Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore...
of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
. Lee Hsien Loong is married to
Ho ChingHo Ching is the Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings and the wife of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong...
, who is the former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the government-owned
Temasek HoldingsTemasek Holdings is an investment company owned by the government of Singapore. With an international staff of 350 people, it manages a portfolio of about S$185 billion, or more than US$127 billion, focused primarily in Asia...
. He is the eldest son of former Prime Minister
Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan Yew, Honorary GCMG, Honorary CH is a former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore...
.
Early life
The eldest child of former Prime Minister
Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan Yew, Honorary GCMG, Honorary CH is a former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore...
and
Kwa Geok ChooKwa Geok Choo was one of the partners in law firm, Lee & Lee, her ancestry root was from Min Nan Tong'an.She is also the wife of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, mother of Lee Hsien Loong, and a former pupil of Singapore's Methodist Girls' School and Cambridge University, where she was...
, Lee was born in
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
on February 10, 1952. His grandmother Chua Jim Neo was a
HokkienHokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Mandarin "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
Nyonya, and his mother Kwa Geok Choo has ancestry from
Min NanThe Southern Min language, or Min Nan , is a family of Chinese languages which are spoken in southern Fujian and neighboring areas, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora. In common parlance, Southern Min usually refers to the Hokkien, in particular the Amoy and Taiwanese...
Tong'an. In Lee Kuan Yew's biography, the young Lee had learned Jawi script since he was five, and has always been interested in the affairs of Singapore, often following his father to the rally grounds since 1963.
Lee studied at
Nanyang Primary SchoolNanyang Primary School is a co-educational primary school in Singapore, normally covering ages 6 to 12. It is situated in Bukit Timah , which is a private housing district near Coronation Plaza. The current principal is Heng Boey Hong. Although it is not run by the government of Singapore, it...
, received his secondary education at
Catholic High SchoolCatholic High School is an all-boys Catholic school in Singapore offering a six-year primary and a four-year GCE 'O' Level education. The primary school offers the Gifted Education Program in addition to the standard PSLE curriculum. The school was founded in 1935 by the Rev. Fr...
and subsequently studied at
National Junior CollegeNational Junior College is the first junior college established by the Ministry Of Education, located in Bukit Timah, Singapore. It is one of the traditional top five junior colleges and is widely regarded as a top education institution in Singapore. NJC offers a two-year course for pre-university...
, where he learned the clarinet under the tutelage of Adjunct Associate Professor Ho Hwee Long. He studied mathematics at
Trinity College, Cambridge UniversityTrinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 160 Fellows ....
, where he graduated in 1974 with First Class Honours in Mathematics and a Diploma in Computer Science (with distinction). He subsequently obtained a
Master of Public AdministrationThe Master of Public Administration degree is a professional graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly nongovernmental organization and...
(MPA) from
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
's
Kennedy School of GovernmentThe John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
in 1980.
Lee joined the
Singapore Armed ForcesThe Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
(SAF) in 1971 and rose quickly through the ranks becoming the youngest
Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field...
in Singapore's history. In 1978, he attended the
US Army Command and General Staff CollegeThe U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a United States Army facility that functions as a graduate school for United States Armed Forces and foreign military leaders...
at
Fort LeavenworthFort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active U.S. Army post west of the Mississippi River, in operation for over 170 years...
. He retired from the military in 1984 to enter politics and was elected as a
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
that year. Lee's first wife, Malaysian-born doctor Wong Ming Yang, died on 28 October 1982 of a heart attack three weeks after giving birth to Lee's first son Lee Yi Peng, a mildly
autisticAutism is a disorder of neural development that is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism involves many parts of the brain; how this occurs is not well understood...
albino. In 1985, Lee married
Ho ChingHo Ching is the Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings and the wife of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong...
, a fast-rising civil servant. They have one daughter and three sons (the oldest son of Ho Ching,
Li HongyiLi Hongyi is the second eldest son of Lee Hsien Loong, the current serving Prime Minister of Singapore, from his second marriage with Ho Ching.-Education:...
was the winner of the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Math & Science in 2006, the same year he was commissioned as an officer in the Singapore Armed forces at the SAFTI Military Institute) , including one daughter and son from Lee's first wife.
In 1992, Lee was diagnosed with
lymphomaLymphoma is a cancer that begins in the lymphocytes of the immune system and presents as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. They often originate like balls in lymph nodes, presenting as an enlargement of the node...
. He underwent a three-month period of
chemotherapyChemotherapy, in its most general sense, is the treatment of disease by chemicals especially by killing micro-organisms or cancerous cells. In popular usage, it refers to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a cytotoxic standardized treatment regimen...
and has since recovered.
Early political career
Lee entered politics at the age of 32 in 1984. He was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defence in December 1984 by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, and was subsequently promoted to Acting Minister for Trade and Industry in 1986, and the Second Minister for Defence.
In February 1987, issues on ethnic relationships in Singapore surfaced when
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
n leaders asked the Members of Parliament why there were so few Malays holding key positions in the
SAFThe Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
. Lee Hsien Loong, then Second Minister for Defence, stated that the SAF did not want its soldiers to be in a position where the loyalty of the soldiers might clash with racial and religious factors.
Deputy Prime Minister
When
Goh Chok TongGoh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore...
became the
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
of Singapore on November 28, 1990, Lee became the
Deputy Prime MinisterA Deputy Prime Minister or Vice Prime Minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting Prime Minister when the Prime Minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
. He focused on economic and civil service matters and concurrently served as Minister for Trade and Industry until 1992.
Lee was appointed Chairman of the
Monetary Authority of SingaporeThe Monetary Authority of Singapore is Singapore's central bank. It was set up in 1971 to oversee various monetary functions associated with banking as well as finance...
in 1998, and Minister for Finance in 2001. During Lee's thirteen and a half years as Deputy Prime Minister, he exerted significant influence on Singapore's governance, especially in economic and social affairs.
To ease the growing budget deficit due to falling tax revenues from cuts in corporate and personal income taxes and other factors such as the
Iraq WarThe Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq or Operation Iraqi Freedom, is an ongoing military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States and the United Kingdom.Prior to the war, the governments of the United...
and
SarsSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . There has been one near pandemic to date, between the months of November 2002 and July 2003, with 8,096 known infected cases and 774 deaths worldwide being listed in the World Health...
outbreak, Lee proposed on August 29, 2003 to raise the
GSTA goods and services tax or value added tax is a tax on exchanges.By country:*Goods and Services Tax *Goods and Services Tax *Goods and Services Tax *Goods and Services Tax...
from three percent to five percent, a change that took place in January 2004.
Lee also initiated several relaxations of the requirements for Singapore citizenship, especially for foreign husbands of Singaporean women and foreign-born children of Singaporeans. The changes were made after repeated pleas from MPs and the
Remaking Singapore CommitteeThe Remaking Singapore Committee or was established in February 2002. It is to complement the work of the Economic Review Committee of Singapore. It is lead by the Minister of State for National Development Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.-External links:*...
.
2004
On August 12, 2004, Lee Hsien Loong succeeded
Goh Chok TongGoh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore...
as Prime Minister, relinquishing his Chairmanship of the Monetary Authority of Singapore to Goh Chok Tong. Lee was sworn in by former
Chief JusticeThe Chief Justice of Singapore is the highest post in the judicial system of Singapore. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President, chosen from candidates recommended by the Prime Minister. The present Chief Justice is Chan Sek Keong....
Yong Pung HowYong Pung How, DUT . He was the former Chief Justice of Singapore, serving from 1990 to 2006...
at the Istana, office of the
President of SingaporeThe President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, which Singapore possesses, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was chosen by...
.
Lee made his maiden
National Day RallyThe National Day Rally is an annual address that the Prime Minister of Singapore makes to the entire nation, on the second Sunday after August 9, the country's National Day...
on August 12, 2004. In his speech, Lee initiated the policy of the "Five-day work week", a plan that would remove a half-working day on Saturday. The plan took effect on 1 January 2005.
Lee also proposed two-month paid maternity leaves for new-born's mothers and financial incentives to mothers who give birth to a fourth child. These policies were initiated in response to the declining birth rate that Singapore has experienced in recent years.
In November 2004, Lee sparked a national debate when he revealed a proposal to build two
Integrated ResortAn Integrated Resort is a Singaporean euphemism for a casino-based vacation resort. To date, licenses have been awarded to The Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa...
s (IRs) which are holiday resorts with casinos. In April 2005, despite substantial oppositions expressed by the public, Lee announced the decision to approve the proposal. The two IRs are to be built in
Marina BayMarina Bay is a bay near Central Area in the southern part of Singapore, and lies to the east of the Downtown Core. An artificial bay, it was formed when land reclamation created the Marina Centre and Marina South areas, which form a body of sheltered waters of what was once open sea...
and
SentosaSentosa, which translates to peace and tranquility in Malay, is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year....
. To limit the negative social impact of casino gambling, Lee suggested that safeguards be implemented, such as prohibiting minors from entering the casinos and charging a SGD$100 entrance fee for Singaporeans and permanent residents or SGD$2000 for a year-long entrance fee.
2006
In February 2006, Lee announced in parliament a S$2.6 billion bonus called the
Progress Package. The plan was to distribute budget surpluses accumulated from the past few years to adult Singaporeans in the form of cash to everyone, top-ups to the state pension savings for elders, rental and utilities rebates for those living in public housing, educational funds for school children from low-income families, and cash bonuses for low-wage workers above 40 and for those men who have completed National Service. The cash bonuses was distributed in early May 2006.
Critics, especially members of the opposition, have slammed the Progress Package as a "vote-buying exercise" for the
Singapore parliamentary electionThe 2006 Singapore parliamentary general election was held on 6 May 2006. 1.22 million out of the 2.16 million eligible Singaporeans voted for Members of Parliament and elected their next government. The People's Action Party won 66.6% of the overall votes and gained 82 out of 84 seats. The PAP...
held on 6 May 2006. In that election, Lee led the
People's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959...
to win 82 of the 84 seats, including 37 walkovers. Lee and his 6-member team won the
Ang Mo Kio Group Representation ConstituencyAng Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency is a six-member Group Representation Constituency in the north eastern region of Singapore...
with 96,591 (60.42%) votes out of the total 159,872 votes cast. Most of the opposition WP's team of 6 were their 20s and the constituency was contested for the first time in 15 years. Its decision to contest Ang Mo Kio came as a surprise, as the opposition was expected to stay away from GRCs helmed by heavyweight ministers; but the party said that giving Ang Mo Kio residents a chance to vote was a prime reason for contesting the GRC. Given the inexperience of the WP team and Lee Hsien Loong's position as the Prime Minister, they won a surprisingly strong 49,468 votes (30.94%). There were also an extremely high percentage of void votes, 13,813 (8.64%).
Foreign relations
China
Relations with China have improved under Lee's administration. Smooth progress has been made in areas of trade, tourism and investment, which is not merely in accordance with the interest of the two countries, but promises to be further beneficial to the common development of the region. The China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) is responsible for promoting Sino-Singaporean co-operations.
During his meeting with vice-premier
Wu YiWu Yi was one of four Vice Premiers of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, overseeing the country's economy until March 2008...
in September 2005, Lee proposed the establishment of a China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone, which would achieve the goal of realizing US$50 billion in trade volume before 2010. In doing so, both agreed that relations between China and the
Association of Southeast Asian NationsThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN , is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand...
(ASEAN) should be elevated.
During his seven-day visit to China in late October 2005, the Prime Minister stressed the need of improving bilateral diplomatic relationships between ASEAN and China. Lee also urged leaders to focus on the next wave of growth in north-eastern China.
"It is a long-term commitment. There is no place in the world that you can go in and your money just grows on trees. Not in China."
United States
Singapore has generally had a favourable relationship with the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The growth of bilateral trade improved commercial and diplomatic ties between the two countries after the implementation of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the growth in bilateral trade has been evident, since the Free Trade Agreement became effective on January 1, 2004.
Lee made his inaugural visit to the United States, as Prime Minister of Singapore, between 6 July and 16 July, 2005. Several other ministers, notably the defence minister
Teo Chee HeanTeo Chee Hean is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and a Member of Parliament for the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency .Teo previously served as...
and foreign minister
George YeoGeorge Yong-Boon Yeo is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs....
, accompanied Lee.
On July 12, 2005, President George W. Bush and Lee signed the "Strategic Framework Agreement between the United States of America and the Republic of Singapore for a Closer Cooperation Partnership in Defence and Security". The agreement was a natural step in the expansion of bilateral ties. President Bush and the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had first announced their intention to conclude this agreement in October 2003.
The intention of the agreement is to address common threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of
Weapons of mass destructionThe term weapon of mass destruction is often used to describe a weapon that can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general....
(WMD), which called for even closer cooperation between the United States and Singapore.
The agreement recognizes Singapore's role as a Major Security Cooperation Partner and will expand the scope of current cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, joint military exercises and training, policy dialogues, and defence technology. The Agreement will further enhance regional stability by supporting the continued security presence of the United States in
Southeast AsiaManila
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Yangon
Bandung
Hanoi
Surabaya
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Medan|-|}...
.
Both Lee and Bush agree that US presence in Southeast Asia has promoted peace and stability, which are crucial for regional cooperation and economic development.
During their meeting, both Bush and Lee acknowledged the progress in the war on terror. Lee commended Bush's 'resolute and steadfast stance in the war on terror' and expressed Singapore’s continued support in this endeavour. In exchange, Bush commended the professionalism of the Singapore Armed Forces personnel, who have been deployed in support of Iraq operations over the past two years and of the Singapore Police Force, which has provided critically important training. Both Bush and Lee also pledged to sustain the close cooperation between the United States and Singapore in key regional and global multilateral institutions.
Controversy
On July 10, 2004, Lee visited
TaiwanTaiwan , also known as Formosa , is the largest island of the Republic of China in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China...
, causing displeasure in the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
. On August 28, 2004 in his maiden National Day Rally speech, he criticized the Taiwanese leadership and populace of overestimating the support they would receive if they were to declare
Taiwan independenceTaiwan independence is a political movement whose goal is primarily to create an independent and sovereign Republic of Taiwan out of the lands currently governed by the Republic of China and claimed by the People's Republic of China .This movement is supported by the Pan-Green Coalition in Taiwan...
. At the same time, he also clarified during the rally that his visit to Taiwan in July was to ensure he gather enough intelligence to make right decisions when he took over the baton as Prime Minister. He reiterated his support for the One-China policy. Later that year in September, Foreign Minister
George YeoGeorge Yong-Boon Yeo is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs....
cautioned the
United Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:*General Assembly members*General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
about the dangers of letting the cross-strait relationship deteriorate. In response, an enraged
TaiwanTaiwan , also known as Formosa , is the largest island of the Republic of China in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China...
Foreign Minister,
Mark ChenMark Tang-shan Chen , born September 16, 1935, in Tainan, Taiwan, is a Taiwanese politician, former Secretary-General of the Office of the President of the Republic of China under ex-President Chen Shui-bian. He was also previously Foreign Minister of the ROC from 2004 to 2006...
, called Singapore a "
Pi-Sai Country", translated literally from Hokkien (Minnan), it means a "country no bigger than a snot". The Taiwanese Foreign Minister later made a formal apology.
In 2005, Lee made a remark regarding Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumiis a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
visit to
Yasukuni Shrineis a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the kami of soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the...
, stating that
from the point of view of many countries in the region who have experienced Japanese occupation, it raises many unhappy memories. His remark drew public demonstrations outside Singapore embassy in Japan on May 24, 2005 with protestors criticising Lee for "meddling" with Japanese issues.
In November 2005, Singapore had a diplomatic row with Australia over the imminent execution of Australian drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van. In one incident, then Australian Prime Minister
John HowardJohn Winston Howard, AC was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He is the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
and his government were upset when Lee failed to inform Howard the scheduled date of the execution during their meeting at the APEC summit even though Nguyen's mother was already informed of the date. Appeals for clemency by Australian government and Nguyen's lawyer were turned down. Singapore did however grant an exception to allow Nguyen's mother to hold his hands (but not hug him) following a personal appeal by Howard. Nguyen was later executed on December 2, 2005.
Defamation judgment
On September 24, 2008, High Court, in a summary judgement by
JusticeJustice is the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, fairness, or equity.-Concept of justice:Justice... concerns the proper ordering of things and persons within a society. As a concept it has been subject to philosophical, legal, and theological reflection and...
Woo Bih LiJustice Woo Bih Li is a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore.Justice Woo received his LL.B. from the University of Singapore in 1977, and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court the following year. He joined the law firm Allen & Gledhill in 1970 and in 1992, he established...
, ruled that the
Far Eastern Economic ReviewThe Far Eastern Economic Review was an English language Asian news magazine started in 1946. It printed its final issue in December 2009. The Hong Kong-based business magazine was originally published weekly...
(FEER) magazine-Hugo Restall, editor, defamed
Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan Yew, Honorary GCMG, Honorary CH is a former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore...
and his son,
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
Lee Hsien Loong. The court found the 2006 article "Singapore's 'Martyr':
Chee Soon JuanDr. Chee Soon Juan is the Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party .Chee is a neuropsychologist and received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1990. He joined SDP in 1992 and became the Secretary-General of SDP, replacing founder Chiam See Tong who left to join the Singapore...
" meant that Lee Kuan Yew "has been running and continues to run Singapore in the same corrupt manner as Durai operated NKF and he has been using libel actions to suppress those who would question to avoid exposure of his corruption." FEER has 30 days to appeal. The court sentenced FEER publisher and editor, owned by
Dow Jones & CompanyDow Jones & Company is an American publishing and financial information firm.The company was founded in 1882 by three reporters: Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser. Like The New York Times and the Washington Post, the company was in recent years publicly traded but privately...
(in turn owned by
Rupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC , usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-born American global media mogul. He owns media outlets and is a major shareholder, chairman and managing director of News Corporation ....
's News Corp), to pay
damagesIn law, damages are money claimed by, or ordered to be paid to, a person as compensation for loss or injury Black's Law Dictionary.- Compensatory damages :...
to complainants.
Salary
Lee Hsien Loong currently earns an annual salary of S$3,870,000 (US$ 2,856,930 ) , an increase of 25% from S$3,091,200 (US$2,037,168), making him the highest paid head of government in the world. In comparison, the
President of the United StatesThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
earns a salary of US$400,000. The new salary of S$3.8 million took effect in January 2008.
Honours
- Orden El Sol del Perú en el grado de Gran Cruz con Brillantes (Order of the Sun - Peru), bestowed 22 November 2008.
Electoral record
| Election |
Seats |
Voters |
Party |
Candidate(s) |
Votes |
Votes % |
| Electoral record of Lee Hsien Loong (Teck Ghee) |
| Singapore general election, 1984 |
1 |
16,866 |
PAP |
Lee Hsien Loong |
12,794 |
80.38 |
| UPF |
Giam Lai Cheng |
3,123 |
19.62 |
| Singapore general election, 1988 |
1 |
15,510 |
PAP |
Lee Hsien Loong |
11,512 |
79.13 |
| INDP |
Patrick Leong |
3,037 |
20.87 |
| Election |
Seats |
Voters |
Party |
Candidate(s) |
Votes |
Votes (%) |
| Electoral record for Lee Hsien Loong (Ang Mo Kio GRC) |
| Singapore general election, 1991 |
4 |
74,004 |
PAP |
Lau Ping Sum
Lee Hsien Loong
Umar Abdul Hamid
Yeo Toon Chia |
Walkover |
Walkover |
Singapore general election, 1997The 1997 Singapore parliamentary election was an election in Singapore which was held on 2 January 1997. 765,332 out of the eligible 1.8 million voters have voted and selected their next government...
|
5 |
125,344 |
PAP |
Inderjit Singh
Lee Hsien Loong
Seng Han Thong
Tan Boon Wan
Tang Guan Seng |
Walkover |
Walkover |
Singapore general election, 2001The Singapore parliamentary general elections of 2001 were held on 3 November. The People's Action Party, the incumbent ruling party, won 82 out of 84 seats in the election, including 55 walkovers...
|
6 |
166,644 |
PAP |
Inderjit Singh
Lee Hsien Loong
Seng Han Thong
Tan Boon Wan
Sadasivan BalajiBalaji Sadasivan is an Indian Singaporean politician and the current Chairman of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. As of 2007, he serves as the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Information, Communications and the Arts.In March 2008, PM Lee Hsien Loong reshuffled...
Wee Siew KimWee Siew Kim is a current Member of the Parliament of Singapore in the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency since 2001, representing the current ruling People's Action Party. He is currently serving his second term after winning in the 2006 general elections...
|
Walkover |
Walkover |
Singapore general election, 2006The 2006 Singapore parliamentary general election was held on 6 May 2006. 1.22 million out of the 2.16 million eligible Singaporeans voted for Members of Parliament and elected their next government. The People's Action Party won 66.6% of the overall votes and gained 82 out of 84 seats. The PAP...
|
6 |
159,838 |
PAP |
Inderjit Singh
Lam Pin MinDr. Lam Pin Min is a Singaporean Member of Parliament who represents Ang Mo Kio GRC. He is currently the Adviser for Sengkang West Division, which encompasses Anchorvale and Fernvale of Sengkang New Town, of the GRC....
Lee Bee Wah
Lee Hsien Loong
Sadasivan BalajiBalaji Sadasivan is an Indian Singaporean politician and the current Chairman of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. As of 2007, he serves as the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Information, Communications and the Arts.In March 2008, PM Lee Hsien Loong reshuffled...
Wee Siew KimWee Siew Kim is a current Member of the Parliament of Singapore in the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency since 2001, representing the current ruling People's Action Party. He is currently serving his second term after winning in the 2006 general elections...
|
96,636 |
66.14 |
| WP |
Abdul Salim Bin Harun
Gopal Krishnan
Han Su May
Lee Wai Leng
Tan Kian Hwee Melvin
Yaw Shin LeongYaw Shin Leong is currently the Organising Secretary of The Workers' Party of Singapore.In 2006 Singapore Parliamentary General Election, Shin Leong was Candidate and Leader of The Workers' Party's Ang Mo Kio Group Representative Constituency Team that secured more than one-third of the votes...
|
49,479 |
33.86 |
Further reading
Interviews
External links