DPM Wong is no stranger to TikTok and has been using the platform to connect with the younger generation. On top of answering questions, you’ll find him posting fun and engaging videos from playing the guitar to participating in viral trends. Currently, he has over 105,000 followers and 1.2 million likes.

Like many of us, DPM Wong is a dog lover. He used to have a golden retriever, Summer, who passed in July 2020. “There’s something wonderful about the way dogs behave—they eat with gusto, play with exuberance, and love extravagantly. In many ways, they help to restore our own sense of wonder, inspire us to look at things from new perspectives, and enable us to better appreciate the many simple blessings of life,” DPM Wong wrote in a Facebook post after the 16-year-old dog’s passing.

The Forward Singapore exercise launched in June 2022 saw a year-long series of engagements between fourth-generation (4G) PAP leaders and Singaporeans to set out a roadmap for Singapore’s next stage of development. Over 200,000 people took part in the exercise. In October 2023, a report that set out policy recommendations on how society can contribute to building a vibrant, fair and united Singapore was released. The first instalment of the agenda was rolled out in Budget 2024 which included increased support for mid-career workers.

Many might not know this but DPM Wong grew up in a humble family. His father was born in China and moved to Ipoh in Malaysia as a young child. When he finished his secondary education, Mr Wong’s father moved to Singapore to work in sales for Sime Darby. 

Soon after, he married DPM Wong’s mother, who is now 82. DPM Wong’s mother started working when she was nine and washed clothes and looked after babies while begging her parents to be allowed to go to school. She eventually was allowed and became a teacher, a profession she stayed in for about 40 years. 

DPM Wong grew up in the Marine Parade Housing Board estate with his older brother, an aerospace engineer at DSO Laboratories.

Growing up in Marine Parade, DPM Wong saw himself going to schools around his neighbourhood. He attended a PAP Community Foundation (PCF) kindergarten in Marine Parade before moving on to Haig Boys’ Primary, where his mother was teaching.

He later moved to Tanjong Katong Secondary Technical School and later on to Victoria Junior College, where he received a government scholarship to study in the United States. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and later obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

When DPM Wong finished his studies and returned to Singapore, he was posted to the Ministry of Trade and Industry where he did economic modelling.

A hard worker, DPM Wong quickly worked his way up the ranks in the finance and health ministries. At one point, he was the director of healthcare finance at the Ministry of Health and worked to implement reforms to Medishield to better help Singaporeans with large hospital bills. 

In 2005, DPM Wong was promoted to being the principal private secretary (PPS) to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

DPM Wong spent a total of 14 years in the public service before he left to contest the 2011 General Election. In the election, DPM Wong was elected as an MP for West Coast GRC. 

From the early days of his career, DPM Wong was well praised for his detailed approach to policies and how he was always keen to improve these policies for the sake of Singaporeans. He reportedly received many offers to join the private sector but chose to remain in the government because he felt that it allowed him to do different projects and shape schemes and policies that would eventually help Singaporeans.

He believed in explaining policies from the ground up which is likely why he performed so well in his role as co-chair of the Covid-19 multi-ministry task force.

He was certainly an unexpected pick in 2020 when the task force was being assembled as his portfolio included being the National Development Minister and Second Finance Minister. 

Yet, DPM Wong took the position with gusto and pride and carried out his duties well, always remaining calm and composed as he broke down policies and details and led the country through the pandemic. 

Considering that DPM Wong is always the picture of formality and decorum, it may surprise many to know that his favourite way to relax is by playing the guitar, a talent that began when his father gave him a guitar when he was only eight. 

DPM Wong reportedly enjoys rock, blues and soul, and jazz singers such as Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald. He also used to busk with a roommate he had when he was at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Additional reporting by Camillia Dass.

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