Chew Swee Kee

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Chew Swee Kee
周瑞麒
1st Minister of Education
In office
6 April 1955 – February 1959
Chief MinisterDavid Marshall
Lim Yew Hock
Preceded byNewly Created
Succeeded byLim Yew Hock
Personal details
Born(1918-05-15)15 May 1918
Gopeng, Malaya
DiedDecember 1985 (Age 67)
Singapore
NationalitySingaporean
Political partyLabour Front (1954-1959)
Alma mater
Anglo-Chinese School
ProfessionPolitician

Chew Swee Kee (Chinese: 周瑞麒; pinyin: Zhōu Ruìqí; 15 May 1918 – December 1985) was a Singaporean politician.[1] A member of the political party Labour Front, Chew served as Minister of Education from 1955 to around 1959.

Early life[]

Chew was born 15 May 1918, in Gopeng, Malaya. He attended Chung Wah Chinese School and Anglo-Chinese School.[2]

Career[]

Chew was a member of the Labour Front, a Singapore-based political party.[2] He was given the role of Minister of Education following the victory of the Labour Front in the 1955 Legislative Elections.[2] He was also acting Chief Minister[3] and chairman of the All-Party Committee of the Singapore Legislative Assembly.[4]

He became the Labour Front's president in around 1957.[2] In 1958, the Labour Front joined with the Liberal Socialist Party to form the Singapore People's Alliance.[5]

Early in 1959, Communications and Works Minister and Secretary General of the Labour Front, Francis Thomas, received evidence of corruption on Chew. Chew was alleged to have received US$700,000 to $800,000 from an unrevealed donor in New York City as a "political gift".[5][6][7] Secretary General of the Labour Front, Francis Thomas, learnt of the gift. After discussing with Gerald de Cruz, Organizing Secretary, and Arthur Lim, Assistant Secretary General, he reported it to Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock.

However, Lim dismissed the concern and then, Thomas passed the information to Lee Kuan Yew of the opposition Peoples Action Party.[8] Lee tabled a motion in the Legislative Assembly on 17 February, forcing Chew to resign.[9]

Chew promptly stepped down from his post on 4 March 1959.[6][10] The incident is credited for causing the downfall of the Singapore People's Alliance.[6]

Personal life[]

Chew became a Singapore citizen in November 1957.[11] He was married[12] and had four daughters and one son. He headed the Ipoh ACS Alumni Association from 1962 to 1964.[13]

Chew owned a tin mine located in Ipoh, Malaysia, which he purchased for $350,000.[14]

Death[]

Chew died of myocardial infarction in December 1985.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "Portrait of Mr. Chew Swee Kee, Minister for Education - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  2. ^ a b c d e Corfield, Justin (2010). Historical Dictionary of Singapore. Scarecrow Press. pp. 55–. ISBN 9780810873872.
  3. ^ "X-Ray Club". The Straits Times. April 15, 1956. pp. 11–.
  4. ^ Hong, Lysa; Huang, Jianli (2008). The Scripting of a National History: Singapore and Its Pasts. NUS Press. pp. 256–. ISBN 9789971694333.
  5. ^ a b Wong, Kan Seng (May 22, 2000). "2nd Reading Speech by Minister for Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng". Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Lee 2008, p. 153.
  7. ^ Fernandez, George J. (1992). Successful Singapore: A Tiny Nation's Saga from Founder to Accomplisher. SSMB. pp. 191–. ISBN 9789971981815.
  8. ^ "Arthur Lim", Leaders of Singapore, WORLD SCIENTIFIC, pp. 273–282, 2015-06-17, doi:10.1142/9789814719445_0037, retrieved 2022-01-04
  9. ^ Yap, Sonny (2010). Men in white : the untold story of Singapore's ruling political party. Richard Lim, Weng Kam Leong (2nd ed.). Singapore: Straits Times Press. ISBN 978-981-4266-51-2. OCLC 458476214.
  10. ^ Quah, Jon S.T. (2011). Curbing Corruption in Asian Countries: An Impossible Dream?. Emerald. pp. 218–. ISBN 9780857248206.
  11. ^ "Chew Takes the Oath of Allegiance As He Becomes Colony Citizen". The Straits Times. November 7, 1957. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Untitled article". The Singapore Free Press. April 14, 1956. p. 3.
  13. ^ "The Roll of Presidents". The Ipoh ACS Alumni Association. Archived from the original on August 12, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  14. ^ de Cruz, Gerald (1993). Rojak Rebel: Memoirs of a Singapore Maverick. Times Books International. ISBN 9789812044037.

Bibliography[]

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