Indranee Rajah
The Honourable Indranee Thurai Rajah SC | |
---|---|
இந்திராணி ராஜா | |
![]() Indranee Rajah at the 2018 G20 Buenos Aires summit | |
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 1 May 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Preceded by | Chan Chun Sing (2015–2018) Josephine Teo (2017–2018) |
Constituency | Tanjong Pagar GRC |
Leader of the House | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 24 August 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Deputy | Zaqy Mohamad |
Preceded by | Grace Fu |
Second Minister for National Development | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 27 July 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Desmond Lee |
Preceded by | Desmond Lee |
Second Minister for Education | |
In office 1 May 2018 – 26 July 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Ong Ye Kung |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Maliki Osman |
Second Minister for Finance | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 1 May 2018 Serving with Lawrence Wong (2018–2021) | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Heng Swee Keat (2018–2021) Lawrence Wong (since 2021) |
Second Minister for Law | |
In office 1 May 2018 – 30 June 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | K. Shanmugam |
Succeeded by | Edwin Tong |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Finance | |
In office 1 October 2015 – 30 April 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Heng Swee Keat |
Preceded by | Josephine Teo |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Law | |
In office 1 November 2012 – 30 April 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Preceded by | Ho Peng Kee |
Succeeded by | Edwin Tong |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Education | |
In office 1 November 2012 – 30 September 2015 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Janil Puthucheary |
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC (Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru) | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 23 March 2015 | |
Preceded by | Lee Kuan Yew |
Majority | 32,470 (26.26%) |
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC (Tanglin-Cairnhill) | |
In office 4 November 2001 – 11 September 2015 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Singapore | 12 April 1963
Political party | People's Action Party (2001) |
Education | National University of Singapore |
Indranee Thurai Rajah SC (born 12 April 1963) is a Singaporean politician and former lawyer. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she was appointed in the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office , Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development and currently Leader of the House by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. She was elected as the People's Action Party Central Executive Committee member.
She has also been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Tanjong Pagar GRC for Tanjong Pagar - Tiong Bahru since 2001. She is the fourth woman to become a full Minister in Singapore's history after Lim Hwee Hua, Grace Fu and Josephine Teo.
Legal practice[]
Indranee began her legal career in 1987 with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. She joined Drew & Napier in 1988 and became a director of the firm in 1991. She was a litigator and had an active court practice as an advocate and solicitor, specialising in cross-border dispute resolution. She was appointed Senior Counsel by the Chief Justice of Singapore in January 2003.
Political career[]
Indranee served as a Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 2006 to 2011.
On 31 July 2012, Indranee was promoted to Senior Minister of State for Law and Education and formally assumed these positions on 1 November 2012.[1]
On 28 November 2013, it was announced that Indranee was heading a 12-member steering committee to provide strategic direction for the planned third law school in Singapore, including its admissions criteria, curriculum development and educational philosophy. Other notable members of this committee include Attorney-General's Chambers chief prosecutor Tai Wei Shyong and Chief District Judge See Kee Oon. Also on the list are senior counsels Amarjeet Singh and N. Sreenivasan, renowned criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan and leading family lawyer Foo Siew Fong. [2]
On 16 February 2016, Ms Indranee Rajah, the Law Ministry and the Singapore University of Social Sciences jointly held a press conference to announce the third Law School, known as the Singapore University of Social Sciences School of Law. It is expected to fill the shortfall in law practitioners in the areas of family and criminal law.[3]
On 28 September 2015, it was announced that Indranee will be the Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law from 1 October 2015.[4]
On 9 March 2018, Indranee made a renewed attack on Facebook against Workers' Party Sylvia Lim who voiced her suspicion on the PAP's government intention to raise GST in order to extract an apology. The public criticised Indranee and her fellow Ministers and MPs for hounding Lim and being narrow-minded, and supported Lim for asking a legitimate question on behalf of her constituency.[5]
On 1 May 2018, Indranee was promoted to full Minister. She was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Education. As a transition arrangement, she was also appointed Second Minister for Law until 30 June 2018 (when Edwin Tong became Senior Minister of State in the Ministry).[6]
Ms Indranee Rajah has been named Leader of the House for the 14th Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced in a statement on Thursday (20 Aug 2020).[7]
Education[]
Indranee was educated at Marymount Convent Primary School, Marymount Convent Secondary School[8] and Raffles Institution, before going on to the National University of Singapore, where she completed a Bachelor of Law (Honours) degree in 1986.
Personal life[]
Indranee is the daughter of the late A.T. Rajah, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police and former President of the Singapore National Olympic Council.[9] Her father was Hindu and her mother, an ethnic Chinese, was Anglican and she was raised in her mother's faith.[8]
References[]
- ^ "Singapore reshuffles Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ Sandra Davie (28 November 2013). "Top legal minds to help shape 3rd law school". The Straits Times (reproduced on Singapore Law Watch). Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
- ^ "Singapore's 3rd law school to focus on mid-career professionals". SUSS. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ "Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces Singapore's new Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. 28 September 2015. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ "Indranee Rajah Faces Backlash for Renewed Attack on Sylvia Lim over GST Hike "Test Balloons" Suspicion". 9 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "Changes to Cabinet and Other Appointments (Apr 2018)". Prime Minister's Office. 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Indranee Rajah named Leader of the House, Tan Chuan-Jin to be nominated again as Speaker of Parliament: PMO". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Long, Susan (28 March 2014). "Life lessons from my mother". Council for Third Age (C3A). Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "A.T. RAJAH (A NAME IN POLICE AND ATHLETICS) DIES IN HOSPITAL". The Straits Times. Courtesy of NewspaperSG. 16 September 1968. p. 9. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
External links[]
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- Indranee Rajah on Prime Minister's Office
- Indranee Rajah on Parliament of Singapore
- 1963 births
- Living people
- Members of the Parliament of Singapore
- National University of Singapore alumni
- People's Action Party politicians
- Singaporean lawyers
- Singaporean Anglicans
- Singaporean people of Chinese descent
- Singaporean people of Cantonese descent
- Singaporean people of Indian descent
- Singaporean people of Tamil descent
- Singaporean Senior Counsel
- Singaporean women in politics
- Singaporean Tamil politicians
- Women government ministers of Singapore
- Government ministers of Singapore