Singapore DPM Heng steps aside, setting back Singapore's succession plan for next PM

Heng (left) and Lee Hsien Loong at the press conference at Istana. - ST

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has decided to step aside as leader of the People's Action Party's fourth-generation (4G) team, to pave the way for a younger person with a longer runway to lead the country when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong retires.

Heng, who turns 60 this year, cited the long-term and profound challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, his age, and the demands of the top job, as reasons for his decision.