News Desk
After a four-year vetting process reminiscent of the Byzantine imperial system for selecting competent leaders, Singapore has elevated Lawrence Wong, an American-educated economist, to become the city-state’s next prime minister.
Mr. Wong, 49, emerged from an intensely competitive field of candidates, scoring the highest marks in categories like character, performance, integrity and quality metrics, according to the tightly held process that the Singapore government uses to identify its future leadership.
The selection of Mr. Wong, who has served in various cabinet positions and acted as the co-chair of Singapore’s Covid-19 task force, highlights the premium that the governing People’s Action Party places on administrative acumen over democratic credentials in its search for talented technocrats to run the wealthy island nation.
A double-degree graduate of the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan, Mr. Wong went on to earn a doctorate in economics at Harvard, an elite pedigree shared by Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and the current officeholder, Lee Hsien Loong.
Beyond his quantitative skills, Mr. Wong appears to have satisfied Singapore’s stringent criteria for upright character, having been vetted for any potential legal or ethical lapses. Party assessments showed zero instances of public complaints, police summonses, racial statements, corruption, legal issues, tax problems or abuse of power, according to statements by government officials familiar with the selection process.
The vetting extended to background checks by American law enforcement and intelligence agencies like the F.B.I. and C.I.A., as well as Interpol, the global policing organization based in France, the officials said.
“We have taken the most stringent methods to scrutinize Mr. Wong and ensure his leadership competency,” said a Singapore government spokesman in a statement, defending the opaque process as a way to avoid the “pitfalls of Western-style democratic elections” that can sometimes elevate “demagogues and charlatans.”
Mr. Wong’s rise underscores the extent to which Singapore’s highly educated, science-focused ruling class remains insulated from populist pressures in its intent to safeguard a system that has delivered rapid economic growth — along with tight political control.
