Do we like Lawrence Wong?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A steady, decent operator on race, cost of living and climate, held back by a firm no on same-sex marriage and a government that plays hardball with opponents.
Lawrence Wong is the economist who became Singapore's prime minister. He trained in economics in the US, with a public administration degree from Harvard, started as a civil servant and ran the Energy Market Authority. He entered Parliament in 2011 and moved through culture, national development and education before taking the top job and the finance portfolio.
The formative test was COVID. He co-chaired the multi-ministry taskforce, and in March 2020 he choked up in Parliament while thanking cleaners, security guards and frontline staff as unsung heroes. It's a long way from the usual political theatre, and it's a big part of why Singaporeans trusted him as a safe pair of hands.
Now the harm check, and this is where an LGBTQ+ reader should read closely. Wong fronted the 2022 deal that repealed the law against sex between men while amending the constitution so courts can't redefine marriage. He called it a very limited, careful and controlled repeal, and promised the marriage definition won't change under him. He's also said every Singaporean deserves a place in society, but urged people not to import culture wars from abroad on a trans youth issue, which critics find dismissive.
On race, he comes across better. In a 2021 speech he said it's harder to be a minority than a majority, called racial discrimination incidents unacceptable and said the Chinese majority should do more to make others comfortable. Not everyone buys it: one commentator found the speech earnest but formulaic, and said his rejection of the phrase “Chinese privilege” overlooks minority experiences.
The scrappiest recent stoush was in January 2026, when Wong removed Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition. Singh had been convicted by a district court of two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee, fined S$14,000 and lost his High Court appeal. Wong said the convictions plus Parliament's view made it “no longer tenable” for him to stay in the role, while Singh accepted the judgment but maintained his innocence. Whether it was upholding standards or an opponent being kneecapped depends on your view of Singapore politics.
On the planet and the hip pocket, he's pragmatic more than bold. In Budget 2026 he kept the carbon tax schedule but said Singapore may sit at the lower end of its S$50 to S$80 target for 2030 if global momentum keeps fading, while lifting the solar target. The same Budget handed out cash payments and vouchers, raised the minimum salary for foreign worker hiring, and lifted pay floors for Employment Pass holders.