Lawrence Wong was speaking during an interview with Bloomberg’s John Micklethwait on 16 August, and was asked when he would officially be stepping up to take over as prime minister from current PM Lee Hsien Loong.
He told Bloomberg that it will be taking place no later than 2025, and that it will either be before or after the next General Elections in 2025.
However, he did add that the plans are not concrete yet.
On taking over from PM Lee, Wong told John that he will either succeed PM Lee and lead the PAP during the elections, or PM Lee will lead the PAP for the last time before handing over to him.
Wong said that for now, he is focusing on settling into his expanded portfolio and organising the 4G team, and that the decision on the actual timing has yet to be made.
Wong also expressed his support for a future Singapore leader who isn’t Chinese, with the government basing their selections on merit.
He said that if someone who is fit to lead is unearthed, he would welcome that person, adding that “we are such a small city, and so we cannot afford to have divisions amongst ourselves.”
Source: Transcript of Lawrence Wong’s interview with Bloomberg via Ministry of Finance.