Singapore in transition to fourth generation leadership

Abstract

Singapore is widely regarded as a model city-state. On the surface, Singapore’s political system is no different from most western democracies – it has, among other things, the rule of law, a separation of powers between the three organs of state, and a parliamentary democracy. If the British wanted an example of an ex-colony benefiting from colonial rule, they need not look further than Singapore. In fact Singapore is so successful, its per capita income is now higher than that of the United Kingdom. All this was done in one generation, under the country’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. In reality, Lee Kuan Yew shaped the political system to be neither fully democratic nor fully authoritarian. It has been called a soft authoritarian state, an electoral authoritarian state, a nation of consultative authoritarianism, an illiberal regime, a hybrid regime, etc., but what is clear is that the People’s Action Party did manipulate the electoral system to secure an overwhelming dominance in every election in Singapore since independence. Nevertheless, it is also widely accepted that Lee Kuan Yew and his People’s Action Party (PAP) did enjoy genuine support from a majority of Singapore’s polity. There is no dispute that Lee and the PAP did deliver on the economy, making Singapore the only First World country in Southeast Asia with the highest income per-capita. This was done through what most people would call ‘stateled capitalism’. The extensive control over Singapore society by the PAP has allowed the Singaporean government to place a disproportionate emphasis on meritocracy, competence, efficiency and largely anti-labour policies to stop the trade unions from challenging foreign and local capitalists. No real political opposition was allowed to grow to any significant size. The ‘Singapore Model’ places economic growth, political stability and the creation of wealth as its playbook. The commanding heights of the economy were owned and controlled by Government-linked companies (GLC) and Singapore’s sovereign wealth funds. Perhaps the most important element of the Lee Kuan Yew legacy was his succession plans from one generation to the next. It worked remarkably well for the two prime ministers after Lee: Lee Kuan Yew was succeeded by Goh Chok Tong in 1990 as prime minister, while Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest son, took over in 2004. Now we are in the middle of the transition to the fourth generation (4G). The candidate for the prime ministership, Lawrence Wong, has been chosen and is widely expected to take over just before or after the next general election. Elections must be held by the middle of 2025, although under the present system, they can be called earlier.