Heng Chee How ( zh, s=王志豪, p=Wáng Zhìháo; born 1961)
is a Singaporean politician,
union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
leader and former police officer who has been serving as
Senior Minister of State for Defence since 2018 and Deputy Secretary-General of the
National Trade 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 ...
since 1999. A member of the governing
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
(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 of ...
(MP) representing the
Whampoa division of
Jalan Besar GRC
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs surrounding the Central Area of Singapore. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Wham ...
since 2001.
Prior to entering politics, Heng had worked at the
Singapore Police Force
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; human, wea ...
(SPF) and
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).
He made his political debut in the
1997 general election as a solo PAP candidate contesting in
Hougang SMC
The Hougang Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency (SMC) located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. Its current Member of Parliament is Dennis Tan Lip Fong of the Workers' Party (WP).
History
The constituency was fir ...
against the
Workers' Party's
Low Thia Khiang
Low Thia Khiang (; born 5 September 1956) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Secretary-General of the Workers' Party (WP) between 2001 and 2018. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang SMC between 1991 and 2011 and Aljun ...
. He lost to Low, who won 58.02% of the vote against his 41.98%.
During the
2001 general election, Heng joined the five-member PAP team contesting in
Jalan Besar GRC
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs surrounding the Central Area of Singapore. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Wham ...
and won with 74.48% of the vote. Heng was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the
Whampoa ward of Jalan Besar GRC. Since then, he had retained his parliamentary seat in subsequent elections and had served as Minister of State and later Senior Minister of State in various ministries. He also served as
Deputy Leader of the House in Parliament between 2011 and 2015.
Early life and education
Born in a
Chinese Singaporean
Chinese Singaporeans () are Singaporeans of Chinese descent. Chinese Singaporeans constitute 75.9% of the Singaporean citizen population according to the official census, making them the largest ethnic group among them.
As early as the 10th ...
of
Teochew descent family, Heng was educated at
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...
before graduating from
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.
The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer academically excellent students of all ...
at the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in 1983 with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
with second upper class honours (later promoted to
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
by seniority) degree in
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
under an undergraduate scholarship conferred by the
Singapore Police Force
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; human, wea ...
(SPF) in 1980.
He subsequently went on to complete 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 higher le ...
's
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
in 1992 under a postgraduate scholarship conferred by the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
Heng was also awarded the Edward S. Mason Fellowship in 1990, Lucius Littauer Fellowship Award from the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1992 and
Eisenhower Fellowship
Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of prominent American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organiza ...
in 2001.
Career
Heng started his career in 1983 in the
Singapore Police Force
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; human, wea ...
(SPF) and held command and staff appointments, including Director of Manpower and Commander of the
Geylang Police Division
Geylang is a planning area and township located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore, bordering Hougang and Toa Payoh in the north, Marine Parade in the south, Bedok in the east, and Kallang in the west.
Geylang is perh ...
.
He left the SPF in 1995 to join 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) and took up various positions in the
labour movement
The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other.
* The trade union movement ...
, including Chief Executive Officer of the NTUC Club (1995–1998),
Executive Secretary of the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees Union, Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries, and Divisional Director overseeing industrial relations, skills development, productivity improvement and employment assistance.
He became Assistant Secretary-General of the NTUC in 1997. In 1999, he was promoted to Deputy Secretary-General of the NTUC has held that position since then.
Political career
Heng made his political debut in the
1997 general election when he contested as a solo candidate from the
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
(PAP) in
Hougang SMC
The Hougang Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency (SMC) located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. Its current Member of Parliament is Dennis Tan Lip Fong of the Workers' Party (WP).
History
The constituency was fir ...
against the incumbent opposition
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 of ...
,
Low Thia Khiang
Low Thia Khiang (; born 5 September 1956) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Secretary-General of the Workers' Party (WP) between 2001 and 2018. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang SMC between 1991 and 2011 and Aljun ...
of the
Workers' Party. He lost to Low, who won 58.02% of the vote against his 41.98%.
In the
2001 general election, Heng contested again as a PAP candidate, this time in
Jalan Besar GRC
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs surrounding the Central Area of Singapore. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Wham ...
, as part of a five-member PAP team. The PAP team won with 74.48% 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 Parli ...
and Heng was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the
Whampoa ward of Jalan Besar GRC. He served as Mayor of the
Central District between 2001 and 2006.
On 12 August 2004, Heng was appointed
Minister of State for Trade and Industry
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) was a United Kingdom government department formed on 19 October 1970. It was replaced with the creation of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation ...
. On 1 May 2005, he was reappointed as
Minister of State for National Development.
In the
2006 general election, Heng contested in Jalan Besar GRC again as part of a five-member PAP team and they won with 69.26% 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 Parli ...
. After the election, Heng was appointed
Minister of State for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate Minister of Mental Health, ministers ...
on 30 May 2006. On 1 April 2008, he became a
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.
During the
2011 general election, Heng contested as a solo PAP candidate in the newly formed
Whampoa SMC
Whampoa Single Member Constituency was a single member constituency (SMC) located in the eastern region of Singapore. The constituency covers the main area of Whampoa.
In 1968, Whampoa Constituency was formed by carving out of Kallang Const ...
and won with 66.1% of the vote against the
National Solidarity Party's Ken Sun. On 21 May 2011, he was promoted to Senior Minister of State and continued serving in the Prime Minister's Office. On 31 May 2011, he also became
Deputy Leader of the House in Parliament.
In the
2015 general election, Whampoa SMC was dissolved and became part of Jalan Besar GRC again. Heng contested in the election as part of a four-member PAP team in Jalan Besar GRC and won with 67.75% of the vote. Heng continued to be the Member of Parliament representing the Whampoa ward of Jalan Besar GRC after the election. On 1 May 2018, Heng was appointed as
Senior Minister of State for Defence and has been holding that appointment since then after being elected again in the
2020 general election with 65.36% of the vote in Jalan Besar GRC.
Personal life
Heng is married to Goh Soon Poh, who is currently serving as Auditor-General of Singapore.
She previously served as Deputy Secretary (Corporate) in the
Ministry of 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 ...
(MHA) and the
Prime Minister's Office (PMO). They have one daughter.
References
External links
Heng Chee Howon
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 Parliam ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heng, Chee How
Singaporean people of Teochew descent
Living people
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
1961 births
People's Action Party politicians
Singaporean Christians
Singaporean trade unionists
Members of the Parliament of Singapore