Who exactly is Lawrence Wong? A schoolmate, grad school friend, colleague, political opponent, and subordinate help give us a sense of the man. Their stories depict his progress from “neighbourhood” school to ministerial office.
Listen to Episode 1 of “The Neighbourhood Boy” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in again next Friday for Episode 2.
00:00 - Introduction
“I, Lawrence Wong, having been appointed to the office of prime minister, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Republic of Singapore and that I will preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the Republic of Singapore, so help me God.”
In May 2024, then 51-year old Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai of the ruling People’s Action Party became Singapore’s fourth prime minister. The political elite assembled at the Istana, the majestic palace built by the British in 1869, for his swearing-in ceremony. Wong stood alongside the president and the chief justice, all dressed in similar dark suits. His lush hair was swept back neatly, and thin grey spectacles perched on top of his nose as he held his right hand up while his left clasped a bible.
World leaders called to congratulate Wong. The mainstream media cheered the handover and produced a short documentary on his life. The Economist newspaper published an exclusive interview with him. Singapore is an improbable nation, he told them, still a small island in a vast and dangerous world, which is only going to get more dangerous.
This undercurrent of anxiety is not new. For over 60 years, we Singaporeans have only known one government. And in that time, only four prime ministers; all men, all Chinese, all with the same message: we’re small, we’re vulnerable, it’s a dangerous world and the People’s Action Party, or PAP, is going to keep you safe. There’s no doubt that the PAP has delivered growth and stability, albeit with iron-fisted rule. But, is it going to be business as usual under Wong?
We’re going to find out. You’re listening to “The Neighbourhood Boy”, a podcast about Singapore’s fourth prime minister. Over four episodes, we’ll be exploring Wong’s roots, his ascent and his possible future. Today we’ll find out what Lawrence “the person” is like, from people who know him. This is Episode 1: “Ah boy to man”.
Just a month before Wong was sworn in, we witnessed an extraordinary protest against Israel’s war on Gaza in the most unexpected of places: within Gardens by the Bay, our monumental greenhouse containing flora from around the world. There, in the middle of the day, three young Singaporeans unfurled a banner: “End SG-Israel Arms Trade”. The raw, imperfect, handmade banner flew on a sky bridge amongst carefully manicured flowers—its contrast both disturbing and powerful. Our tourist temple, the viral TikTok backdrop, Avatar’s Pandora on Earth and now, a site of protest. Our supergrove trees are now futuristic in more ways than one.
Over the past few years, it’s become clear that ordinary Singaporeans want more of a say in life. Public housing. Welfare. Race relations. The environment. And yes, Israel and Palestine. What worked for Singapore in the 1960s to 1990s is increasingly found wanting.
Veteran journalist Bertha Henson wrote on Facebook, “Sometimes, I think Singapore is like a kettle of boiling water, pent up and looking for ways to let steam escape. As a society, we have always been simmering. A small country. Crowded. So many cultures, religions, and races. But our boiling point seems to have lowered over the years.”
Wong is prime minister of a Singapore that's very different from when he started his civil service career in 1997.
A year later, I was born. My name is Jean Hew. I joined Jom fresh out of university and after three years as its head of research, I left to teach yoga and now I’m working in corporate investigative research. I’ve been developing this podcast for the past three years; reading, writing, talking about Wong. I visited the neighbourhood he grew up in, the primary school he attended, I spoke to his friends, his colleagues, his supporters, and his doubters. I basically have a parasocial relationship with Wong, which is something I never thought I’d say. But I want to be clear: I don’t have posters of him in my room. And I definitely don’t read Lawrence Wong fanfiction. In this series, I’ll be sharing with you what I’ve learnt. About Lawrence the man, and Lawrence the politician.
I’m also fascinated by how Wong’s story parallels the Singapore story. What’s changed in the three decades since he joined the public service? And what’s stayed the same? I’m curious about what lies ahead for Singapore and for me. What kind of life opportunities will I have? What kind of life can I build here in Singapore, my home?
Our future, as ever, will depend on the PAP. And on Wong. He’s been called a “team player”. A “dark horse”. A “puppet”. A “persistent doer”. And a “relatable political leader”. But who is Lawrence Wong, the person leading Singapore at this juncture. And what can we expect of him and his party?
05:43 - Lawrence’s “neighbourhood” school days
This is Marine Parade, the neighbourhood where Lawrence Wong grew up.
In the 1960s, about a decade before he was born, it slowly emerged from the sea. Marine Parade was the first housing estate to be built on reclaimed land, as part of the larger East Coast project. At the time, Lee Kuan Yew’s government was trying to raise living standards so public housing, healthcare and sanitation were priorities. There was expectation in the air. The Marine Parade Wong grew up in didn’t have an MRT station. But buses wound through its streets, connecting schools, HDB flats, wet markets, and the iconic Katong Swimming Complex.
Like many of us, Wong attended schools close to home. He went to Haig Boys Primary School, where his mother was a teacher. And after that, he attended Tanjong Katong Technical School, more commonly known as “TK Tech”.
I grew up in Bukit Batok and went to schools in the West, so the East isn’t too familiar to me. One weekend, I went down to present day TK Tech for a little “recon”, you know, just to kaypo a bit and get a feel of the school Wong attended in his teens. TK Tech has since dropped the “tech” from its name so it’s now known as “Tanjong Katong Secondary School”. Its gates were wide open, so I walked in. Canteen, basketball court, courtyard, motivational quotes painted on the walls…the school felt like any other Singaporean school. Not shabby, not fancy. I was hoping to magically bump into one of Wong’s teachers who might give me an amazing quote for this podcast but, fat chance. Instead, a staff member spotted me and gave me a stern warning to leave the premises immediately. Fair enough.
I never actually got a chance to meet any of Wong’s teachers but I did meet Michael, who attended TK Tech at the same time as Wong. Over beers at Hougang Mall, he told me what it was like to be 14 at TK Tech in 1988.
Michael: “So at TK Tech, we are good at nothing. Basketball, we suck. Volleyball, we suck. Wah lao, I tell you, I did volleyball and I did NCC. So NCC, before I arrived, I heard that they were solid, but after that, also they suck.”
Michael tells me the school was old and run-down at the time.
“So like for example, we have technical workshops as our classrooms. So my sec one, sec two classroom was inside a workshop. Yeah, I hate it, and we all hate it because the workshop is [made of] wood. So you actually have this big, long wooden table, and you just have stools. Stools ah, not even chair stools, because it's much higher. So you have stools and you conduct class over the workshop lor. During moist, rainy days, all our uniforms will be stained by the wooden top.”
TK Tech is a so-called “neighbourhood school”. It’s a term used to describe government schools typically located in housing estates. They’re perceived as less prestigious than quote-unquote “elite” schools, which tend to have a long, pre-independence history, rich alumni, and fancy names like “Raffles”...I went to one of these “elite” schools. Growing up, adults would tell me that I “made it”. They said it was a chop on my forehead that I was different. Better. But these “elite schools” were far from perfect. The pressures we faced were overwhelming at times. I’m not trying to portray myself as a victim. But one thing’s clear: for Singaporeans, the distinction between an “elite” and a "neighbourhood" school was real. And still is. Every prime minister and most ministers went to elite schools. Until Wong.
For Wong, attending TK Tech was a “very natural choice”. He told The Economist, “My background is what it is. If it’s helpful in making it more relatable to Singaporeans, so much the better.” But this neighbourhood boy from a neighbourhood school narrative isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
Michael: “No, it was not a neighbourhood school. TK Tech was not a neighbourhood school. Now it's a neighbourhood school. But when Lawrence Wong was there…to be honest, he will tell you that TK Tech was not. It was definitely a top 20 school during his time…it was never a neighbourhood school.”
Err, should we rename this podcast, then? Well, maybe it’s just our regular reassessing of circumstance, and social status, which Singaporeans delight in. One thing’s for sure though, good ol’ Lawrence was a guai kia through and through.
Michael: “No they don’t tuck out their shirts. In those day, they actually fold out their sleeps. I never saw him at our smoking corner…he definitely the goody type. ”
Michael and his friends rolled up the sleeves of their school uniforms to show off their black undershirts, they frequented the nearby Roxy Square for trendy haircuts and paid one dollar to use the computer for an hour, but it seems Wong just studiously attended his triple science classes. When I asked Michael if he and his friends were surprised when goody two shoes Lawrence entered politics, they said no. That is, until he became Deputy Prime Minister. Michael: “I think what ignited me was when he became DPM, then we were like, woiiiii, hahaha.”
Here, I’ll take a moment to share a bit about Jom’s editorial vision. I joined Jom as its first employee. From the beginning, we were committed to building an organisation invested in independence, rigour and truth-seeking. Every single piece of work involves hours of research, discussion, writing and of course, fact checking. My time at Jom nurtured in me a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the role of journalism in a democracy. I believe that a healthy media ecosystem must consist of more than just the mainstream media. The dream for Jom was always to create a media outfit accountable primarily to you, our reader. If you value our work, if you see potential in Jom’s voice, if you believe in the importance of independent journalism, I encourage you to consider a paid membership. Go to jom.media/jean for 10 percent off your annual membership. Now, back to the podcast.
Wong’s relatively humble education and beginnings are among the reasons he’s considered a somewhat unusual choice for prime minister. Young Singaporeans in neighbourhood schools can now, for the first time in history, see one of their own in the country’s highest office.
12:46 - Entering government, and the Asian Financial Crisis
Wong would go on to study economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under a prestigious government scholarship. After a masters at the University of Michigan, he later joined the Ministry of Trade and Industry as an economist, in 1997. That’s before he moved onto the Ministry of Finance in 2002.
Donald Low: “Yes, I met him first when I joined the Ministry of Finance…So that was an interesting period, right? Since part of the arc of this series is about the 1990s…because that was Singapore’s…I could say, lost seven years between the Asian financial crisis in 97’, 98’ to around 2004. Singapore's GDP per capita did not increase or increased very little. It was like a lost seven years, right? Seven years of lean. So that was the period when I worked with Lawrence a bit in the Ministry of Finance and I could see that even then...”
Donald Low, a fellow scholar, emphasises to me the uncertainty of the late 90s. Even though Singapore was much richer, with a per capita GDP roughly 28 times than what it was in the 1970s, when Wong was born, we were on the verge of a devastating regional crisis.
Wong was in his mid-twenties when he worked at the Ministry of Finance, and even then Low tells me his “policy chops were well off the charts”. Wong was extremely accomplished as a policy analyst and he handled budget policy at the time, which meant that he was closely involved in major decisions on expenditure.
Donald Low: “Budget policy. He was also very much involved with even tax reforms, right? You recall that that period was a time when we quite aggressively brought down income taxes, right? To try to spur entrepreneurship, promote investments in foreign investments in Singapore…And you know, you can see the longer term results of that, because after 2004 Singapore's GDP growth was well above our medium term average, right? It was about five, 6 percent a year. So, so, and I think, not entirely, but partly it was the consequence of the kind of reforms, the kind of policy changes that Lawrence was very much part of.”
Low is now an economist and senior lecturer at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. While interviewing him I wondered if I should mention I got a ‘D’ for A levels Econs but I ended up keeping that fun fact to myself. You’re going to hear from him a lot in this series, because he’s able to explain economic concepts clearly and succinctly, but also just because he’s really fun to listen to.
He tells me that policy making is an art. An art that Wong understands.
Donald Low: “A lot of people study economics, but have poor economic instinct. Lawrence happens to study economics, but, you know, for whatever reason, has very good, very good economic impulses, instincts, and he applies that in his work, right? So partly it’s his methodical nature. He’s very deliberate, very careful, not prone to grand gestures or making bold pronouncements, right.”
Donald Low: “You're trying to make economically sensible, economically rational decisions in an environment, in a constrained political environment, by which I mean that politics doesn't always allow you to pursue optimal or rational positions. And Lawrence understood that.”
Wong’s economic prowess aside, I was curious about what he was like as a friend and colleague. Was he popular? Was he a suck up? If you missed a meeting, would he send you his notes?
Donald Low: “I think if you know him well, he's not reserved. He's very relatable, right? Very easy to talk to…Gets along with virtually everybody. I didn't know of anybody who didn't like him. Not everybody would think that he would end up as prime minister, but the consensus was that he was a very nice guy, right? And he worked hard, he was not nasty or mean, not yaya. He's very down to earth, you know, whatever he asked his staff to do, he's prepared to do it himself right?”
Wong would later remember his experience during the Asian Financial Crisis as formative. He told The Straits Times in 2020: "I realised how big a gap there was from my textbook understanding of economics, and the way things work in the real world.”
Still, it wasn’t clear at the time that Wong would stay on in government. Unlike Low, he had initially been rejected from the government’s elite Administrative Service.
Donald Low: “And I think that was why he had second thoughts about staying on…if he felt that he wasn't as valued as other…people in the Ministry of Finance who were in the admin service… getting paid less than your peers and doing more work or doing more important work, you know any sane person would leave right? Any rational person would think about leaving.”
Wong has publicly credited two bosses, Khaw Boon Wan and Lim Siong Guan, for convincing him to stay in government. And in 2002, the neighbourhood boy became an Admin Service officer.
The following year, Wong finally followed his predecessors’ elite educational pathway, when he enrolled for a one-year masters at the Harvard Kennedy School. Sudhir Vadaketh, Jom’s editor-in-chief, was also there at the time. Just like Low, he recalls Wong as down to earth, likable, and in his words, a “quiet, unassuming guy at the corner of the room”.
Sudhir Vadaketh: “And I think what was quite apparent to me from the start with Lawrence is that he was very friendly to every Singaporean out there, every person I knew, you know, regardless of what their motivations were, why they were there. And I think that just speaks to this quite open down to earth nature. And I think partly because of that, we hit it off right away… I don’t want to exaggerate our proximity, it’s not like we met tons of times and we were hanging out a lot but I remember in particular, Lawrence, and I think it was his girlfriend at the time, coming over to my apartment for dinner one day, there were about six or eight people in the room that day. So ya, we certainly had a really good time whenever we met and chatted …I'm quite sure I made him chicken curry.”
18:56 - Lawrence in politics
When Wong returned to Singapore and government service in 2004, a new prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, was about to take charge. He would oversee Singapore’s efforts to become a leading, global city.
When my older friends and relatives reminisce about a simpler Singapore, I only have my imagination: eating 20 cents satay on the street, playing with fireworks on Chinese New Year, dancing at New World Amusement Park. I didn’t grow up in that Singapore. I grew up in Lee Hsien Loong’s Singapore. I remember the moral panic over the new casino; the Marina Bay Sands towers that seemed to pop up overnight; the Formula 1 Night Race that suddenly rerouted my bus home.
I grew up in Singapore, the “global city”. I don’t know if it’s better or worse, but I do know we’re richer. I also know we’re bigger, in both population and land size.
Globally, Singapore became synonymous with wealth. But wealth brought with it greater inequality and heightened tensions between locals and foreigners, issues that Wong's government is still contending with today.
In the 2000s, Wong served as Lee Hsien Loong’s principal private secretary, and then later as CEO of the Energy Market Authority. And in 2011, he joined the PAP and stood for election. While his team won, that year’s general election also saw the opposition Workers’ Party, or WP, gain ground, amid dissatisfaction about immigration and a hunger for alternative voices.
Wong moved quickly up the ranks. Just a year later, he was appointed Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. And by 2014, he was a full minister.
So far on this podcast we’ve heard from people who first met Wong as equals: in school, in government, in university. I wanted to find somebody who was his subordinate. Singapore being Singapore, not easy to find. We finally tracked down somebody who worked under him at the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth. We’ll call them Arundhati. And their voice actor is Saki, Jom’s head of research and social media.
At the time, Arundhati remembers that one of Wong’s projects was the National Gallery, which would open in 2015.
Arundhati: “I think he’s a very smart, smart guy. He can spot things quite well. And if he thinks something is wrong, he will challenge you on it. And if he was wrong, I think he was fine with it…I don't think he will hentam you and he’s not a bastard.”
Arundhati says that Wong wasn’t a bastard, but he wasn’t super popular either.
Arundhati: “I didn't really connect with him that well. I think there's a certain, I wouldn't say, aura, but there's a certain barrier maybe he has. He's not, like, super personable to his staff and so he wasn't always well liked. Sometimes he'll be a bit curt. Although I will caveat that I don't think it is an issue with who he is as a person–like whether or not he's a good person or not–I just think that's his personality. And so like, for example, we would staff him, and at the end of the staffing he'll say thank you and then walk away. That's it.”
Arundhati contrasts this with the experience of staffing Grace Fu, another minister.
Arundhati: “She would literally go down to every single person that was there on the ground, shake their hands, and thank them. So that's a difference, right? And she was definitely more personable. He didn't have that personality and I think it rubbed quite a lot of people the wrong way, at least in the ministry at that time. Not everyone liked him but the interesting thing is that he was totally different in constituency, right? The way he was with the man on the street, he could connect with them really well, and they all loved him. I think maybe work wise, there's a certain barrier that he has.”
As a politician, Wong experienced many shifts in the 2010s. In 2015, Lee Kuan Yew passed, Singapore celebrated its 50th year of independence, and the PAP scored a thumping election victory. We later discovered that Lee’s last years were spent with his three children squabbling over his will. Lee died not knowing if his house would be demolished, as was his primary wish. In 2016, the government formed a controversial Ministerial Committee on 38 Oxley Road. Wong was on it. That was his chance to show his loyalty to the establishment, and his competency in more unorthodox demands of Singaporean statecraft.
Opposition politics was also getting more interesting. Tan Cheng Bock, a former PAP backbencher, had switched sides. He almost won the presidential election in 2011; and then was prevented from contesting in 2017 after the party controversially amended the constitution to institute affirmative action—limiting that year’s contest to ethnic Malays. Tan founded the Progress Singapore Party in 2019, and along with the resurgent WP, led to a strong opposition performance in the 2020 general election.
I wanted to find out what Wong’s political opponents thought of him. I spoke to Leon Perera, former WP MP, who sat across from Wong in Parliament for five years.
Leon Perera: “Okay, what would I say about Lawrence, the man? I think he is a decent communicator. He does come across as someone who can take complex ideas or difficult ideas and convey them in a way that is relatively easy to understand. And that's obviously very important in politics when you have to carry the public…and I think Lawrence probably does better in that regard than some of his colleagues, he speaks slowly and calmly, his voice is not shrill, and he's not given to anger in public…
But having said that, he does debate the opposition sharply, sometimes very sharply. He does not shy away from that. And I think looking at his political style, I don't see any evidence that he will be more conciliatory, if I can use that expression, towards the opposition in Parliament or outside Parliament compared to his predecessors. Which is not to say that he won't change.”
So is Wong friendly, personable, relaxed, as Donald and Sudhir remember him to be? Or is he more of a typical no-nonsense politician, as Arundhati and Leon believe? Perhaps it just depends on context. After all, it’s only human to display different sides of our personality to different people. And perhaps, Wong himself is changing, evolving as he spends more time in political leadership, and gaining a better understanding of what's needed to run Singapore.
Whatever the case, he’s clearly a very different sort of leader from Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister.
It’s hard to forget Lee Kuan Yew’s speech during the 1980 general election. He displays a conviction and passion that commands respect, even if you disagree with his perspective or policies.
There are many here who believe that small, “vulnerable” Singapore forever needs a strong, decisive leader. But there are also many who think that a more consensual leadership must replace the old "because I said so" style to manage life and strife in our increasingly diverse country. Perhaps it’s idealistic, but I hope for a leader who can be both. Decisive and resolute when the time calls for it but also open to working with those who might think differently from him.
Could Wong represent that shift from heroic leader to team player? Is the Marine Parade neighbourhood boy just what Singapore needs at this juncture?
We continue exploring these questions in Episode 2: "Party games".
“The Neighbourhood Boy” is brought to you by Jom, a weekly digital magazine about Singapore. If you believe in the importance of independent journalism, please consider a paid membership. Go to jom.media/jean for 10 percent off your annual membership.
“The Neighbourhood Boy” is produced and hosted by me, Jean Hew. The script is co-written by Sudhir Vadaketh and myself, with input from Abhishek Mehrotra. This podcast is edited by Artwave Studio, with original music by lowkeii.