PM Lee will step down as Singapore’s third Prime Minister on May 15
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced on April 15 that Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong will be relinquishing his office and handing over the reins to current Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Lawrence Wong on May 15 at 8pm. PM Lee will remain in Cabinet as senior minister.
This transition comes 12 years after PM Lee’s announcement back in 2012 that he did not intend to continue serving as prime minister beyond 70. This year, PM Lee is finally handing over the reins, albeit later than he intended at the age of 72. The delay has been attributed to the pandemic and a hiccup in succession plans.
Since PM Lee began serving as prime minister in 2004, he has undertaken various political reforms and guided the nation through challenges like the 2008 recession and Covid-19 pandemic.
To honour PM Lee’s time as Singapore’s third prime minister, we look back at his life in and out of politics and share some of his key milestones.
In case you missed it: From playing the guitar to riding a motorcycle: 9 things to know about Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s next Prime Minister
He headed the rescue planning team in the 1983 Sentosa cable car accident
Before politics, PM Lee served in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as the commanding officer of the 23rd Battalion Singapore Artillery. Before retiring as Brigadier-General, then-SAF Colonel Lee directed the 3.5-hour-long rescue operation for the 1983 Sentosa cable car accident, rescuing 13 passengers when a cableway to the island snapped. He departed SAF in 1984.