Lee Hsien Loong SPMJ DK (born February 10, 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as the third Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Teck Ghee division of Ang Mo Kio GRC since 1991, and previously Teck Ghee SMC between 1984 and 1991.
Born in Singapore during British colonial rule, Lee is the eldest son of Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics with first-class honors and a Diploma in Computer Science with distinction (equivalent to a first-class master in computer science). He served in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) between 1971 and 1984, and attained the rank of Brigadier-General, completing a Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard Kennedy School in 1980. Lee resigned from the SAF in 1984 to enter politics and was elected the MP for Teck Ghee SMC. Since its dissolution in 1991, he has represented the Teck Ghee ward of Ang Mo Kio GRC.
Lee has served as deputy prime minister, Minister for Finance, Minister for Trade and Industry, and Second Minister for Defence under Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong before assuming the office of prime minister in 2004. In his first two years, his government enacted a five-day workweek and extended maternity leave days. His proposal to build two Integrated Resorts in Singapore to increase tourism revenue led to the development of the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa. Following the Great Recession, he oversaw the country's economic recovery within two years. Further political reforms in 2010 saw increased online activism as well as the number of Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) in Parliament.
Since the 2020s, he oversaw the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent recession and recovery. In 2022, he responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by being the only Southeast Asian country to impose sanctions on Russia. That same year, his government repealed the then already unenforced colonial-era Section 377A, de jure and de facto legalizing same-sex sexual activity between men. Lee is frequently noted by the international media as the world's highest-paid state leader. His libel suits against journalists and political opponents have been frequently covered by international news outlets.
Early life[]
The eldest child of Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo and the patriline grandson of a retired storekeeper-turned-salesman, Lee Chin Koon (1903–1995) and Chua Jim Neo (1905–1980), a chef, Lee Hsien Loong was born at KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore on February 10, 1952,[2] when Singapore was a British colony.[3] His mother has ancestry from Tong'an District and Longhu while his father has ancestry from Dabu County in China.[4][5]
Education[]
Lee was educated at Nanyang Primary School and Catholic High School—where he played clarinet in the school band,[6] and National Junior College before he was awarded the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1971 by the Public Service Commission (PSC) to study mathematics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge.[7]
He was Senior Wrangler in 1973,[8][9] and graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts with first-class honors degree (later promoted to Master of Arts by seniority) in mathematics and a diploma in computer science (now equivalent to a master's degree in computer science) with distinction. His college tutor, Denis Marrian, later described Lee as "the brightest mathematician he had admitted to the college".[10] Béla Bollobás said that Lee "would have been a world-class research mathematician", but his father did not realize this and persuaded Lee to leave the field.[11]
He subsequently went on to complete a Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1980.
Military career[]
Lee joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1971, served as a commissioned officer between 1974 and 1984, and held various staff and command posts, including Director of the Joint Operations and Plans Directorate, and Chief of Staff of the General Staff. He also attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1978.
Lee rose quickly through the ranks in the Singapore Army, becoming the youngest brigadier-general in Singapore's history after his promotion in July 1983.
Notably, he was put in command of the rescue operations following the Sentosa cable car disaster. Lee served as commanding officer of the 23rd Battalion Singapore Artillery in the Singapore Army before he left the SAF in 1984 for politics.[12][13]
References[]
- ↑ "PMO |Mr LEE Hsien Loong". September 4, 2020.
- ↑ Yeo, Julia (12 August 2019). "15 ever-so-slightly interesting factoids about PM Lee Hsien Loong, since it's his 15th year as our PM". Mothership.sg. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ↑ "Mr Lee Hsien Loong". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. February 10, 1952. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ↑ "新加坡內閣資政李光耀". Xinhua News (in Traditional Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. December 31, 2008. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ↑ "李光耀劝扁勿藉奥运搞台独". zaobao.com (in Chinese (Singapore)). November 19, 2007. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ↑ Lee, Wei (2016). A Hakka woman's Singapore stories : my life as a daughter, doctor, and diehard Singaporean. Singapore: Straits Times Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-981-4642-47-7. OCLC 918935420.
- ↑ Lee, Wei (2016). A Hakka woman's Singapore stories : my life as a daughter, doctor, and diehard Singaporean. Singapore: Straits Times Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-981-4642-47-7. OCLC 918935420.
- ↑ Kuan Yew, Lee (2000). From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965–2000. Harper. pp. 750–751. ISBN 978-0-06019-776-6.
- ↑ Neo Hui Min (August 12, 2004). "Dennis Marrian, University Tutor". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ↑ Bradfield, John (16 February 2008). "Eulogy for Denis Marrian" (PDF). Trinity College Chapel. "He reminisced about the Prince of Wales, of course; and also about the brightest mathematician he had admitted (which is saying something as bright mathematicians abound here); this was Lee Hsien Loong, elder son of Lee Kwan Yew, and now Prime Minister of Singapore."
- ↑ Leong, Y. K. (2007). "Béla Bollobás: Graphs Extremal and Random" (PDF). Newsletter of Institute for Mathematical Sciences. pp. 14–21. Archived from https://www2.ims.nus.edu.sg/imprints/interviews/BelaBollobas.pdf the original] (PDF) on July 22, 2018.
- ↑ Chia, Lianne (October 30, 2017). "'PM Lee, my army buddy': What it was like doing NS with the man who became Prime Minister". Channel NewsAsia. Singapore. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ↑ "The Cabinet". Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
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