Teo Chee Hean ( zh, s=张志贤, poj=Tiuⁿ Chì-hiân, p=Zhāng Zhìxián; born 27 December 1954)
is a Singaporean politician and former two-star
rear-admiral who has been serving as
Senior Minister of Singapore
Senior Minister of Singapore is a position in the Cabinet of Singapore. Holders of this office have served as either the prime minister or the deputy prime minister. Among the executive branch officeholders in the order of precedence, the po ...
since 2019 and
Coordinating Minister for National Security since 2015. A member of the governing
People's Action Party, he has been the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...
(MP) representing the
Pasir Ris West
Pasir Ris is a planning area and residential town located in the East Region of Singapore. It is bordered by Tampines and Paya Lebar to the south, Sengkang to the southwest and Changi to the east. The planning area also shares riverine bound ...
division of
Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC since 2001.
A recipient of the
President's Scholarship and
Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship, Teo served in the
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would comprom ...
(RSN) between 1972 and 1992, and attained the rank
Rear-Admiral (Two-Star). He served as Chief of Navy between 1991 and 1992 before leaving the Navy and enter politcs.
He made his political debut in the
1992 by-elections in
Marine Parade GRC as part of a four-member PAP team. He had served as
Deputy Prime Minister between 2009 and 2019,
Minister for the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...
between 1995 and 1997,
Minister for Education between 1997 and 2003,
Minister for Defence between 2003 and 2011 and
Minister for Home Affairs between 2011 and 2015. Teo was part of the ministerial committee of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).
Within the PAP, Teo was First Assistant Secretary-General in the party's
Central Executive Committee (CEC) before he was succeeded by
Heng Swee Keat in November 2018.
Education
Teo was educated at
St. Joseph's Institution
St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) is an independent Catholic educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1852 by the De La Salle Brothers, it is the first Catholic school and the third oldest school in the country.
SJI has been offering a dual-t ...
before he was awarded the
President's Scholarship and
Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1973. He graduated from the
University of Manchester in 1976 with a
Bachelor of Science with first class honours degree in
electrical engineering and
management science.
He subsequently went on to complete a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast ...
with distinction degree in
computing science at
Imperial College London in 1977. He also completed a
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
degree at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
's
John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1986, where he was named a Littauer Fellow.
Career
Military career
Teo joined in the
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1972 and was commissioned as a
naval officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent cont ...
at the
SAFTI Military Institute in 1973. He went on to hold various command and staff appointments in the
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would comprom ...
(RSN) and the Joint Staff before his appointment as
Chief of Navy in 1991 with the rank of
Rear-Admiral (Two-Star) before leaving the SAF on 7 December 1992 to contest in the
1992 by-elections in
Marine Parade GRC.
Political career
Teo made his political debut in the
1992 by-elections in
Marine Parade GRC as part of a four-member PAP team led by Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong. After the PAP team won 72.9% of the vote against three opposition parties, Teo was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the
Joo Chiat ward of Marine Parade GRC. He was subsequently appointed as
Minister of State for Finance,
Minister of State for Communications and
Minister of State for Defence.
In April 1995, Teo was appointed as
Senior Minister of State for Defence and Acting
Minister for the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...
. In January 1996, he was promoted to full Minister and given the
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
portfolios of Minister for the Environment and Second Minister for Defence.
Teo switched to contesting in
Pasir Ris GRC during the
1997 general election and the four-member PAP team led by him won 70.9% of the vote against the
Workers' Party. Teo thus elected as the MP representing the
Pasir Ris Loyang ward of Pasir Ris GRC. In subsequent Cabinet reshuffles, he became
Minister for Education while continuing to serve as Second Minister for Defence.
During the
2001 general election, Teo led the five-member PAP team contesting in the newly formed
Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC and won an uncontested walkover. After winning the general election, he continued to hold his previous Cabinet portfolios while becoming the MP representing the
Pasir Ris West
Pasir Ris is a planning area and residential town located in the East Region of Singapore. It is bordered by Tampines and Paya Lebar to the south, Sengkang to the southwest and Changi to the east. The planning area also shares riverine bound ...
ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. On 1 August 2003, Teo was appointed as
Minister for Defence and
Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service.
During the
2006 general election, Teo led a six-member PAP team to contest in Pasir–Ris Punggol GRC again and won 68.7% of the vote against the
Singapore Democratic Alliance
The Singapore Democratic Alliance ( abbreviation: SDA) is a political coalition between the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singapore Justice Party (SJP) in Singapore.
History
Prior to the founding in 2001, then-opposition Member of Pa ...
. He retained his parliamentary seat and continued holding his Cabinet portfolios. On 1 April 2009, Teo was appointed as one of two
Deputy Prime Ministers, in addition to his portfolios as Minister for Defence and Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service.
Teo led a six-member PAP team to contest in Pasir–Ris Punggol GRC in the
2011 general election and won 64.79% of the vote against the
Singapore Democratic Alliance
The Singapore Democratic Alliance ( abbreviation: SDA) is a political coalition between the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singapore Justice Party (SJP) in Singapore.
History
Prior to the founding in 2001, then-opposition Member of Pa ...
. On 18 May 2011, Teo relinquished his Cabinet portfolio of Minister for Defence and took up the positions of
Minister for Home Affairs and
Coordinating Minister for National Security, while concurrently serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service.
On 1 May 2019, Teo relinquished his appointment as
Deputy Prime Minister to become a
Senior Minister, while retaining his position as
Coordinating Minister for National Security. In his new role, he also oversaw four departments under the
Prime Minister's Office Prime Minister's Office may refer to:
* Prime Minister's Office (Albania)
* Prime Minister's Office (Australia)
* Prime Minister's Office (Bangladesh)
* Prime Minister's Office (Brunei)
* Office of the Prime Minister (Cambodia)
* Office of the ...
;
Smart Nation and Digital Government Group,
National Security Coordination Secretariat, National Population and Talent Division, and the
National Climate Change Secretariat.
Personal life
Teo was married to Chew Poh Yim, who was the director of the business consultancy and part-time marketing management at
Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Business Management. Chew graduated from the
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in 1977 with a
Bachelor of Science with honours degree in
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology ...
. In 2015, she founded Stroke Support Station, a volunteering organisation that provides assistance to stroke survivors and caregivers. Chew died on 31 October 2021 at the age of 67.
The couple have one son and one daughter.
Teo was also President of the
Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) between 1984 and 2014, and an advisor to the Singapore Dragon Boat Association.
References
Bibliography
* Liu, Changping & Zhang, He,
风雨晚晴园(不应忘却的辛亥革命勋臣张永福)', 中国文史 (2011),
External links
Teo Chee Heanon Singapore Prime Minister's Office
Teo Chee Heanon
Parliament of Singapore
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Teo, Chee Hean
1954 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of London
Alumni of the Department of Computing, Imperial College London
Alumni of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
Deputy Prime Ministers of Singapore
Environment ministers of Singapore
Ministers for Defence of Singapore
Members of the Parliament of Singapore
People's Action Party politicians
President's Scholars
Recipients of the Olympic Order
Saint Joseph's Institution, Singapore alumni
Singaporean people of Teochew descent
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Chiefs of the Republic of Singapore Navy
Ministers for Education of Singapore
Ministers for Home Affairs of Singapore
Members of the Cabinet of Singapore