Lim Swee Say

Lim Swee Say (Chinese: 林瑞生; pinyin: Lín Ruìshēng; born 1954)[1] is a retired Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was a Member of Parliament representing the Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) of Tanjong Pagar (1997–2001), Holland–Bukit Panjang (2001–2006) Holland–Bukit Timah (2006–2011) and East Coast (2011–2020) at different points in time throughout his political career. He held positions in the Cabinet from 2000 to 2018, including Minister for the Environment (2000–2004), Second Minister for National Development (2004–2005), Minister in the Prime Minister's Office (2004–2015), and Minister for Manpower (2015–2018). He was also the secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress from 2005 to 2015.

Lim Swee Say
林瑞生
Lim in 2011
Minister for Manpower
In office
4 May 2015 – 30 April 2018
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byTan Chuan-Jin
Succeeded byJosephine Teo
ConstituencyEast Coast GRC
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office
In office
12 August 2004 – 3 May 2015
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Succeeded byChan Chun Sing
Second Minister for National Development
In office
12 August 2004 – 29 May 2006
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Minister for the Environment
In office
23 November 2001 – 11 August 2004
Acting: 1 October 2000 – 22 November 2001
Prime MinisterGoh Chok Tong
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for East Coast GRC
(Bedok)
In office
7 May 2011 – 23 June 2020
Preceded byS. Jayakumar
Succeeded byHeng 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 byHimself (Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC)
Succeeded byChan Chun Sing (Tanjong Pagar GRC)
Secretary-General of the
National Trades Union Congress
In office
15 October 2007 – 3 May 2015
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byLim Boon Heng
Succeeded byChan Chun Sing
Personal details
Born1954[1]
Colony of Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Spouse(s)
Elaine Cheong Siew Boon
​
​
(m. 1981; died 2021)​
Children2
Alma materLoughborough University
Stanford University
In this Chinese name, the family name is Lim.

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 (GRC), led by 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.[2]

Lim retired from the cabinet on 1 May 2018, with his Manpower portfolio succeeded to Josephine Teo.[3] On 5 May, Lim was awarded the Distinguished Comrade of Labour during the May Day Awards ceremony.[4]

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.[5]

Post-political career

Lim was appointed as a non-executive independent director in Singtel in 2021.[6]

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 and one son. 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.[7][8]

References
  1. Lee, Edwin (2008). Singapore: The Unexpected Nation. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 524. ISBN 9812307966.
  2. Labour chief Lim Swee Say to be Manpower Minister; Chan Chun Sing to be new labour chief Archived 14 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. The Straits Times, 8 April 2015.
  3. "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 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. 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.
  5. hermesauto (30 June 2020). "Singapore GE2020: Heng Swee Keat to helm East Coast GRC in election". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  6. Wee, Rae (1 June 2021). "Singtel appoints ex-manpower minister Lim Swee Say as non-executive director". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  7. "Lim Swee Say's wife Elaine Cheong Siew Boon passes away aged 69". 8 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  8. "前部长林瑞生的夫人逝世" (in Chinese). 8 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.