Beyond economic longevity, there have also been questions about the country’s leadership succession. Lee has been prime minister since 2004 and has said he intends to step down after the next general election, which must be held by January 2021.
Lee, the eldest son of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, has said publicly that it is up to his cabinet of young ministers to decide who should lead them going forward.
“They have to establish themselves among themselves, they have to work out their relationships and assess one another. Publicly, they have to gain the confidence of the public and show the public what they are able to do, and in time, they will have to come to a consensus as to who should be leading the team into the next stage, beyond me,” said the 65-year-old leader.
“Who’s to emerge? Well, time will tell. It cannot be a very long time, because the clock ticks and waits for no man.”
Here’s the full transcript of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s interview with CNBC.
