Choosing 4G leader may take a little bit longer, says PM Lee

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong giving his speech at the Asean-India Commemorative Summit 2018, held at the Taj Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi, India. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID

The upcoming Cabinet reshuffle will provide scant clues on who the next prime minister will be, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong saying yesterday that no new deputy prime minister will be appointed.

He added that it is likely to take "a little bit longer" than the timeframe of six to nine months that Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong had suggested for the fourth generation ministers to choose their leader.

"They need a bit of time for Singaporeans to get a feel of them," he told the Singapore media in New Delhi at the end of his visits to Sri Lanka and India.

"Get a feel of them - not just be known as public figures, but to be responsible for significant policies and taking significant policies through, carrying them, justifying them, defending them, adapting them, making them work, and showing that they deserve to lead."

Mr Lee also said the leaders of Asean and India have expressed their intention to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade pact by this year.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 27, 2018, with the headline Choosing 4G leader may take a little bit longer, says PM Lee. Subscribe