FEBRUARY 17 — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was diagnosed with prostate cancer, shocking the people of Singapore who wished him a successful surgery, while triggering high concern from neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, although the doctor said that he believes Lee will be able to fully recover, the people still naturally focus on the successor issue.

Lee had suffered from malignant lymphoma in 1992 when serving as the Deputy Prime Minister and recovered after receiving chemotherapy. He then became the third Prime Minister of Singapore after Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong in 2004. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer this time and had undergone a robot- assisted keyhole surgery on Monday to remove his cancerous prostate gland. During his medical leave, deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean serves as the acting Prime Minister.

Lee is 63 years old and he had publicly said that he hoped to get the work of baton passing ready by 2020. However, after he was diagnosed with cancer for the second time, the question of who should be his successor has inevitably surfaced and again become the focus of discussion.

In fact, Lee has been actively looking for his successor. Not long ago, he told the media that his successor might have been in the Cabinet. However, he did not rule out the possibility that his successor might also be a fresher from the next general election as he wished to bring in some more lawmakers. He pointed out that in the UK and US, there were national leaders who had no experience in managing the country and thus, “I think that we might also be forced to accept a model like this”. His remarks had sparked various speculations.

According to Singapore media, among the four freshers entering the Cabinet since 2011, Chan Chun Sing, Tan Chuan-Jin and Lawrence Wong are ministers in their 40s and Lee had described the then 49-year-old Heng Swee Keat before the election as “one of the most valuable members”. If Lee plans to retire in 2020, the four ministers are undoubtedly hot candidates for the future Prime Minister of Singapore.

However, if Lee is forced to retire early due to health problems, the two Deputy Ministers, Teoh Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam would be the more promising candidates.

The next general election of Singapore must be held by January 2017 and the ruling People’s Action Party led by Lee has been actively preparing for the battle, while the main opposition Workers’ Party has also started to plan its election strategies. In the previous election held in 2011, although the People’s Action Party still won with an absolute advantage, the majority votes was reduced to 60.14 per cent, the lowest since independence. The election result has forced the Singapore government to introduce a series of “populist” policies.

The campaign strategy of opposition parties in the past was meant to “supervise” the government and not to rule. However, Lee warned recently that if Singaporeans think that the regime will not change even if they vote for the opposition, it is a very “dangerous consideration”.

Nevertheless, the people still believe that the People’s Action Party will win the next general election while the Opposition might further expand its influence in Singapore’s politics. And the people are more concerned about who will be the successor of Lee. — mysinchew.com

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.