Lawrence Wong

Early life and education

Wong was born to a Hainanese family on 18 December 1972, in the eastern part of Singapore. Growing up, Wong and his family lived in a public Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Marine Parade. Wong's father, who was born in Hainan and later moved to Malaya and finally to Singapore, had worked as a sales executive while his mother was a teacher at his primary school. As a child, his father gave him a guitar, and he developed a love for music.

Wong attended Haig Boys' Primary School, Tanjong Katong Technical School (now Tanjong Katong Secondary and Primary Schools), and Victoria Junior College before going to university in the United States. Wong received a Bachelor's of Science with a major in economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1994 and a Master's of Arts in applied economics from the University of Michigan in 1995 under the Public Service Commission scholarship. He also received a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University in 2004.

Civil service career

Wong began his career as an economist working in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) in August 1997. It was the beginning of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and his first assignment involved preparing a report on regional economies and their effects on Singapore. He described the experience by saying "nothing that I learned in school prepared me for such an assignment" and recounted having to learn on the job.

Wong was posted to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in January 2002 and then the Ministry of Health (MOH) in July 2004, where he served as Director of Healthcare Finance until May 2005. Wong served as the principal private secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong between May 2005 and August 2008.

In September 2008, Wong became deputy chief executive officer of the Energy Market Authority, rising to chief executive officer on 1 January 2009. He relinquished the role on 1 April 2011.

Political career

Wong entered politics at the 2011 general election when he contested as part of a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team in West Coast GRC. The PAP team won with 66.66% of the vote against the Reform Party and Wong was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Boon Lay ward of West Coast GRC.

Minister of State

On 21 May 2011, Wong was appointed Minister of State for Defence and Minister of State for Education. He was also appointed to the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore on 10 June 2011. On 1 August 2012, he was promoted to Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts and Senior Minister of State for Education. On 1 November 2012, he was appointed Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information. Wong led a team to bid for the Singapore Botanic Gardens to be recognised as Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wong also spearheaded the free museum entry policy for all Singaporeans and permanent residents, to all national museums and heritage institutions from 18 May 2013. In 2013, Wong also announced the setting up of a new S$100 million National Youth Fund for youth to champion community and social causes.

Minister

On 1 May 2014, Wong was promoted to Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Communications and Information. He was also a co-opted Member of the 32nd, 33rd and 35th CEC before his win in the election into the 36th PAP Central Executive Committee (CEC). Wong was also appointed as the Head of the SG50 Programme Office that coordinates the work of five committees for Singapore's Golden Jubilee Year celebrations. Wong was also the co-chair for the SG50 Culture and Community Committee in August 2013.

As Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Wong was involved in the transformation of the Civic District—the birthplace of modern Singapore which contained many institutions that have witnessed important turning points in Singapore's history. In January 2016, he assumed office as Chairman of the PAP Community Foundation from 2016 until June 2022 where it was handed over to Minister Josephine Teo In August 2016, the National Arts Council attracted criticisms over the high consultation fees paid for a bin centre, as flagged by the Auditor-General's Office. Wong addressed the issue in Parliament, saying that the project was at acceptable cost due to the need for extensive study of the location and technicality involved with the building of the refuse centre in the Civic District. Under his charge, Wong also introduced the S$200 million Cultural Matching Fund, a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for cash donations to arts and heritage charities and Institutions of Public Character in Singapore.

In the 2015 general election, Wong was part of a four-member PAP team contesting in the newly formed Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC. The PAP team won with 68.7% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and Wong was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Limbang ward of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC. Wong was also the Chairman of the Steering Committee for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. Wong had also announced several key initiatives to get more Singaporeans involved in sports. This includes a national movement called ActiveSG, which gives all Singaporeans and permanent residents ActiveSG$100 to sign up for sports programmes, and enter into swimming pools and gyms at the various sports centres islandwide. Wong also chaired the Singapore High Performance Sports Steering Committee, which provides strategic guidance on identifying and nurturing high performing sporting talents. Wong said that the accomplishments of Singapore athletes at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games indicate that Singapore's investment in sports is paying off. On 1 October 2015, Wong became the Minister for National Development. He also chaired the steering committee for the development of Jurong Lake Gardens. On 22 August 2016, Wong was appointed Second Minister for Finance, in addition to being Minister for National Development. On 29 August 2016, he stepped down from the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and was replaced by Ong Ye Kung.

As Minister for National Development, Wong was responsible for reducing the supply of HDB flats from 2017.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, Wong and Gan Kim Yong were appointed co-chairs of a multi-ministerial committee formed by the government in January 2020 to manage the situation. On 26 March 2020, while paying tribute to frontline workers helping in Singapore's fight against COVID-19, Wong turned emotional and teary-eyed while delivering his address in Parliament. He thanked healthcare workers, as well as those working in cleaning, transport and security sectors for providing much-needed services to keep Singapore going during this difficult time. In the 2020 general election, Wong led a four-member PAP team to contest in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC again. The PAP team won with 63.18% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party and Wong retained his seat as the Member of Parliament representing Limbang ward. On 27 July 2020, following a Cabinet reshuffle, Wong succeeded Ong Ye Kung as Minister for Education. On 8 November that year, Wong was elected into the PAP's Central Executive Committee for the first time after rising to prominence for leading the Government's fight against COVID-19.

On 15 May 2021, following another Cabinet reshuffle, Wong relinquished his portfolio as Minister for Education and became Minister for Finance after Heng relinquished his Cabinet portfolio. On 28 May 2021, he was reappointed to the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore as deputy chair, replacing Lim Hng Kiang. In February 2022, Wong announced that the government's postponed plan to increase Singapore's Goods and Services Tax would take place, going from 7% to 9% progressively in 2023 and 2024, with a 1% increase each year. Wong also announced a S$500 million stimulus package due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, and said the government would set aside an additional S$560 million to "help Singaporean citizens deal with the rising cost of living". Later in June 2022, Wong announced another $1.5 billion support package to provide targeted relief for lower-income and vulnerable groups. At Budget 2023, Wong announced that the Assurance Package was enhanced from $6.6 billion, announced in 2022, to $9.6 billion. This was to offset additional GST expenses for the majority of Singaporean households for at least five years. In September 2023, Wong announced an additional $1.1 billion Cost-of-Living (COL) Support Package to provide more relief for Singaporean households, especial lower- to middle-income families.

Deputy Prime Minister

On 14 April 2022, Wong was selected as the leader of the PAP's fourth-generation (4G) team, succeeding Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who had stepped down as 4G leader on 8 April 2021. Prior to his appointment, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delegated former PAP chairman Khaw Boon Wan to initiate a consultation process among the fourth-generation ministers of the Cabinet, aimed at garnering their individual views regarding the selection of a new 4G leader. Lee and Senior Ministers Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Teo Chee Hean abstained from participating in the process.

Wong received an "overwhelming majority" of support in the consultation process, surpassing that of Ong Ye Kung and Chan Chun Sing, his cabinet colleagues and co-contestants in the 4G leadership race. He received 15 out of the 19 votes from the stakeholders polled, and as no candidate is allowed to vote for himself, this meant that only three other individuals did not vote for him as their first choice. His candidature was unanimously endorsed by the Cabinet and subsequently, by the PAP MPs at a party caucus on 14 April. His appointment was announced by Prime Minister Lee in a Facebook post the same day.

On 6 June 2022, a Cabinet reshuffle was announced where Wong was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister, which further cemented his position as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's successor. In addition to becoming Deputy Prime Minister, he was also named "Acting Prime Minister" in Lee's absence. He had also taken over responsibility of the Strategy Group in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) from Heng Swee Keat. On 28 June 2022, Wong launched the "Forward Singapore" movement as part of his vision for a society that "benefits many, not a few". The Forward Singapore report was released on 27 October 2023. Following the resignation of former Senior Minister and current President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Wong was appointed to several positions such as Chair of the GIC Investment Strategies Committee, Chair of the EDB International Advisory Council until his subsequent relinquishment of the Chairmanship to Gan Kim Yong and Deputy Chairman of the GIC. On 5 November 2023, Lee Hsien Loong announced that he handover the premiership to Wong by November 2024, before the next general election, "if all goes well". He eventually succeeded Lee in May 2024.

Prime Minister (2024–present)

Wong subsequently emerged as Lee's apparent successor to the position of prime minister; the latter's initial plan to step down at the age of 70 had been complicated by Heng's withdrawal. On 15 April 2024, the Prime Minister's Office issued a press statement confirming that Lawrence Wong would succeed Lee Hsien Loong as prime minister.

Wong was officially sworn in at 20:00 local time on 15 May at The Istana. He became the country's fourth prime minister, as well as the first to be born after Singapore's independence in 1965.

At his swearing-in ceremony, during his first speech as Prime Minister, Wong stated "This is my promise to all Singaporeans: I will serve you with all my heart. I will never settle for the status quo. I will always seek better ways to make tomorrow better than today." He also stated that his mission as Prime Minister was "to continue defying the odds and to sustain this miracle called Singapore." On 12 June 2024, it was announced that Gan Kim Yong had taken over as Chairman of the Economic Development Board's International Advisory Council since 1 June from Wong, who previously took over from Tharman in July 2023. On 4 December 2024, he was elected as the Secretary-General of People's Action Party.

Foreign policy

Wong made his first overseas visits as Prime Minister from 11 to 12 June 2024 where he made his introductory visits to Brunei and Malaysia as Prime Minister. Wong attended his first ASEAN Meeting as Prime Minister from 9 to 12 October and first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from 23 to 26 October. Wong attended his first APEC and G20 Meetings as Prime Minister from 14 to 16 in Peru and 17 to 20 November in Brazil.

2025 general election

Wong led the PAP in the 2025 general election in May, contesting in Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). This was his first general election as prime minister, and was described as his "first electoral test as leader". The PAP would subsequently retain its supermajority of 65.57% of the vote, consisting of 87 of the 97 seats in parliament. In Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC, Wong and his team were elected with 73.46% of the vote, as compared to the SDP's 26.54%. He unveiled his second cabinet on 21 May 2025.

Personal life

Wong previously married at the age of 28, but divorced his first wife after three years because of "incompatibility". His second wife is Loo Tze Lui, a former banker currently working in wealth management and who served on the board of directors of YMCA Singapore. He has no children and is a Methodist. His elder brother is an aerospace engineer at DSO National Laboratories. His hobbies include playing the guitar and riding motorcycles.

Notes

References

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