Matthias Yao Chih
Encyclopedia
Matthias Yao Chih is a former politician
from Singapore
. A member of the governing People's Action Party
(PAP), he was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1991 to 2011 representing the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency
(1991–97) and the MacPherson Single Member Constituency
(1997–2011). He served in various political offices including Senior Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office
, Mayor
of the South East District of Singapore, and Deputy Speaker
of Parliament
.
before he entered politics. He served as the Deputy Director (Police and Security) at the Ministry of Home Affairs
from 1980–81, and the Deputy Director (Planning) at the Ministry of Finance
's Public Service Division from 1982-84. From 1984-86, he served at the Ministry of Community Development
as the Deputy Directory (Community Relations) and Head of the Feedback Unit. He was the Deputy Director (Public Communications) at the Ministry of Communications and Information
from 1986-88.
In 1988, Yao became the Political Secretary to Goh Chok Tong
, who was then Singapore's First Deputy Prime Minister.
Yao was elected to Parliament at the 1991 general election as an MP for the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency. He remained part of the PAP's team at the Marine Parade by-election
in 1992, and was re-elected.
Yao was made a Parliamentary Secretary
at the Ministry of Defence in 1991. In 1994, he was promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of National Development
.
In 1994, Yao was publicly challenged by the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party
(SDP), Chee Soon Juan
, to stand against him in a single member constituency
at the next general election. This happened following a series of letters which Yao and Chee wrote to The Straits Times
. Chee had initially written to the newspaper to respond to criticisms that Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
had made of his book Dare to Change, and Yao then responded in his capacity as the PAP's Second Organising Secretary. This led to a two month long exchange of letters between the pair that were published in the paper, which ended with Chee issuing his challenge to Yao. At Yao's request, Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong agreed to separate Yao's MacPherson ward from the rest of the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency at the next general election so that Yao could take up Chee's challenge. At the 1997 general election, Yao defeated Chee by 12,546 votes (65.1%) to 6,713 (34.9%). Yao has remained the MP for MacPherson since then, having been re-elected at the 2001 and 2006 general elections.
After the 1997 general election, Yao was made a Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence
. In 1999, he became a Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office. He was promoted to Senior Minister of State in 2001. During his time at the Prime Minister's office, Yao also served as the Deputy Secretary General of the National Trades Union Congress
(NTUC).
In 2004, Yao left the Prime Minister's Office to become the Mayor of the South East District of Singapore. He remained an MP, and was made a Deputy Speaker of Parliament in 2006.
Prior to the 2011 general election, Yao announced that he was retiring from politics and would not be standing as a candidate. His MacPherson ward was subsumed back into the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency for the election, and responsibility for the ward was taken over by Tin Pei Ling
, who Yao had previously mentored.
. In 1975, he was awarded a Singapore Armed Forces
Overseas Merit Scholarship to study at the University of Birmingham
, where he graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)
degree.
and golf
.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. A member of the governing People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP), he was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1991 to 2011 representing the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency
Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency
Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency is a six-member Group Representation Constituency located in the central, eastern and north-eastern areas of Singapore. The constituency consists of a section of Bedok, Chai Chee, Geylang, Kaki Bukit, Kallang, Kembangan, Marine Parade, Mountbatten,...
(1991–97) and the MacPherson Single Member Constituency
MacPherson Single Member Constituency
MacPherson Single Member Constituency was a Single Member Constituency located in central area of Singapore, which had existed from 1968 to 1991 , and from 1997 to 2011 .The ward consists of...
(1997–2011). He served in various political offices including Senior Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister's Office (Singapore)
The Prime Minister's Office is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that handles the ministries and other political matters that are of great importance to the nation, such as corruption and elections. It is headed by the Prime Minister and his top political staff...
, Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the South East District of Singapore, and Deputy Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
.
Career
A Chinese Singaporean, Yao was a civil servantCivil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
before he entered politics. He served as the Deputy Director (Police and Security) at the Ministry of Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore)
The Ministry of Home Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for public safety, civil defence and immigration. It is also known as the Home Team. It is headed by the Minister for Home Affairs....
from 1980–81, and the Deputy Director (Planning) at the Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance (Singapore)
The Ministry of Finance , is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for administering and regulating financial institutions and structures of the economy of Singapore. It is headed by the Minister for Finance...
's Public Service Division from 1982-84. From 1984-86, he served at the Ministry of Community Development
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports is a ministry of the Government of Singapore tasked with, from the government's point of view, building a "cohesive and resilient" society in Singapore.The MCYS often pursues vigorous social engineering campaigns of varying effectiveness and...
as the Deputy Directory (Community Relations) and Head of the Feedback Unit. He was the Deputy Director (Public Communications) at the Ministry of Communications and Information
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is a ministry of the Government of Singapore...
from 1986-88.
In 1988, Yao became the Political Secretary to Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
, who was then Singapore's First Deputy Prime Minister.
Yao was elected to Parliament at the 1991 general election as an MP for the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency. He remained part of the PAP's team at the Marine Parade by-election
Singaporean by-election, 1992
-Background and historical significance:This was the first and only by election in a Group Representation Constituency held in Singapore on 19 December 1992 with the nomination day set at 9 December 1992...
in 1992, and was re-elected.
Yao was made a Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
at the Ministry of Defence in 1991. In 1994, he was promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of National Development
Ministry of National Development (Singapore)
The Ministry of National Development is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to land use planning and infrastructure development...
.
In 1994, Yao was publicly challenged by the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party
Singapore Democratic Party
The Singapore Democratic Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.The party was founded in 1980 by Chiam See Tong, who as Secretary-General became the party's first Member of Parliament in 1984 when he was elected as MP for Potong Pasir...
(SDP), Chee Soon Juan
Chee Soon Juan
Chee Soon Juan, PhD is a politician and political activist from Singapore. He is currently the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party ....
, to stand against him in a single member constituency
Constituencies of Singapore
Constituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies are classified as either single member or group representation constituencies...
at the next general election. This happened following a series of letters which Yao and Chee wrote to The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
. Chee had initially written to the newspaper to respond to criticisms that Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
had made of his book Dare to Change, and Yao then responded in his capacity as the PAP's Second Organising Secretary. This led to a two month long exchange of letters between the pair that were published in the paper, which ended with Chee issuing his challenge to Yao. At Yao's request, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Goh Chok Tong agreed to separate Yao's MacPherson ward from the rest of the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency at the next general election so that Yao could take up Chee's challenge. At the 1997 general election, Yao defeated Chee by 12,546 votes (65.1%) to 6,713 (34.9%). Yao has remained the MP for MacPherson since then, having been re-elected at the 2001 and 2006 general elections.
After the 1997 general election, Yao was made a Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Singapore)
The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces...
. In 1999, he became a Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office. He was promoted to Senior Minister of State in 2001. During his time at the Prime Minister's office, Yao also served as the Deputy Secretary General of the National Trades Union Congress
National Trades Union Congress
The National Trades Union Congress , also known as the Singapore National Trades Union Congress , is the sole national trade union centre in Singapore...
(NTUC).
In 2004, Yao left the Prime Minister's Office to become the Mayor of the South East District of Singapore. He remained an MP, and was made a Deputy Speaker of Parliament in 2006.
Prior to the 2011 general election, Yao announced that he was retiring from politics and would not be standing as a candidate. His MacPherson ward was subsumed back into the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency for the election, and responsibility for the ward was taken over by Tin Pei Ling
Tin Pei Ling
Tin Pei Ling is a Chinese Singaporean who is one of five Singapore People's Action Party Members of Parliament for the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency. She is in charge of the MacPherson ward....
, who Yao had previously mentored.
Education
Yao had his early education at St Anthony's Boys' School, St Joseph's Institution and National Junior CollegeNational Junior College
National Junior College is the first junior college established by the Ministry Of Education, located in Bukit Timah, Singapore. It is considered as one of the top five junior colleges in Singapore. NJC offers a two-year course for pre-university students leading up to the GCE 'A' Levels...
. In 1975, he was awarded a Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic 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...
Overseas Merit Scholarship to study at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, where he graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
degree.
Personal and family life
Yao is married with two children. His personal interests include reading, joggingJogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.