Ng Eng Hen ( zh, s=黄永宏, p=Huáng Yǒnghóng; born 10 December 1958) is a Singaporean politician and former oncologist who has been serving as

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

since 2011. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), 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 bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) representing the Toa Payoh Central division of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC since 2001. Prior to entering politics, Ng was a consultant surgeon at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and later a private

surgical oncologist Surgical oncology is the branch of surgery applied to oncology; it focuses on the surgical management of tumors, especially cancerous tumors. As one of several modalities in the management of cancer, the specialty of surgical oncology has evo ...

at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. He made his political debut in the 2001 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won by an uncontested walkover. Ng was later elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) and has been winning subsequent general elections since.

Early life and education

A Chinese Singaporean of Henghua descent, Ng and his five siblings lived in a rental flat in Zion Road during his childhood. He was educated at Anglo-Chinese School and National Junior College before completing

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, ...

at the

National 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 th ...

. He also underwent fellowship training in

surgical oncology Surgical oncology is the branch of surgery applied to oncology; it focuses on the surgical management of tumors, especially cancerous tumors. As one of several modalities in the management of cancer, the specialty of surgical oncology has evolv ...

at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Career

Ng was a consultant surgeon at the Singapore General Hospital between 1992 and 1997 before he went into private practice at Mount Elizabeth Hospital as a

between 1997 and 2001.

Political career

Ng made his political debut in the 2001 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won by an uncontested walkover and Ng was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Toa Payoh Central ward of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC. Since 2001, he has been the Member of Parliament for that ward, having successfully retained his seat in subsequent general elections. He is also an adviser to the Bishan–Toa Payoh Town Council and Bishan–Toa Payoh grassroots organisations. In 2002, Ng was appointed Minister of State for Education and Minister of State for Manpower. In August 2004, Ng was promoted to full Minister and appointed Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Education. In 2005, he relinquished his portfolio as Second Minister for Education and became Second Minister for Defence. In April 2008, he stepped down from his post as Minister for Manpower and took up the portfolio of Minister for Education. Ng was also Chairman of the Jobs Task Force at the Ministry of Manpower, and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Low Wage Workers. In June 2007, Ng was invited by the French Ministry of Defence to visit the

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the Frenc ...

and also to visit a permanent

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establi ...

(RSAF) detachment stationed at Cazaux Air Base. In March 2010, Ng mentioned that the weight of mother-tongue language examinations in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) might be reduced in order to benefit some students who are weak in their mother-tongue due to the emphasis on the English language in the Singapore education system. This sparked a debate among Singaporeans who support emphasis on mother-tongue languages in education. Ng subsequently assured Singaporeans that the weight of mother-tongue language in the PSLE would not be reduced. During the 2011 general election, Ng was part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won 56.93% of the vote against the Singapore People's Party. In 2011, Ng stepped down from his role as Minister for Education and was appointed

. In

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, he served as Deputy Leader of the House between 2007 and 2011 and later as Leader of the House between 2011 and 2015. During 2015 general election, Ng lead the five-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won 73.59% of the vote against a second challenge by the Singapore People's Party. In 2018, the French government awarded Ng the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

. During the 2020 general election, Ng was part of a four-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won about 67% of the vote against the Singapore People's Party.

Personal life

Ng is married to Ivy Ng Swee Lian, a paediatrician and geneticist who has been serving as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

of SingHealthProf Ivy Ng and the couple have four children.

References

External links

Ng Eng Hen
on Prime Minister's Office
Ng Eng Hen
on

Parliament of Singapore The Parliament of Singapore is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Singapore, which governs the country alongside the president of Singapore. Largely based upon the Westminster system, the Parliament is made up of Members of Parlia ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ng, Eng Hen 1958 births Anglo-Chinese School alumni Ministers for Education of Singapore Living people Members of the Cabinet of Singapore Members of the Parliament of Singapore National University of Singapore alumni People's Action Party politicians Singaporean politicians of Chinese descent Recipients of the Olympic Order Singaporean people of Henghua descent University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center alumni Ministers for Defence of Singapore Ministers for Manpower of Singapore