Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong (; born
February 10 1952) is the third
Prime Minister of
Singapore. He also serves as the
Minister for Finance. Lee Hsien Loong is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew and is married to
Ho Ching who is the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the government-owned
Temasek Holdings.
The eldest child of former-Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew and
Kwa Geok Choo, Lee was born in
Singapore on
February 10,
1952. In Lee Kuan Yew's biography, the young Lee had learned
Jawi since he was five, and has always been interested in the affairs of Singapore, often following his father to the rally grounds since 1963.
Lee received his secondary education at
Catholic High School and studied at
National Junior College subsequently. He studied mathematics at
Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1974 with First Class Honours in Mathematics and a Diploma in Computer Science. He subsequently obtained a
Master of Public Administration (MPA) from
Harvard University's
Kennedy School of Government in 1980.
Lee joined the
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1971 and rose quickly through the ranks becoming one of the youngest
brigadier general in Singapore's history. He retired from the military in 1984 to enter politics and was elected as a
Member of Parliament that year. Lee's first wife, Malaysian-born doctor
Wong Ming Yang, died in 1982 three weeks after giving birth. In 1985, Lee married
Ho Ching, a fast-rising civil servant. They have one daughter and three sons, including one daughter and son from Lee's first wife.
In 1992, Lee was diagnosed with
lymphoma. He underwent a three-month period of
chemotherapy and has since recovered.
Lee entered politics at the age of 32 in 1984. He was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defence in December 1984 by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, and was subsequently promoted to Acting Minister for Trade and Industry in 1986, and the Second Minister for Defence.
In February 1987, issues on ethnic relationships in Singapore surfaced when
Malaysian leaders asked the Members of Parliament why there were so few Malays holding key positions in the
SAF. Lee Hsien Loong, then Second Minister for Defence, stated that the SAF did not want its soldiers to be in a position where the loyalty of the soldiers might clash with racial and religious factors.
When
Goh Chok Tong became the
Prime Minister of Singapore on
November 28 1990, Lee became the
Deputy Prime Minister of
Singapore. He focused on economic and civil service matters and was concurrently serving as
Minister for Trade and Industry until 1992.
Lee was appointed Chairman of the
Monetary Authority of Singapore in 1998, and
Minister for Finance in 2001. During Lee's thirteen and a half years as Deputy Prime Minister, he exerted significant influence on Singapore's governance, especially in economic and social affairs.
To ease the growing budget deficit due to falling tax revenues from cuts in corporate and personal income taxes and other factors such as the
Iraq War and
Sars outbreak, Lee proposed on
August 29 2003 to raise the
GST from three percent to five percent, a change that took place in January 2004.
Lee also initiated several relaxation of requirement for the application of Singapore citizenship, especially in regards to foreign husbands of Singaporean women and foreign-born children of Singaporeans. The changes were made after repeated pleas for the change to be made by MPs and the Remaking Singapore Committee over the past years.
2004
On
August 12,
2004, Lee Hsien Loong succeeded
Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister, relinquishing his Chairmanship of the Monetary Authority of Singapore to Goh Chok Tong. Lee was sworn in by former Chief Justice
Yong Pung How at the
Istana, residence of the
President of Singapore.
Lee made his maiden "National Day Rally Speech'" on
August 12 2004. In his speech, Lee initiated the policy of the "Five-day work week", a plan that would remove a half-working day on Saturday. The plan took effect on
1 January,
2005.
Lee also proposed two-month paid maternity leaves for new-born's mothers and financial incentives to mothers who give birth to a fourth child. These policies were initiated in response to the declining birth rate that Singapore has experienced in recent years.
In November 2004, Lee sparked a national debate when he revealed a proposal to build two
Integrated Resorts (IRs) which are holiday resorts with casinos. In April 2005, despite substantial oppositions expressed by the public, Lee announced the decision to approve the proposal. The two IRs are to be built in
Marina Bay and
Sentosa. To limit the negative social impact of casino gambling, Lee suggested that safeguards be implemented, such as prohibiting minors from entering the casinos and charging a
SGD$100 entrance fee for Singaporeans and permanent residents or
SGD$2000 for a year long entrance fee.
2005
Lee sought security support on the
Straits of Malacca in the wake of pirate attacks on ships that pass through the
Strait of Malacca. Approximately 50,000 ships pass through the Straits each year. In response, Lee sought security assistance from neighbouring countries, including the US, at a meeting of defence ministers from around the world in Singapore June 3, 2005.
In 2005, Lee's cabinet oversaw the government response to the
dengue outbreak in Singapore. Lee himself was seen at his constituency in
Ang Mo Kio, inspecting possible mosquito breeding sites. He also visited homes, a market and a hawker centre in his Teck Ghee ward, handing out leaflets, bamboo pole covers and insecticide to residents. The activity was part of Lee's plan to reiterate Environment and Water Resources Minister
Yaacob Ibrahim's message to fight the spread of the
dengue virus.
Lee made his second National Day Rally speech on August 22, 2005 and mapped out the vision to remake Singapore and called on all Singaporeans to play their part. The vision encompasses how Singapore would look like in 2015. He proposed several changes to six major areas, which include:
1. City of the future
* A new downtown at Marina Bay with three gardens, a lake, one Integrated Resort and a first-class Business and Financial Centre. Plus a vibrant Orchard Road and bustling Bras Brasah and Bugis area.
2. R & D Driver for economy
* A new Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council to take the new economy to the next level. Chaired by PM Lee with DPM Tony Tan as deputy chairman.
* A new National Research Foundation headed by Dr Tan.
3. Service Culture
* A long-term national effort to raise service standards, to be led by Minister Raymond Lim.
4. Education
* Polytechnics will link up with specialised foreign universities in niche areas.
* Post-secondary education accounts for students to pay for their higher education.
* Changes in curriculum for students in Normal (Technical) stream to make it more interesting through group work, hands-on work and use of information technology.
5. Help for Low-Income
* Poorer families to get a housing grant in their CPF to help them buy HDB flats.
6. Health Care
* Age limit for medical insurance scheme Medishield to grow up from 80 to 85.
* Medisave use to become more flexible, for use at private hospital and Class A and B1 ward stays, plus major treatments in specialist outpatient clinics.
We've created a Singapore spirit. We're courageous but compassionate, we're confident, never complacent. It's a spirit which will hold us together as one united people, each one contributing to remaking our nation.
2006
In February 2006, Lee announced in parliament a S$2.6 billion bonus called the
Progress Package [
1]. The plan was to distribute budget surpluses accumulated from the past few years to adult Singaporeans in the form of cash to everyone, top-ups to the state pension savings for elders, rental and utilities rebates for those living in public housing, educational funds for school children from low-income families, and cash bonuses for low-wage workers above 40 and for those men who have completed National Service. The cash bonuses was distributed in early May 2006. Critics, especially members of the opposition, have slammed the Progress Package as a "vote-buying exercise" for the
Singapore parliamentary election held on 6 May 2006. In that election, Lee led the
People's Action Party to win 82 of the 84 seats, including 37 walkovers. Lee and his 6-member team won the
Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency with 66.1% of votes polled.
Foreign relations
;Relations with ChinaRelations with China have improved under Lee's administration. Smooth progress has been made in areas of trade, tourism and investment, which is not merely in accordance with the interest of the two countries, but promises to be further beneficial to the common development of the region. The China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) is responsible for promoting Sino-Singaporean co-operations.
During his meeting with vice-premier
Wu Yi in September 2005, Lee proposed the establishment of a China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone, which would achieve the goal of realizing US$50 billion in trade volume before 2010. In doing so, both agreed that relations between China and the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations should be elevated.
During his seven-day visit to China in late October 2005, the Prime Minister stressed the need of improving bilateral diplomatic relationships between ASEAN and China. Lee also urged leaders to focus on the next wave of growth in north-eastern China.
"It is a long-term commitment. There is no place in the world that you can go in and your money just grows on trees. Not in China."
; Relations with United States
|
Lee visits the United States in July 2005. |
Singapore has generally had a favourable relationship with the
USA. The growth of bilateral trade improved commercial and diplomatic ties between the two countries after the implementation of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the growth in bilateral trade has been evident, since the Free Trade Agreement became effective on January 1, 2004.
Lee made his inaugural visit to the United States, as Prime Minister of Singapore, between 6th July and 16 July, 2005. Several other ministers, notably the defence minister
Teo Chee Hean and foreign minister
George Yeo, accompanied Lee.
On July 12, 2005, President George W. Bush and Lee signed the "Strategic Framework Agreement between the United States of America and the Republic of Singapore for a Closer Cooperation Partnership in Defence and Security". The agreement was a natural step in the expansion of bilateral ties. President Bush and the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had first announced their intention to conclude this agreement in October 2003.
The intention of the agreement is to address common threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of
Weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which called for even closer cooperation between the United States and Singapore.
The agreement recognizes Singapore's role as a Major Security Cooperation Partner and will expand the scope of current cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, joint military exercises and training, policy dialogues, and defence technology. The Agreement will further enhance regional stability by supporting the continued security presence of the United States in
Southeast Asia.
Both Lee and Bush agree that US presence in Southeast Asia has promoted peace and stability, which are crucial for regional cooperation and economic development.
During their meeting, both Bush and Lee acknowledged the progress in the war on terror. Lee commended Bush's 'resolute and steadfast stance in the war on terror' and expressed Singapore's continued support in this endeavour. In exchange, Bush commended the professionalism of the Singapore Armed Forces personnel, who have been deployed in support of Iraq operations over the past two years and of the Singapore Police Force, which has provided critically important training. Both Bush and Lee also pledged to sustain the close cooperation between the United States and Singapore in key regional and global multilateral institutions.
As the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew, Lee's career has been shadowed by allegations of
nepotism. At the age of 32 he became the youngest Brigadier General in Singapore's history, and from a young age was widely tipped to be Lee Kuan Yew's successor as Prime Minister. When Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister to make way for his successor, Goh Chok Tong, several critics had seen him as a seat-warmer, but Lee Kuan Yew said he had disproved that. In his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew stressed that he could not have his son directly succeed him.
"It was better that someone else succeed me as Prime Minister. Then were Loong to make the grade later, it would be clear that he made it on his own merit."
However, such allegations by critics held on for six to seven years until Goh managed to prove his worth by regaining seats and pushing up the PAP's vote share in the 1997 elections. Another issue was Lee's encounter with cancer of the lymph nodes in 1992, in which several political commentators have doubted Lee's physical capabilities to withstand the hard life, the long hours and the pressures of prime minister.
Perhaps understandably, the appointment of Lee's wife Ho Ching as the director of state investment agency
Temasek has also raised some eyebrows. However, the Lees have reacted harshly to such allegations, winning large out-of-court settlements for defamation from, among others, the
International Herald Tribune (1994),
Bloomberg (2002) and
The Economist (2004).
Lee's career has also been dogged by a perceived reputation for being arrogant and autocratic. According to one particularly persistent rumour, at a pre-Cabinet meeting in
1990 an enraged Lee first insulted the then Minister for Finance
Richard Hu and then physically slapped the then Minister for National Development
S. Dhanabalan when he sided with Hu and demanded an apology [
2]. While those directly involved have never publicly mentioned the alleged incident, in 2003, then prime minister
Goh Chok Tong dismissed the incident when discussing the leadership transition to his successor.
On
July 10,
2004, Lee visited
Taiwan, causing displeasure in the
People's Republic of China. On
August 28,
2004 in his maiden National Day Rally speech, he criticized the Taiwanese leadership and populace of overestimating the support they would receive if they declared
Taiwan independence. At the same time, he also clarified during the rally that his visit to Taiwan in July was to ensure he gather enough intelligence to make right decisions when he took over the baton as Prime Minister. He reiterated his support for the One-China policy. Later that year in September, Foreign Minister George Yeo cautioned the United Nations General Assembly about the dangers of letting the cross-strait relationship deteriorate. In response, an enraged
Republic of China Foreign Minister,
Mark Chen, called Singapore a
"Pi-Sai Country", translated literally from
Minnan, it means a "Country no bigger than a
snot". The Taiwanese Foreign Minister later made a formal apology.
In 2005, Lee made a remark regarding Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi visit to
Yasukuni Shrine, stating that
from the point of view of many countries in the region who have experienced Japanese occupation, it raises many unhappy memories. His remark drew public demonstrations outside Singapore embassy in Japan on
May 24,
2005 with protestors criticising Lee for "meddling" with Japanese issues.
In November 2005, Singapore had a diplomatic row with Australia over the imminent execution of Australian drug trafficker
Nguyen Tuong Van. In one incident, Australian Prime Minister
John Howard and his government were upset when Lee failed to inform Howard the scheduled date of the execution during their meeting at the
APEC summit even though Nguyen's mother was already informed of the date. Appeals for clemency by Austrialian government and Nguyen's lawyer were turned down. Singapore did however granted an exception to allow Nguyen's mother to hold his hands following a personal appeal by Howard. Nguyen was later executed on
December 2,
2005.
| Voters | Party | Candidate(s) | Votes | Votes (%) |
|---|
| Electoral record for Lee Hsien Loong (Ang Mo Kio GRC) |
| Singapore general election, 1991 | 4 | 74,004 | PAP | | Lau Ping Sum
Lee Hsien Loong
Umar Abdul Hamid
Yeo Toon Chia | Walkover | Walkover |
| Singapore general election, 1997 | 5 | 125,344 | PAP | | Inderjit Singh
Lee Hsien Loong
Seng Han Thong
Tan Boon Wan
Tang Guan Seng | Walkover | Walkover |
| Singapore general election, 2001 | 6 | 166,644 | PAP | | Inderjit Singh
Lee Hsien Loong
Seng Han Thong
Tan Boon Wan
Sadasivan Balaji
Wee Siew Kim | Walkover | Walkover |
| Singapore general election, 2006 | 6 | 159,838 | PAP | | Inderjit Singh
Lam Pin Min
Lee Bee Wah
Lee Hsien Loong
Sadasivan Balaji
Wee Siew Kim | 96,636 | 66.14 |
| WP | | Abdul Salim Bin Harun
Gopal Krishnan
Han Su May
Lee Wai Leng
Tan Kian Hwee Melvin
Yaw Shin Leong | 49,479 | 33.86 |
*"Hsien Loong: Election soon". (
8 November 2005).
New Straits Times, p. 31.
*PM Lee: Your vibrant global city, your home, The Straits Times, Headlines, p. 1.
*
A brief biography at the Singapore government's website*
Commanding Heights: Lee Hsien Loong
