Lawrence Wong

Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai (born 18 December 1972) is a Singaporean politician and civil servant who has served as the fourth prime minister of Singapore since 2024. A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), he has also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2015 and the minister of finance since 2021. He was an MP for West Coast GRC from 2011 to 2015. Prior to entering politics, Wong worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the Ministry of Health (MOH). He was the principal private secretary to prime minister Lee Hsien Loong between 2005 and 2008. He also served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Energy Market Authority (EMA) between 2009 and 2011. Wong made his political debut in the 2011 general election where he contested in West Coast GRC as part of a five-member PAP team and won. Wong subsequently contested in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC during the 2015 general election and retained his parliamentary seat in the 2020 general election. Prior to his appointment as minister of finance, Wong served as the minister of culture, community and youth between 2012 and 2015, second minister of communications and information between 2014 and 2015, minister of national development between 2015 and 2020, second minister of finance between 2016 and 2021, and minister of education between 2020 and 2021. Wong was the co-chair of a multi-ministerial committee set up by the government in January 2020 to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. As minister for finance, he has overseen the gradual increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) which Lee's government has advocated – 8% in 2023 and 9% in 2024, up from 7% which had been set since 2007. In April 2022, he...