Lui Tuck Yew

Lui Tuck Yew (Chinese: 吕德耀; pinyin: Lǚ Déyào; born 16 August 1961)[1] is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as the Singapore Ambassador to China since 2019. He was previously the Singapore Ambassador to Japan, serving from 2017 to 2019.[2]

Lui Tuck Yew
吕德耀
Lui in 2010
Singapore Ambassador to China
Assumed office
31 October 2019
MinisterVivian Balakrishnan
Preceded byStanley Loh Ka Leung
Singapore Ambassador to Japan
In office
1 June 2017  31 October 2019
MinisterVivian Balakrishnan
Preceded byChin Siat Yoon
Succeeded byPeter Tan Hai Chuan
Second Minister for Defence
In office
8 April 2015  11 August 2015
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byChan Chun Sing
Minister for Transport
In office
21 May 2011  30 September 2015
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byRaymond Lim
Succeeded byKhaw Boon Wan
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Moulmein–Kallang GRC
(Moulmein)
In office
7 May 2011  24 August 2015
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts
In office
1 November 2010  20 May 2011
Acting: 1 April 2009 – 31 October 2010
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Preceded byLee Boon Yang
Succeeded byYaacob Ibrahim
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Tanjong Pagar GRC
(Moulmein)
In office
7 May 2006  18 April 2011
Preceded byKhaw Boon Wan
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1961-08-16) 16 August 1961[1]
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Spouse(s)Soo Fen
Children2
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Tufts University
Military service
Branch/serviceRepublic of Singapore Navy
Years of service1979–2003
RankRear-Admiral
CommandsChief of Navy (1999–2003)

During Lui's political career, he was a member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and an elected Member of Parliament representing the Moulmein ward of Tanjong Pagar GRC (2006–2011) and later Moulmein–Kallang GRC (2011–2015). He also held the Cabinet positions of Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (2009–2011), Minister for Transport (2011–2015), and Second Minister for Defence (2015) before retiring from politics just before the 2015 general election.[3]

Prior to entering politics in the 2006 general election, Lui had served in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and had been the Chief of Navy between 1999 and 2003, holding the rank of two-star rear-admiral.[4]

Education

Lui was educated at Anglo-Chinese Primary School (Canning Rise) (1968-1973), Anglo-Chinese Secondary School (Barker Road) (1973-1977) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (Rochester Park) (1978-1979), before receiving a Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge, where he read the Natural Sciences Tripos (Chemistry) in Trinity College and graduated in 1983. In 1994, he completed a Master of Arts in international relations at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.[5]

Career

Lui began his career in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). He became the Chief of Navy in 1999. He left the RSN in 2003 to join the Administrative Service, and was appointed the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA). In 2004, he became the Deputy Secretary (Land) at the Ministry of Transport, while continuing to serve concurrently as CEO of the MPA. In 2005, Lui was appointed the CEO of the Housing and Development Board.

Political career

At the 2006 general election, Lui was elected to Parliament as a Member of the People's Action Party (PAP) team in the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC). He was re-elected to Parliament at the 2011 General Election, this time in Moulmein–Kallang GRC.

Lui was appointed a Minister of State at the Ministry of Education on 30 May 2006. On 1 April 2008, he became the Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. He was made the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts on 1 April 2009, and became a full member of the Cabinet in 2010 and was appointed Second Minister for Transport assisting Raymond Lim.

Lui (left), in his capacity as Minister for Transport, presenting the "Partner of the Year" award to Paul Daff, Acting CEO of Jetstar Asia Airways, at the Changi Airlines Awards ceremony in Singapore on 10 May 2012

After the 2011 general election, Lui was appointed the Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs.[6] He relinquished his portfolio in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 1 August 2012, and remains the Minister for Transport.

During his tenure as Minister for Transport, Lui defended the privatization of the public transport system,[7] explaining that if public transport were to be nationalised, operators would be dependent on government funding as well as operate on a cost recovery basis.[8] This he added, would not spur them to lower transport costs. Lui is adamant that the companies remain financially viable[9] by approving yearly fare hikes.

2011 general election

In the 2011 general election, Lui was a PAP candidate in the newly created Moulmein–Kallang GRC, which included his Moulmein ward (which had previously been part of Tanjong Pagar GRC). The PAP team defeated the team from the Workers' Party by 44,828 votes (58.56%) to 31,721 (41.44%).[10]

On 11 August 2015, Lui announced his departure from politics after serving for nine years.[3] Together with former cabinet ministers Wong Kan Seng, Mah Bow Tan and Raymond Lim, they stepped down from politics after the 2015 General Elections. Lui acknowledged the criticisms against him as a result of handling the Transportation portfolio, and said, "In politics, you need a tender heart and a thick skin, not a hard heart and thin skin. I think my heart, my skin, like all my body parts, are fine."[11]

Diplomatic career

On 1 June 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Lui as Singapore's ambassador to Japan.[12][13]

Lui is appointed as Singapore's ambassador to People's Republic of China as of November 2019.[14][15]

Personal life

Lui is married to Soo Fen. They have two children.[16]

References

  1. "Biographical Summary".
  2. Lydia Lam (2 June 2017). "Lui Tuck Yew appointed Singapore's ambassador to Japan". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. "Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew will not contest coming General Election". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  4. Chan Kairen (27 March 2003). "Change of command parades for Army, Navy chiefs". Cyberpioneer. Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  5. "Singapore" (PDF). Singapore Embassy Publication. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 8 April 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  6. "PM Lee announces sweeping changes to Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  7. "Nationalised transport system has its downsides: Minister Lui". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  8. "Public Transport Fares".
  9. "Oral Reply by Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew to Parliamentary Question on Fare Increments". Archived from the original on 9 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. "PAP wins Moulmein–Kallang GRC". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  11. Almenoar, Maria. "Lui Tuck Yew on comments in support of him: 'Like obituaries, eulogies without the flowers'". The Straits Times. No. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  12. Lui Tuck Yew appointed Singapore's ambassador to Japan, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times Archived 10 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine - 2 June 2017
  13. "Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Tokyo". Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  14. "Appointment of Ambassador to the People's Republic of China". www.mfa.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  15. hermes (1 November 2019). "Lui Tuck Yew appointed Singapore's Ambassador to China". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  16. "MR Lui Tuck Yew". prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
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