SINGAPORE – In April 2020, less than three months after Singapore confirmed its first case of Covid-19, the multi-ministerial task force (MTF) tackling the pandemic was faced with the tough decision on whether to walk back the Government’s stance on face masks.

MTF co-chair and then Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong had told Singaporeans that wearing a mask was not necessary if they were not sick, but as evidence mounted, it became clear that people were transmitting the virus without showing any symptoms.

Behind the scenes, the MTF was debating if there could be a compromise or a process to transition to mask-wearing, but having seen the data, Mr Wong said: “Let’s just do it”, recounted MTF co-chair and then Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

“We just went ahead and told PM (Lee Hsien Loong) and Cabinet we were going to shift gear,” said Mr Gan, who is now Trade and Industry Minister. “It was a very painful process, because we had to explain why we were changing the policy.”

Despite catching some flak from the public for the “sharp U-turn”, Mr Gan said the occasion showed Mr Wong to be very decisive and clear on what needs to be done when all factors are considered.

“The most important consideration was the trust between the Government, the people and the MTF,” he said. “Reversing gear could undermine the trust, but we decided trust is better served if we are upfront and frank.”

Current Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who also co-chaired the MTF, said: “We were in the fog of war. We had to make numerous judgment calls, with the major ones recommended to the Cabinet for approval.

“When a decision did not go well, and there were a few, we had to collectively explain to Singaporeans and make things right. When a decision went well, it motivated us and we moved to tackle the next problem.”

To get the measure of the man who PM Lee announced will take over the premiership on May 15, The Straits Times interviewed about 10 political office-holders and public servants who spent time in the trenches with Deputy Prime Minister Wong.

At work: Data-driven and consultative

Across the interviews, a consistent theme was DPM Wong’s fondness for data and his readiness to listen to alternate views – as long as they are backed by facts.

Ministry of Finance (MOF) permanent secretary Tan Ching Yee said DPM Wong’s approach is to listen to those who have a point to make, and not just who is more senior.

She added that he is “disarmingly honest and direct” with officers during internal meetings, and one of his favourite phrases is “I understand” followed by “but…”, where he explains wider considerations.

“If we feel strongly about it, we go back and forth with him. Until either he is convinced or we are,” she said, citing the example of the design of the CDC voucher scheme.

Mr Gan noted that there was feedback about having different categories for the vouchers so that different sectors of the economy can benefit, but that this could complicate the scheme. In the end, DPM Wong decided to keep it simple.

After an issue is thoroughly discussed and agreed upon, DPM Wong stands by it, said Ms Tan.

This is even if things did not go so well after that. “He takes full responsibility, explores what else or more needs to be done, and does it,” she said. “This equanimity also means we do not get onto emotional roller coasters.”

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat corroborated this with what happened behind closed doors during the SimplyGo saga earlier in 2024.

When the authorities decided in January to shelve plans to replace older public transport payment cards with SimplyGo, Mr Chee spoke with DPM Wong to secure the $40 million needed to keep the card-based ticketing system.

“I told him, I’m sorry I didn’t handle this well, and we will make sure we do what is right to fix it,” said Mr Chee. “He was very understanding. He told me don’t sweat over it, the most important thing is to recognise what can be done better, learn from it, then do the right thing.”

Those who have worked with DPM Wong also said he is fair-minded and not one to leave loose ends.

In 2007, Mr Chee was being interviewed for the role of principal private secretary (PPS) to PM Lee, which was DPM Wong’s role at the time. He said he received a call from DPM Wong asking to meet for lunch, where he shared more about the job and what to expect.

This was something he did for all shortlisted candidates, even though it did not personally benefit him directly, added Mr Chee, who has known DPM Wong since they were fellow civil servants at the MOF in the early 2000s.

This conscientiousness was again apparent when Mr Chee took over the role of Energy Market Authority chief executive in 2011, after DPM Wong resigned that year to enter politics.

“He was very busy preparing for the election… but yet, he met with me in his house and must have spent more than three hours taking me through the job,” said Mr Chee, and that it left him with a very positive impression.

On the ground: Compassionate and a quick study

Older MPs said DPM Wong was “fresh” when he first entered the political fray, but also attentive and meticulous as he sought to learn of residents’ concerns.

Mr Gan recalled that as a new politician, DPM Wong asked many questions of the veterans, such as on opportunities for estate development and the opposition parties operating in the area.

Part of DPM Wong’s ward when he became an MP in 2011 had been carved out of Mr Gan’s ward in Chua Chu Kang GRC.

“He remembered everything that I shared with him and regularly came back to ask for more information,” said Mr Gan.

Former People’s Action Party (PAP) MP Ho Geok Choo said DPM Wong was “very fast” in fostering relationships at all levels when he took over her Boon Lay ward in 2011. “He assessed and kept the entire crop of grassroots leaders and branch activists who supported me,” she said in an e-mail.

A few of them followed DPM Wong when he moved to the Limbang ward in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in 2015.

“But DPM was careful that the many other good ones continued to stay back in Boon Lay,” she said. “He was thoughtful for Boon Lay, and his successor, MP Patrick Tay.”

Madam Ho recalled a Meet-the-People Session case where a long-time branch volunteer had cautioned against continuing to give bigger handouts to one resident.

DPM Wong listened to the volunteer’s arguments, but felt differently: He explained that there was a need for definitive interim support for the resident while the root problem was being resolved.

“I could sense that his rationale was that every resident must be given hope and a second chance,” she said. “No one is to be left behind, as everyone has a stake in Singapore. It is important not to label and stigmatise the case.”

At the party level, DPM Wong had announced plans to refresh, revamp and strengthen the PAP as he takes on greater responsibility.

Mr Chee and Mr Gan noted that DPM Wong has personally visited the different party branches to understand activists’ concerns and ground issues, and that he is clear-eyed that the people’s trust cannot be inherited but must be earned.

“Going down to the ground branch by branch to understand the activists and let them understand him, I think he sees engagement and outreach as being very critical,” said Mr Gan.

In private: A music lover

That guitars and music are close to DPM Wong’s heart is well known by this point.

A fan of songs by B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among others, he relishes tunes from the blues, rock and soul genres.

He also appreciates the local music scene, said Timbre chief executive Danny Loong. He first met DPM Wong in 2014, when they had a jamming session at Timbre’s then live music joint Barber Shop.

The pair also enjoyed chatting about vintage guitars and would discuss which ones they would like to get. At one point, DPM Wong had more than 10 vintage guitars in his collection, estimated Mr Loong. Over the years DPM Wong had also entrusted Mr Loong to help sell some of them – “I guess he was decluttering”.

Some time before the pandemic, both were searching for their “grail” guitar – a 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline. Besides being an important instrument in the evolution of blues, funk and other music, it was also created in the two men’s birth year.

Mr Loong eventually found one for himself, and another example in England, but DPM Wong had thought it too pricey to acquire.

Their joint love for guitars inspired the Gift a Guitar initiative by charity The Music Society, Singapore, said Mr Loong.

They have met for jamming sessions five times over the years, and Mr Loong said he recently invited DPM Wong to another session but did not have high hopes given the latter’s busy schedule.

“When he plays music, there are no lines on his face, there’s a big difference. It’s a stressful job, so I think music is good for him, and I hope he keeps playing,” said Mr Loong.

He added: “It’s not as important as the Budget speech, but to me, it shows more about the man sometimes in his leisure moments.”

Outside of music, DPM Wong has also shared about his experiences learning to ride a motorcycle while he was a university student in the United States. He has also shared about his dog Summer. She died in 2020, aged 16.

These pieces of information aside, DPM Wong is known to his colleagues and peers as a “very private” man.

While they do not discuss much about their personal lives, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah said she was grateful for his understanding when she has to take her 101-year-old mother for medical appointments.

She noted that DPM Wong’s father had died in 2021, and they had common ground in both having to care for aged parents while juggling responsibilities as political office-holders.

In private, he is friendly and open and has unexpected moments of humour, said Ms Indranee, who is also the Second Minister for Finance. “When something strikes his sense of humour, he will sort of burst out laughing,” she said.

So why him?

For all his strengths and policymaking bona fides – he spent 14 years in public service before joining politics – some who spoke to ST said DPM Wong is not a natural politician.

Former minister Yaacob Ibrahim said: “But Lawrence has grown slowly into someone able to hold his ground. In Budget, speaking up in Parliament, he has gained a lot of confidence and maturity.”

DPM Wong has become more assertive and confident in public speaking, whether it is during parliamentary debates, the Budget address or interviews with local and foreign media, said his Cabinet colleagues.

That he was a steadying force for the nation through the Covid-19 pandemic clearly helped him to emerge from dark horse to a clear choice for the mantle of prime minister, they added.

As they had run the MTF together, Mr Gan saw in DPM Wong the ability to convince other colleagues – ministers included – and civil servants. “His communication skills are first class, maybe because of the training as PPS to PM Lee,” said Mr Gan.

When problems cropped up, he made decisions quickly, and increasingly more and more ministers looked to him as a leader, he added.

On DPM Wong’s work as MTF co-chair, Ms Indranee said the role of leading a nation through a global pandemic is one that does not come up in many politicians’ lifetimes. “He rose to the occasion without breaking under the stress and pressure.”

“Once you’ve done something like that and done it successfully, it adds to your sense of confidence and more importantly your moral authority,” she added.

“Because you’ve demonstrated to people that you can do something as difficult as this and bring them through, which means they can have trust and confidence in your abilities.”

Ms Tan said DPM Wong is a voracious reader, while Mr Chee called him a quick and determined learner.

In areas where he may not be so comfortable initially, he tries to improve, such as his Mandarin, noted Mr Chee, while Dr Yaacob revealed that DPM Wong is also learning Malay.

Madam Ho said DPM Wong’s ability to convince and cajole his equals has gained him a strong following among the citizenry, and that to have been able to do so means he has the humility to take feedback and the introspection to work on raising the bar for himself.

Dr Yaacob said that of the luminaries who were in the running for the top job, he always thought DPM Wong “had a certain quality the others didn’t have”.

“What strikes me most is that he is very grounded, humble and has never had ambitions to become the prime minister,” he said.