Singapore bids farewell to the Lee dynasty and tests its place in the world

Singaporethe prosperous city-state of Southeast Asia that acts as a regional financial center and bridge between East and West, says goodbye on Wednesday to the prime minister who has led the island for the past two decades following the now outdated road map drawn up by his father , Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Hsien Loong, firstborn of the baptized “father” of the homeland, leaves office after two decades and after having set the date for his departure last month.

His retirement and the rise to prime minister of his number two, Lawrence Wong, 51, represent a before and after, since it is the first time that this small nation does not have, at least for the moment, a successor of the popular Lee dynasty on stage.

Died in 2015, Lee Kuan Yew He led Singapore from before its independence from Malaysia (1965) until 1990 and is considered the architect of one of the most radical transformations of a place that went from being a fishing island to being one of the countries with the highest GDP in just a few decades. per capita in the world.

“It is time for the handover of power to take place in Singapore. Lee seemed tired in recent years“, he tells EFE Ja-Ian Chonga political analyst at the National University of Singapore.

Regional financial center

While among the priorities of Lee Kuan Yew They were modernizing the economy by attracting foreign companies with low taxes, putting together the public housing model, which houses around 80% of the local population, and forming the Army, his son, now 72 years old, consolidated Singapore’s role as a center regional financial.

The still leader took advantage of the peak stage of globalization to do so, although he had to deal with the global debacle of 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic, which isolated the hyperconnected and dependent island.

The septuagenarian has done so by applying his father’s formula: a combination of economic openness and control of freedoms. Under his government, Singapore has maintained censorship, the siege of activists and a tough crackdown on drugs, whose trafficking is punishable by even the death penalty by hanging.

During his mandate, some social achievements have also been experienced, such as the repeal in 2022 of the law that had criminalized homosexual sex since the British colonial period, although a constitutional amendment was approved in parallel to protect marriage as a heterosexual union.

Although Wong, a member like Lee of the formation that has governed Singapore since its independence, the People’s Action Party (PAP), is expected to adopt a continuity policy with respect to his predecessors, the current situation, both domestic and international, does not play a role. in his favor.

Aging and China-US rivalry

“Wong will face increased friction between China and the United States and a lower overall acceptance of liberalization, which has been Singapore’s formula for success.”Chong states.

The neutrality that until now has favored Singapore, which has Beijing as its largest trading partner and Washington among its main direct investors, as well as a great ally in defense, will be more difficult to maintain, which is compounded by domestic challenges. .

In particular, the increase in the cost of living and inequalities and the aging of the population, since the island has one of the lowest fertility rates on the planet, for the first time below 1 (0.97) in 2023.

Wong must manage these problems while the local population demands better jobs in a country that has relied heavily on immigration (about 1.7 million of the total 5.6 million inhabitants) and boasts of maintaining harmony in a multi-ethnic society: 75% Chinese, 14% Malay and 9% Indian.

While it is not impossible for a third Lee generation to emerge, with an eye on Lee Hsien Loong’s son Li Hongyi, Wong will be the test of whether the country is ready to disassociate itself from the dynasty and still keep the PAP in power. , with the next elections scheduled before November 2025 and the opposition on the rise, in addition to preserving its status on the international stage.

“To grow in a less globalized world, Singapore needs a new project. And Lawrence Wong has not yet explained what it will be like“Chong tells EFE.