Prior to entering politics, Wong had worked in both the
Civil Service and the private sector. He worked in the
Ministry of Labour and
Ministry of Defence, before joining Hewlett Packard in 1981 as a personnel manager and left in 1985 for politics. Wong made his political debut in the
1984 general election as a PAP contesting in
Kuo Chuan SMC and won. He contested in
Thomson GRC during the
1991 general election before switching to
Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC in the
1997 general election. Wong was appointed Acting Minister for Community Development in 1986. He was made a full member of the
Cabinet as
Minister for Community Development by Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew in 1987. He was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1988. In 1994, he became Minister for Home Affairs. Wong had also served as
Leader of the House between 1991 and 2007. Wong was vocal in his capacity as a Cabinet minister when it comes to defending any criticisms of the PAP as being authoritarian, or that the political process was undemocratic with an advantage given to the governing party. He often described the opposition as being disorganised, weak and driven by self-interests."The public has no sympathy for them. Neither do I. Why should I? I mean, they mess it up."On opposition politician
J. B. Jeyaretnam's proposal to establish an independent elections commission, Wong remarked,
"It is absurd. I think we cannot be more democratic than we are now. We even allow a loser to be in Parliament and make speeches attacking the government. Where could you find such a democracy in other countries?" During the
World Conference on Human Rights held in 1993, Wong argued that democracy was interpreted differently in Singapore. He claims that its citizens "do not agree that pornography is an acceptable manifestation of free expression or that homosexual relationships are just a matter of lifestyle choice." Wong also believe that excessive emphasis on individual rights over the rights of the community will retard progress. On 1 September 2005, Wong was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong, following the retirement of
Tony Tan. On 1 November 2010, Wong was appointed Coordinating Minister for National Security and relinquished his Minister for Home Affairs portfolio. Wong retired from the Cabinet following the
2011 general election. He remains a Member of Parliament and also the special adviser for economic cooperation to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong until 11 September 2015, when he was finally retired from politics after 31 years.
Role in the homeland security in Singapore As Minister for Home Affairs, Wong was in charge of overseeing emergency planning, dealing with internal threats such as cults and terrorists, involved in law and order, and rooting out of criminals and illegal immigrants.
Mas Selamat escape On 27 February 2008, alleged
Jemaah Islamiyah leader
Mas Selamat bin Kastari escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre, leading to the largest manhunt in Singapore. Wong expressed his regret in Parliament the day after the occurrence. "This should never have happened. I am sorry that it has." He revealed that Mas Selamat escaped when he was taken to the toilet before a meeting at the detention centre's family visit room. Wong was criticised because news of Mas Selamat's escape was not disseminated to the public until four hours after its occurrence. There were calls for Wong to step down, given the severity of the security lapse. Mas Selamat was eventually recaptured in
Johor Bahru,
Malaysia, on 1 April 2009, by Malaysian authorities, over a year after his escape.
2003 SARS outbreak Wong was then responsible for co-ordinating the inter-ministerial nationwide effort to counter the
SARS epidemic. Certain measures were taken to contain the virus, including mandatory home quarantine measures, health screening at immigration checkpoints, schools and hospitals and public education programs. On 31 May 2003, Singapore was taken off the
World Health Organization's list of SARS-affected countries. ==Professional career==