Lim Swee Say
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Lim Swee Say | |
|---|---|
林瑞生 | |
 | |
| Minister for Manpower | |
| In office 4 May 2015 – 30 April 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Tan Chuan-Jin |
| Succeeded by | Josephine Teo |
| Constituency | East Coast GRC (Bedok) (2011) |
| Minister in the Prime Minister's Office | |
| In office 12 August 2004 – 3 May 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Succeeded by | Chan Chun Sing |
| Second Minister for National Development | |
| In office 12 August 2004 – 29 May 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister for the Environment | |
| In office 23 November 2001 – 11 August 2004 Acting:1 October 2000-22 November 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for East Coast GRC (Bedok) | |
| In office 7 May 2011 – 23 June 2020 | |
| Preceded by | S. Jayakumar |
| Succeeded by | Heng Swee Keat |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC (Buona Vista) Tanjong Pagar GRC (Buona Vista)(1996-2001) Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC (Buona Vista) (2001-2006) | |
| In office 23 December 1996 – 27 April 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Himself (Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC-Buona Vista) |
| Succeeded by | Chan Chun Sing (Tanjong Pagar GRC-Buona Vista) |
| Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress | |
| In office 15 October 2007 – 3 May 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Lim Boon Heng |
| Succeeded by | Chan Chun Sing |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 July 1954 Singapore |
| Political party | People's Action Party (1996) |
| Spouse(s) | Elaine Cheong Siew Boon
(m. 1981; died 2021) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Loughborough University Stanford University |
Lim Swee Say, (Chinese: 林瑞生; pinyin: Lín Ruìshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Sūi-seⁿ, born 13 July 1954) is a Singaporean former politician. He retired from politics on 23 June 2020.
A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he stepped down as Minister for Manpower on 30 April 2018. He previously served as the Minister for the Environment from 23 November 2001 to 11 August 2004, as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office from 12 August 2004 to 30 September 2015, and as the Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) from 2005 to 2015. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 23 December 1996 to 23 June 2020 for almost 24 years.
Early career[]
Lim served at Singapore's National Computer Board as Chief Executive from 1986 to 1991, and as Chairman from 1994 to 1998. He also served at the Economic Development Board (EDB) as Deputy Managing Director based in New York City from 1991 to 1993, and as Managing Director from 1994 to 1996.
Political career[]
Early political career[]
At the 1997 general election, Lim was a PAP candidate in the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (Tanjong Pagar GRC), led by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and was elected in a walkover. He was on the PAP's team in Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC at the 2001 general election, and in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC at the 2006 general election, and was elected unopposed on both occasions. At the 2011 general election, Lim stood in East Coast GRC, where the PAP's team defeated the team from the opposition Workers' Party by 59,992 votes (54.8%) to 49,429 (45.2%).
Lim served as Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) from 1997 to 1999. He also served on the Committee on Singapore's Competitiveness from 1997 to 1998, and chaired its Sub-committee on Manpower Development.
In 1999, Lim was appointed a Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.
Lim was made a member of the PAP's Central Executive Committee in 1999 and served as the Chairman of the Young PAP (the party's youth wing) from 2000 to 2004.
Lim was made the Acting Minister for the Environment on 1 October 2000. He became a full member of the Cabinet on 23 November 2001.
Minister in Prime Minister's Office (2004-2015)[]
On 12 August 2004, Lim was appointed a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. He also served as the Second Minister for National Development from 12 August 2004 to 29 May 2006.
In 2005, Lim became the Deputy Secretary-General of the NTUC for the second time (while continuing to serve concurrently as a Minister without portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office). In 2007, he was made the Secretary-General of the NTUC.
In 2014, Lim appeared on Singapore's Mediacorp Channel 8 episode "Hear Me Out", to respond to the criticisms against him and clarify himself on a few topics such as his Zorro costume, "Cheaper Better Faster", "Better, Betterer, Betterest", "Deaf Frog" and why Singapore implements Progressive Wage Model instead of minimum wage.
Minister for Manpower (2015 - 2018)[]
On 4 May 2015, Lim relinquished his post of Minister in Prime Minister's Office and NTUC secretary-general (in line with the NTUC's retirement policies) and was appointed the Minister for Manpower.[1]
Lim retired from the cabinet on 1 May 2018, with his Manpower portfolio succeeded to Josephine Teo.[2] On 5 May, Lim was awarded the Distinguished Comrade of Labour during the May Day Awards ceremony, which was presented by former NTUC secretary-general (now the Minister of Trade & Industry) Chan Chun Sing.[3]
Retirement from politics[]
In 2020, Lim would be retiring from politics, and not stand for the 2020 Singaporean general election and was succeeded by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.[4]
Post-political career[]
Lim was appointed as a non-executive independent director in Singtel in 2021.[5]
Education[]
Lim was educated in Catholic High School and National Junior College, before being awarded a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Scholarship in 1973 to study in the United Kingdom at Loughborough University.
In 1976, he graduated with first class honours in electronics, computer and systems engineering.
In 1991, Lim completed a master's degree in Management at Stanford University.
Personal life[]
Lim was married to Elaine Cheong Siew Boon in 1981, a relationship that was introduced by a mutual friend. The couple had one daughter (Shu Ming) and one son (Wen Zhe). He is a Roman Catholic and attends Church of the Holy Spirit in Upper Thomson, Singapore.
Cheong died on 6 July 2021, after battling stage 4 cancer since 2017.[6][7]
References[]
- ^ Labour chief Lim Swee Say to be Manpower Minister; Chan Chun Sing to be new labour chief Archived 2015-09-14 at the Wayback Machine. The Straits Times, 8 April 2015.
- ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Chan Chun Sing to lead MTI; Heng Swee Keat stays at MOF, Ong Ye Kung to head MOE". Archived from the original on 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
- ^ hermesauto (5 May 2018). "Top labour award for former Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say". Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ hermesauto (2020-06-30). "Singapore GE2020: Heng Swee Keat to helm East Coast GRC in election". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ Wee, Rae (1 June 2021). "Singtel appoints ex-manpower minister Lim Swee Say as non-executive director". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Lim Swee Say's wife Elaine Cheong Siew Boon passes away aged 69". July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ "前部长林瑞生的夫人逝世" (in Chinese). July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
External links[]
- Lim Swee Say at cabinet.gov.sg
- Lim Swee Say at parliament.gov.sg
| show Member of multiple Parliaments of Singapore |
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- Members of the Cabinet of Singapore
- Members of the Parliament of Singapore
- People's Action Party politicians
- Stanford University alumni
- National Junior College alumni
- Catholic High School, Singapore alumni
- Alumni of Loughborough University
- Singaporean people of Teochew descent
- 1954 births
- Living people
- Environment ministers of Singapore
- Singaporean trade unionists
- Ministers for Manpower of Singapore