Singapore minister says prepared to become next PM
SINGAPORE: One of the contenders to be Singapore’s next leader yesterday said he had an obligation to be ready to take on the job.
In rare comments about succession by a public official, cabinet member Chan Chun Sing said whoever took over was unlikely to drastically change the government’s policy direction.
“All of us have to be prepared to do the job when called upon,” Chan, a former army chief, told journalists at a Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore briefing, when asked if he would like the job of prime minister.
“In Singapore, leadership is a responsibility to be borne, not a position to be sought.”
Chan, 47, who holds the title of minister in the prime minister’s office, is one of a handful of men mentioned as potential successors to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who has said he is ready to step down in a couple of years.
Singapore news media have cited Chan as one of a number of contenders to succeed Lee.
Lee, who is the eldest son of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, has said the new leader is probably already in the cabinet, but a clear choice has yet to emerge.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, also mentioned as a potential successor, has repeatedly said he does not want the job.
The Singapore media and political analysts say Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung are also in contention. — Reuters