}
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FM SINGAPORE
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 076
OF 300750Z MARCH 93
INFO ROUTINE KUALA LUMPUR
RESTRICTED
RECF
HICD 02.1/2
उठने
123010
MDHIAN 5358
рора
31/3
01 APR 1993
VISIT OF MR GOODLAD: SCENE SETTER
INDE
POLITICAL
1.
WHILE LEE KUAN YEW REMAINS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FIGURE IN SINGAPORE, PRIME MINISTER GOH CHOK TONG'S POSITION HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED IN RECENT MONTHS, AND HE APPEARS TO ENJOY WIDESPREAD SUPPORT (INCLUDING FROM LEE HIMSELF). KEY FACTORS IN THIS HAVE BEEN THE SHOCK ANNOUNCEMENT IN NOVEMBER THAT BOTH BG LEE HSIEN LOONG AN OUTSTANDING INTELLECT AND HITHERTO WIDELY REGARDED AS THE LONG TERM SUCCESSOR TO HIS FATHER - AND THE OTHER DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ONG TENG CHEONG ARE SUFFERING FROM MALIGNANT LYMPHOMA, AND THEN GOH'S RESOUNDING SUCCESS IN A DECEMBER BY-ELECTION IN HIS OWN CONSTITUENCY.
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2. BG LEE, WHOSE ILLNESS IS MORE SERIOUS THAN ONG'S, IS JUST COMPLETING A COURSE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE PROGNOSIS IS NOT KNOWN: IN A RECENT INTERVIEW LEE KUAN YEW SAID HIS SON APPEARED TO BE RESPONDING TO THE TREATMENT BUT THAT DOCTORS WERE STILL EVALUATING SOME TESTS. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE ARE RUMOURS THAT BG LEE HAS ONLY FIVE YEARS TO LIVE. WHILE BG LEE REMAINS DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER (AS DOES ONG), THE EXPERIENCED S DHANABALAN HAS REPLACED HIM IN THE DEMANDING POST OF MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY.
3.
A MONTH AFTER THE ILLNESSES OF BG LEE AND ONG WERE ANNOUNCED, GOH WON A BY-ELECTION IN HIS OWN CONSTITUENCY BY A HANDSOME MARGIN (HE WON ABOUT 73 PERCENT OF THE VOTE), THUS SECURING THE PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT WHICH HE APPARENTLY FELT THE 1991 GENERAL ELECTION HAD NOT PRODUCED. IN THE RUN-UP TO THE BY-ELECTION, LEE KUAN YEW HANDED OVER TO GOH THE POST OF SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE PAP: NOT ONLY DID THIS GIVE GOH THE PARTY LEADERSHIP (WHICH LEE HAD HELD SINCE ITS FOUNDATION IN 1954) BUT ALSO IT UNDERLINED LEE'S PERSONAL SUPPORT.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND REGIONAL SECURITY
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