Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the latter’s ceremonial reception, at Parliament House, in Singapore.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (September 5, 2024) held a productive meeting with his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong during which they elevated the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Mr. Modi is in Singapore on a two-day visit at the invitation of Mr. Wong.

Ahead of the talks with Mr. Wong, Mr. Modi received a red carpet-welcome at the Singapore Parliament House. He also signed the visitor’s book there.

“A new chapter in – ties: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established. PM @narendramodi and PM @LawrenceWongST held a productive meeting in Singapore today,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X after the meeting.

“The leaders agreed to elevate the – ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They extensively reviewed various facets of the bilateral relationship covering areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Connectivity, Digitalisation, Healthcare & Medicine, Skills Development and Sustainability,” he said.

The meeting between the two leaders comes days after Mr. Wong took over and Mr. Modi began his third term as prime minister.

The two leaders also oversaw the exchange of four MoUs after the talks.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will also call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

He would call on Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Mr. Lee will host a lunch for Mr. Modi.

Mr. Modi will also meet with Singaporean business leaders and interact with those in the country’s semiconductor ecosystem.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Wong will also visit a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

Mr. Modi flew to Singapore on Wednesday after wrapping his visit to Brunei, the first bilateral visit there by an Indian prime minister.

He was accorded a warm welcome by the Indian community on his arrival.

Singapore’s new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong vowed to make “tomorrow better than today” as he took his oath of office Wednesday in a carefully planned political succession designed to ensure stability in the Asian financial hub.

A U.S.-trained economist, Mr. Wong, 51, succeeds Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who stepped down after two decades. He is the city-state’s fourth leader and the first born after Singapore’s independence in 1965.

Mr. Lee’s departure marked the end of a family dynasty led by his father Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first leader, who built the colonial trading outpost into one of the world’s richest nations during 31 years in office.

Mr. Wong paid tribute to his predecessors for dedication to the nation, saying “we stand on the shoulders of giants.” But he said his leadership style will differ as he navigates Singapore through a more troubled world.

“This is a passing of the baton not just between leadership teams but also across generations,” Mr. Wong said. “We will lead in our own way. We will continue to think boldly and think far.”

The transition has been meticulously crafted by the People’s Action Party, one of the world’s longest-serving political parties and known for its clean and effective governance. It is not expected to change the dynamics in the tiny nation of some 6 million people.

Mr. Wong, a civil servant turned politician, came to prominence while coordinating Singapore’s successful fight against COVID-19. But he wasn’t the first choice for the top job.

Heng Swee Keat, a former central bank chief and education minister, was the anointed successor but he withdrew his nomination in 2021. Mr. Wong was then picked by the People’s Action Party in 2022 to fill the vacuum and quickly promoted to deputy prime minister.

Mr. Wong warned that Singapore must brace for a “messier, riskier and more violent world” by staying united and blazing new trails. As global powers fight to shape a new world order, he said protectionism and rampant nationalism will deepen.

Amid China-U.S. rivalry, he said Singapore — which has stayed neutral — would continue to engage both nations.

Mr. Wong has retained the Cabinet and held onto his finance portfolio as he prepares for his first big test in general elections. Those are due by 2025. Before taking office, he promoted Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong as one of two deputy premiers. The other deputy is Mr. Heng.

Mr. Lee stayed on as a senior minister, a path taken by all former premiers.

While victory in the election is assured, Mr. Wong must clinch a stronger wing after the PAP suffered a setback in 2020 polls over voters’ rising discontent with the government.

Singapore under Mr. Lee’s rule flourished into one of the world’s wealthiest nations, but it also became one of the most expensive cities to live in. The PAP has also been criticized for tight government control and a government-knows-best stance, media censorship and the use of oppressive laws against dissidents.

Issues like widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding caused by immigration and restrictions on free speech are often used as fodder by the opposition and have loosened the PAP’s grip on power.

“One-party dominance in Singapore is weakening but the challenge for the PAP leadership is to slow down the process,” said Eugene Tan, a law professor at Singapore Management University.

Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia political expert, said Lee “will be remembered for steering Singapore quietly and successfully through turbulent waters from the 2008-2009 financial crisis and COVID-19. He helped to build resilience in Singapore. … (But) Singapore has become a more complex society, with more open demands, making the task of governing (for Wong) more challenging.”

Mr. Wong was born seven years after Singapore separated from Malaysia and gained independence. His father was a migrant from China and his mother was a teacher. Unlike many senior PAP leaders, he didn’t have a privileged background. Observers have said this could help him relate better with the common citizen.

Mr. Wong earned a scholarship to study in the U.S., later obtaining a masters’ degree in economics from the University of Michigan and another masters’ degree in public administration from Harvard University. He spent years in public service including as a principal private secretary to Mr. Lee before entering politics in 2011. He has handled the defense, education, communications, culture, community and youth portfolios.

Like Mr. Lee, Mr. Wong is active on social media. Married with no children, he doesn’t reveal much about his private life but has offered glimpses into his interests in music and dogs, and he is a fan of tennis star Roger Federer. He often posts videos of himself playing guitar.

Mr. Wong has launched a Forward Singapore plan to let Singaporeans have a say in how to develop a more balanced, vibrant and inclusive agenda for the next generation.

“This is my promise to all Singaporeans. I will serve you with all my heart. I will never settle for the status quo. I will always seek better ways to make tomorrow better than today,” Wong said.

Law professor Tan said Mr. Wong’s immediate priorities will be to address issues including the rising cost of living, housing affordability and job security. “Bread-and-butter issues remain vital even for a prosperous country, partly because of Singapore’s innate vulnerabilities,” he said.

Singapore:

Singapore swore in Lawrence Wong as the city-state’s new prime minister in a ceremony broadcast live on television on Wednesday after Lee Hsien Loong stepped down following two decades in office.

Wong, formerly deputy prime minister, was inaugurated at the Istana government office shortly after 8 pm local time (1200 GMT), to become the second person outside the Lee family to lead the affluent nation.

“I… do solemnly swear that I will at all times faithfully discharge my duties as prime minister according to law, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. So help me God,” the 51-year-old said.

Members of Wong’s cabinet were also sworn in, including his predecessor Lee, 72, who was appointed to the advisory role of senior minister.

The US-educated economist is widely seen as a social media-savvy stalwart who effectively handled the Covid-19 crisis when he oversaw the government’s pandemic taskforce.

“He brings a style of leadership that’s more attuned to a different generation,” said Mustafa Izzuddin, a political analyst with the Solaris Strategies Singapore consultancy.

“The core principle of what Singapore is about will remain because it is a system that has worked for many years. But I think his style may be slightly different because he comes from a different generation.”

Wong, who will remain as finance minister, was chosen as Lee’s heir-apparent in 2022 from a new generation of lawmakers from the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled uninterrupted since Singapore’s independence in 1965.

Stern patriarch

Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong’s father, was Singapore’s first prime minister when it became a sovereign nation after a brief, unsuccessful union with Malaysia.

The stern patriarch, who once said he preferred to be feared than loved, oversaw the transformation of Singapore from a sleepy British colonial outpost to a financial hub in a little more than 30 years.

The elder Lee handed power in 1990 to his deputy, former shipping executive Goh Chok Tong, who was initially considered a “seat-warmer” for the patriarch’s son.

Goh, however, stayed on for 14 years before Lee Hsien Loong took over in 2004.

Wong, the fourth prime minister in Singapore’s history, must lead the PAP to the next general elections, which are not due until November 2025 but could be called as early as this year.

“We’re looking at a time when the ruling party’s stranglehold on politics appears to be weaker than it has ever been before,” said political analyst Eugene Tan.

“We’re talking about a more competitive political landscape, we’re talking about Singaporeans who feel that it might be good for Singapore to have a strong opposition,” said Tan, associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University.

The opposition had its strongest performance since independence in the previous election in 2020 but hardly made a dent in parliament, with 83 out of the 93 seats won by the PAP.

The PAP’s squeaky clean image was stained recently by scandals that saw two lawmakers resign and a minister charged with graft.

The Workers’ Party, Singapore’s main opposition party, has also suffered from scandals, with two members resigning and its leader charged for giving false testimony before a parliamentary committee.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)