Chua Sian Chin ( zh, s=蔡善进, p=Cài Shànjìn; 26 November 1933 – 26 February 2014) was a Singaporean politician who held several ministerial portfolios of

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

in the early era of Singapore. He was 34 years of age when appointed as Health Minister in 1968, by then

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...

, which made him the youngest minister in Singapore. Chua was born in Malacca and attended the

Malacca High School , motto_translation = Here we strive for better things , medium_of_language = English, Malay , established = , address = 61, Jalan Chan Koon Cheng , city = Malacca City , sta ...

. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the

University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...

in 1954, Chua travelled to England to study law at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

where he completed his law degree in 1958. He was then called to the bar by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1959. During his studies, Chua was active in student affairs. At the University of Malaya, he was a member of the University Socialist Club’s central working committee. He then served as secretary of the Malayan Forum and editor of the forum’s newsletter, Suara Merdeka, while studying in London. After returning to Singapore in 1959, Chua joined the law firm of Lee and Lee where he became a partner in 1965. At the firm, Chua served as a legal adviser to numerous associations and trade unions such as the Singapore Hawkers’ Petty Traders Association, the Chinese Teachers’ Union, as well as the Chua and Ong clan associations. He also represented the Minister for Education

Yong Nyuk Lin Yong Nyuk Lin ( zh, s=杨玉麟, p=Yáng Yùlín; 24 June 1918 – 29 June 2012) was a Singaporean politician who served as Minister for Communications between 1968 and 1975, Minister for Health between 1963 and 1968, and Minister for Educati ...

at the Commission of Inquiry on the Secondary Four Students’ Boycott in 1962. Besides practising as an advocate and solicitor, Chua also served as a member in the Public Utilities Board, the permanent examination board of the Singapore Public Service Commission, the citizenship committee of inquiry and the governing board of the

National Trades Union Congress The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), also known as the Singapore National Trades Union Congress (SNTUC) internationally, is the sole national trade union centre in Singapore. NTUC is at the heart of the Labour Movement which comprises 59 ...

(NTUC) Research Unit. He was also a referee of the Industrial Arbitration Court and served as chairman of the

University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

Council from 1967 to 1968. Chua entered politics when he was elected unopposed as a PAP MP for the MacPherson constituency in the 1968 general election. Earlier, he had contested unsuccessfully as a PAP candidate for the Bandar, Malacca, seat in the

1964 Malaysian general election A general election was held on Saturday, 25 April 1964 for members of the 2nd Parliament of Malaysia. Voting took place in 104 out of 159 parliamentary constituencies of Malaysia, each electing one Member of Parliament to the Dewan Rakyat, the ...

. Following his successful entry into parliament, Chua was appointed as the minister for health in April 1968 at the age of 34, making him then the youngest cabinet minister in Singapore’s history He was the Member of Parliament for MacPherson from 17 February 1968 to 14 August 1991. He retired from political service after 23 years in service. During his time as Member of Parliament, in 1975, Chua, then Minister for Home Affairs, proposed that the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

should be the mandatory sentence for drug trafficking of certain amounts to address the increasing rate of drug-related crimes, and these proposals were approved and passed in law. On 26 February 2014, he died at the age of 80 after suffering from heart failure. He was survived by two sons and one daughter.https://mothership.sg/2014/03/chua-sian-chin-ex-cabinet-minister-who-died-of-heart-failure-is-not-the-dad-of-singtel-ceo/

Reference list

{{Authority control 1933 births 2014 deaths People's Action Party politicians 20th-century Singaporean politicians Ministers for Health of Singapore Ministers for Education of Singapore Ministers for Home Affairs of Singapore Members of the Parliament of Singapore