Tony Tan Keng Yam

Tony Tan Keng Yam, November 1998

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Tan.

Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam (simplified Chinese: 陈庆炎博士; pinyin: Chén Qìngyán; Minnan: Tân Khèng-iām, born 7 February 1940, in Singapore) is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore.

Political career

A member of the People's Action Party, Tan became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1979. He was made a Minister of State in the Ministry of Education in 1979, before joining the Cabinet in 1980. He served in the Cabinet as Minister for Education (1980-81 & 1985-91), Minister for Trade & Industry (1981-86), Minister for Finance (1983-85), and Minister for Health (1985-86).

In December 1991, Tan stepped down from the Cabinet to return to the private sector as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC). He retained his seat in Parliament as a representative for the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency.

Tan left OCBC and rejoined the Cabinet in August 1995 as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. In August 2003, he relinquished the Defence Minsiter's portfolio and became the Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence, while retaining the post of Deputy Prime Minister.

Tan has been noted for his efforts in helping places such as Banda Aceh and Phuket, which were badly hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, notably in terms of helping out by reconstructing the city's infrastructure, and in co-ordinating donations for the tsunami victims.

Tan stepped down as Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence on 1 September 2005. Wong Kan Seng, the Minister for Home Affairs, replaced him as Deputy Prime Minister.

After his retirement from the Cabinet, Tan became the Chairman of the National Research Foundation, and Deputy Chairman of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council. He is also the Executive Director of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), and Chairman of Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH).

Early life

Tan had his early education at St Patrick's School and St Joseph's Institution, before doing a BSc degree at the University of Singapore. He then completed an MSc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, and a PhD at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Tan taught in the departments of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Singapore in the 1960s, before beginning a career in banking with the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation in 1969, where he rose to become General Manager, before leaving the bank to pursue his political career in 1979. (He subsequently rejoined the bank as Chairman and CEO 1992-95.)

Personal and family life

Tan is married to Mary Chee Bee Kiang. They have four children (three sons and one daughter).

External links

• Dummipedia: Biography of Tony Tan Keng Yam