S'pore PM Goh says may have role in new cabinet
S'pore PM Goh says may have role in new cabinet
Jennifer Tan, Reuters/Singapore
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who steps down next month, said on Sunday he may have a role to play in the next government.
Goh was speaking a day after announcing he would hand power to his deputy, Lee Hsien Loong, on Aug. 12, marking the second transition of power in modern Singapore history.
Goh said Lee had told him he would have a role to play in government after stepping down.
"He (Lee) has asked me to stay back in the cabinet. I have told him if I have a role to play, I'll stay back. Otherwise, I'm quite happy to leave the cabinet and be a backbencher," Goh told reporters at a charity golf tournament.
"I will let him decide for me what role I should play," he added.
Lee is the 52-year-old son of Lee Kuan Yew, the city state's founding prime minister who remains in the cabinet with the title of Senior Minister.
Although a smooth transition is expected, the younger Lee, like his father a stern authoritarian figure, will have trouble measuring up to Goh in terms of popularity. The outgoing prime minister admitted as much last year when he urged Lee "to let his softer side show".
Goh, once written off as a mere seat-warmer for the Lee family, remains immensely well-liked by ordinary Singaporeans. His affable style has helped his ministers administer harsh medicine such as wage cuts despite rising unemployment.
He was responsible for a scheme to help Singaporeans with little or no savings settle their medical bills, and was the driving force behind the rash of free trade pacts the city state has concluded with a number of countries, including the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
The leadership transfer is only the second in Singapore since the elder Lee spearheaded independence from Malaysia in 1965. But few expect a change in government policy.
Goh told reporters he was happy to close this chapter of Singapore history after what he called 14 "glorious" years, during which he and his team had done "a fair job" for the city state.
He also expressed confidence that the new prime minister would "lead Singapore to a higher level".
"I am very happy that I have come to this stage where I could relinquish my position, knowing that Singapore will be in very good hands -- it's more than I can ask for," he added.
Goh is handing over power as the Singapore economy is forecast to grow at its fastest pace in four years.
The government expects 2004 gross domestic product at 5.5 to 7.5 percent higher than last year, but many private-sector economists have pitched their own estimates for growth at between 7.0 and 8.7 percent.
Despite the booming economy, job losses rose 6.4 percent in the quarter from January to March over the prior quarter, but unemployment was unchanged, at a seasonally adjusted 4.5 percent.
The wealthy island is also struggling with a fall in its birth rate far below the 2.1 children per woman needed to replenish its population. Women gave birth on average to 1.26 babies last year, the lowest in the nation's history.
With babies becoming a national priority, Lee is expected to unveil a package of measures in August to encourage people to have more children.