4th Feb 2008
SINGAPORE, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said there are leaders in the present Cabinet who can take over from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong if needed, but Singapore must continue its search for the fourth generation of leaders, local media reported Monday.
The former prime minister also said that having a fourth generation of political leadership in place is worrying, because the predictability of leaders to come is an important asset Singapore must give investors.
Goh said these to local reporters at the end of his working visit to Dubai, United Arab Emirates from Feb. 1 to 3, according to local television Channel NewsAsia.
"The age gap between them and Lee Hsien Loong is 3 to 4 years and hopefully, we would want Lee Hsien Loong to carry on for quite some time, till aged 65 or so, which means the present leader who could take over from him would be aged 60 to 62. If necessary, he can do it for a few years," said Goh.
He added, "We are still looking for somebody in their 30s and hopefully by the next election, we should be able to field a couple, who can become core members of the new team."
Before PM Lee took over leadership of Singapore in 2004 from Goh, investors were already sizing him up, Channel News Asia quoted Goh as saying.
The same happened to Goh when he was serving as deputy prime minister in Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew's cabinet.
That's because investors want to know if the future leader would be someone who safeguards investments and whether there is consistency in policy making, said the report
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/04/content_7569477.htm
The former prime minister also said that having a fourth generation of political leadership in place is worrying, because the predictability of leaders to come is an important asset Singapore must give investors.
Goh said these to local reporters at the end of his working visit to Dubai, United Arab Emirates from Feb. 1 to 3, according to local television Channel NewsAsia.
"The age gap between them and Lee Hsien Loong is 3 to 4 years and hopefully, we would want Lee Hsien Loong to carry on for quite some time, till aged 65 or so, which means the present leader who could take over from him would be aged 60 to 62. If necessary, he can do it for a few years," said Goh.
He added, "We are still looking for somebody in their 30s and hopefully by the next election, we should be able to field a couple, who can become core members of the new team."
Before PM Lee took over leadership of Singapore in 2004 from Goh, investors were already sizing him up, Channel News Asia quoted Goh as saying.
The same happened to Goh when he was serving as deputy prime minister in Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew's cabinet.
That's because investors want to know if the future leader would be someone who safeguards investments and whether there is consistency in policy making, said the report
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/04/content_7569477.htm
