Singapore's third-ever PM sworn in
Lee Hsien Loong, son of Singapore's independence leader Lee Kuan Yew, took his oath of office yesterday as the city-state's third prime minister.
Lee, 52, was sworn in by Chief Justice Yong Pung How on the front lawn of the Istana presidential palace in a televised ceremony attended by some 1,400 guests.
He replaced Goh Chok Tong, 63, who stepped down after 14 years in power and was appointed senior minister, second in rank only to the prime minister in line with Singapore's tradition of orderly succession and continuity.
The elder Lee, who will turn 81 next month, has been moved from senior minister to an advisory role in the cabinet with the newly-created title minister mentor, but is still ranked third in official protocol.
Lee, 52, had long been groomed to lead Singapore after growing up under the guidance of Lee Kuan Yew, who led the nation to independence in 1965, served as its first prime minister and still remains in the cabinet as a key adviser.
Former prime minister Goh Chok Tong, who took over from the elder Lee in 1990, was named senior minister, making him number two in the new hierarchy.
The younger Lee enjoyed a stellar academic career that included learning fluent Malay as well as Chinese dialects and obtaining a first class honours degree at Cambridge University, where he studied on two government scholarships.
His achievements were even more spectacular in the Singapore Armed Forces, where he quickly rose to the rank of brigadier general before resigning in 1984 at the age of just 32 to enter politics.
Within months he had won a seat in parliament with his father's People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled virtually unchallenged throughout the nation's history and currently holds all but two seats in parliament.
When the elder Lee stood down for Goh, the younger Lee, then 38, was named deputy prime minister, a position he has jointly held for the duration of Goh's 14-year reign.
Lee's father had earlier made him a junior minister of trade and industry and he has since occupied most of the government's top economic posts, including those of central bank chairman for the past six years and finance minister since 2001.
In these roles he has overseen the successful restructuring of Singapore's economy away from low-end manufacturing industries to top-of-the-line sectors such as biomedicine and premium electronic semiconductors.
In the latest reshuffle, Lee kept the finance portfolio, while Goh took over the central bank.
After growing by just 1.1 per cent last year, Singapore's economy is expected to expand by up to 9.0 per cent in 2004, although officials expect this to moderate to 3.0 to 5.0 per cent in 2005.
With his economic credentials secure, another aspect of Lee that will inevitably draw international attention is how much influence his father has had in his rise to the top.
The "political dynasty" charges are fuelled by the fact that Lee's wife, Ho Ching, heads the government's powerful investment arm, Temasek Holdings, which has stakes in most key industries in Singapore.
His younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, is also the chief executive of Singapore Telecommunications, a government-linked body that is Southeast Asia's biggest phone company.
The government insists the elder Lee has had no undue influence in the trio's success, giving as an example the unanimous endorsement by MPs from the People's Action Party in May of Lee Hsien Loong as the new prime minister.
The elder Lee also addressed the issue in his political memoirs, denying allegations that his son's appointment in 1990 as deputy prime minister "smacked of nepotism".
"On the contrary... it would not be good for Singapore or for Loong to have him succeed me," the elder Lee wrote.
Another charge Lee Hsien Loong will be forced to confront is his image as a stern, tough, uncompromising leader, a problem Goh highlighted in a national day address last year.
"I know that some Singaporeans are uncomfortable with Loong's leadership style... Singaporeans would like Loong to be more approachable. They have got used to my gentler style," Goh said.
Despite a flurry of articles by the pro-government media to portray Lee's softer side, he has continued to project a pugnacious image similar to that of his father.
He warned political opponents in January that the government would strive to "demolish" them, while last month he stood up to China in a diplomatic row with the regional giant over his visit to Taiwan.
"If our relations cannot survive this episode, then they must be shallow and brittle," Lee said as Beijing warned of serious bilateral repercussions.