SINGAPORE: Singapore's fourth Prime Minister could be among the new faces fielded in the next general election due by early 2012, said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Thursday.
However, he added that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is now having a more difficult time looking for suitable candidates in their 30s.
Mr Goh said Singapore has a unique system of political succession. He said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who stepped down as prime minister in 1990, marked his own contribution to Singapore not by what he has achieved but whether the country can continue to sustain its development.
"If Singapore can, then he (Minister Mentor Lee) will say, 'I've succeeded in building Singapore.' If Singapore falters, 4, 5 years after he is gone, then he would say he's not succeeded in his ambition of building Singapore," said Mr Goh.
"So, in order for that to happen, he started planning for political succession and he did not look to just the political party itself for successors, because not many people wanted to join political parties," he said.
Mr Goh added that Mr Lee also made it very clear that Singapore's leader should be chosen by his peers, so there will be no infighting within the political party.
The senior minister noted that he became prime minister at the age of 49 and Mr Lee Hsien Loong took over at the age of 51 and he is now 58 years old.
Mr Goh noted the next prime minister will have to be in his 30s today. That is because it will take another five to 10 years for the potential candidate to fully understand how to deal with people, policies and international partners.
"It's not an easy task," Mr Goh said. "He's (Mr Lee Hsien Loong is) having a more difficult time now. He's looking for a fourth prime minister."
Mr Goh added that during his time, he could get ministers at the age of 37 or 38. Now, ministers are in their early 40s.
Mr Goh made the comments at the inaugural Asia-Middle East Media Roundtable held in Singapore on Thursday.
Cameras were not allowed to film the closed door dialogue session, which was meant to be an informal exchange of ideas between Mr Goh and the 30 or so journalists from ASEAN, the Middle East, India and China.
The aim of the session was to encourage better engagement between the people of the Middle East and Asia.
In his opening remarks, Mr Goh said the current economic crisis presents a good opportunity for the Middle East and Asia to grow its relationship.
One way is to promote tourism. Mr Goh said: "The West had always been the magnate for relations between Asia and the West and between Middle East and the West.
"All of us were actually looking more to the West for economic relations and of course for political relations, and we tended to look at the Middle East mainly as a source of oil for us.
"But it was the wrong attitude, as I've discovered, because in the Middle East we have plenty of opportunities to do business. There's a very rich culture there which we need to try and understand, and Middle East has become more important in time to come and so would Asia."
Separately, Mr Goh also touched on the situation in Myanmar. He said while pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seen by the West as the solution, she is also "part of the problem" because she believes she is the government.
Mr Goh noted that Ms Suu Kyi's political party needs to seek a fresh mandate in the 2010 general election.
- CNA/ir
However, he added that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is now having a more difficult time looking for suitable candidates in their 30s.
Mr Goh said Singapore has a unique system of political succession. He said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who stepped down as prime minister in 1990, marked his own contribution to Singapore not by what he has achieved but whether the country can continue to sustain its development.
"If Singapore can, then he (Minister Mentor Lee) will say, 'I've succeeded in building Singapore.' If Singapore falters, 4, 5 years after he is gone, then he would say he's not succeeded in his ambition of building Singapore," said Mr Goh.
"So, in order for that to happen, he started planning for political succession and he did not look to just the political party itself for successors, because not many people wanted to join political parties," he said.
Mr Goh added that Mr Lee also made it very clear that Singapore's leader should be chosen by his peers, so there will be no infighting within the political party.
The senior minister noted that he became prime minister at the age of 49 and Mr Lee Hsien Loong took over at the age of 51 and he is now 58 years old.
Mr Goh noted the next prime minister will have to be in his 30s today. That is because it will take another five to 10 years for the potential candidate to fully understand how to deal with people, policies and international partners.
"It's not an easy task," Mr Goh said. "He's (Mr Lee Hsien Loong is) having a more difficult time now. He's looking for a fourth prime minister."
Mr Goh added that during his time, he could get ministers at the age of 37 or 38. Now, ministers are in their early 40s.
Mr Goh made the comments at the inaugural Asia-Middle East Media Roundtable held in Singapore on Thursday.
Cameras were not allowed to film the closed door dialogue session, which was meant to be an informal exchange of ideas between Mr Goh and the 30 or so journalists from ASEAN, the Middle East, India and China.
The aim of the session was to encourage better engagement between the people of the Middle East and Asia.
In his opening remarks, Mr Goh said the current economic crisis presents a good opportunity for the Middle East and Asia to grow its relationship.
One way is to promote tourism. Mr Goh said: "The West had always been the magnate for relations between Asia and the West and between Middle East and the West.
"All of us were actually looking more to the West for economic relations and of course for political relations, and we tended to look at the Middle East mainly as a source of oil for us.
"But it was the wrong attitude, as I've discovered, because in the Middle East we have plenty of opportunities to do business. There's a very rich culture there which we need to try and understand, and Middle East has become more important in time to come and so would Asia."
Separately, Mr Goh also touched on the situation in Myanmar. He said while pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seen by the West as the solution, she is also "part of the problem" because she believes she is the government.
Mr Goh noted that Ms Suu Kyi's political party needs to seek a fresh mandate in the 2010 general election.
- CNA/ir
