After several years of succession planning, Mr Lawrence Wong officially assumed office as Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15, succeeding Mr Lee Hsien Loong who led the country for two decades. Announcing his first Cabinet on May 13, flanked by current Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and newly appointed DPM Gan Kim Yong, Mr Wong emphasised that continuity and stability were key considerations. Both principles have long been central to Singapore’s leadership ethos. They will be tested by the seismic shifts taking place globally and at home.

US hegemony is being challenged in the shifting global order. Questions are also being asked about Singapore’s approach to increasingly fractious US-China ties amid an impending US election that could see the return of Donald Trump to the White House. PM Wong has also taken over at a time of two concurrent conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, both with the potential to escalate. But history has shown that there are solid reasons to remain sanguine about Singapore’s trajectory by adhering to its principled stance.