culture, respectively. Not really sure why these changes were made, but I guess Wong knows what he’s doing. Overall, it seems like Singapore is gearing up for some interesting times ahead with Wong at the helm.
So, let’s see how this all plays out.
