Tony Tan Keng Yam

Tony Tan Keng Yam (simplified Chinese: 陈庆炎; traditional Chinese: 陳慶炎; pinyin: Chén Qìngyán; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Khèng-iām, born 7 February 1940, in Singapore) is the seventh President of Singapore. Until 1 July 2011, he was Executive Director and Deputy Chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and Chairman of Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH). He previously served as Chairman of Singapore's National Research Foundation and Deputy Chairman of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council. In the late 1980s, Tan was Lee Kuan Yew's first choice to succeed him as Prime Minister of Singapore, but he declined. He later returned to Cabinet and as Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister from 1995 to 2005, and Minister for Defence from 1995 to 2003.

In August 2011, Tan won the Singapore presidential election by a narrow 0.34% margin, and was sworn in as President on 1 September 2011.

Education and Early Career

Tony Tan was educated at St Patrick's School and St Joseph's Institution. As a Singapore Government State Scholar, he earned First Class Honours Degree in Physics from the University of Singapore, topping his class. As an Asia Foundation scholar, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he completed a Master of Science (Operations Research). He later earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Adelaide, and went on to lecture in Mathematics at the National University of Singapore.

In 1969, Tan left the University to begin a career in banking with Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), where he rose to become General Manager, before leaving the bank to pursue a career in politics in 1979. From 1980 to 1981, Tan was the first Vice Chancellor of the new National University of Singapore (NUS).

In 2005, Tan was presented the NUS Eminent Alumni Award in recognition of his role as a visionary architect of Singapore’s university sector. In 2010, he was presented the inaugural Distinguished Australian Alumnus Award by the Australian Alumni Singapore (AAS) at its 55th anniversary dinner in recognition of his distinguished career, and his significant contribution to society and to the Australian alumni community.

Personal Life

Tan married Mary Chee Bee Kiang in 1964. They have four children; three sons and one daughter. Tan currently resides in Moulmein-Kallang GRC.

From : www.wikipedia.org

S.R. Nathan

Sellapan Ramanathan (Tamil: செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன், Cellappaṉ Rāmanātaṉ ?; born 3 July 1924) is a Singaporean politician who was the sixth President of the Republic of Singapore. Usually referred to as S. R. Nathan, he was first sworn in on September 1, 1999. In 1999 and 2005, he was elected President in uncontested elections. In 2009, he surpassed Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore's longest-serving President. His term ended on August 31, 2011.

Early Life

Nathan is a Singaporean of Tamil descent; his childhood was spent with his two older brothers and grandparents, V. Sellapan and Apiram, in Muar, Johor, in a house overlooking the sea. His father had been posted to the Malayan town as a lawyer's clerk for a firm that serviced rubber plantations, but the Great Depression and rubber slump of the 1930s sent the family's fortunes crashing. Nathan's father accrued debts, and eventually killed himself when Nathan was eight.

The young Nathan returned to his birthplace, Singapore, to live. He received his primary education in Anglo-Chinese Primary School and Rangoon Road Afternoon School, and his secondary education at Victoria School. He started working before completing his studies. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, Nathan worked for the Japanese Kempeitai as a translator. After the war, whilst working, he completed his secondary education through self-study, and entered the University of Malaya (then in Singapore) where he graduated in 1954 with a Diploma in Social Studies (Distinction).

Personal Life

Nathan, a Tamil, is married to Urmila (Umi) Nandey, a Bengali of Indian descent, and has a daughter, a son, and three grandchildren.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Lee Hsien Loong

Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952) is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore, and the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), Lee became Prime Minister in August 2004, succeeding Goh Chok Tong. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1984 and a member of the Cabinet since 1987, and was one of the key leaders in Singapore's politcal transition in the 1980s and 1990s. Before becoming Prime Minister he served as the Minister for Trade and Industry, Minister for Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. Prior to his election to Parliament, he served as an officer in the Singapore Armed Forces, rising to the rank of Brigadier-General.

Background and Education

The eldest child of Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo, Lee Hsien Loong was born in Singapore on 10 February 1952. His grandmother, Chua Jim Neo, was a Hokkien Nyonya, and his mother has ancestry from Tong'an District, Xiamen, in the Fujian province of China. According to Lee Kuan Yew's biography, the young Lee had learned Jawi script from the age of five, and has always been interested in the affairs of Singapore, often following his father to the rally grounds since 1963.

Lee studied at Nanyang Primary School and received his secondary education at Catholic High School, before going on to National Junior College (where he learned the clarinet under the tutelage of Adjunct Associate Professor Ho Hwee Long). In 1971, he was awarded a President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship by the Public Service Commission to study in the United Kingdom at Cambridge University, where he read Mathematics at Trinity College. He graduated in 1974 with First Class Honours in Mathematics and a Diploma in Computer Science (with distinction). In 1980, he completed a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Salary

From 2008 to 2012, Lee Hsien Loong earned an annual salary of S$3,870,000 (US$2,856,930), an increase of 25% from the previous S$3,091,200 (US$2,037,168). In January 2012, Lee Hsien Loong took a 28% paycut reducing his salary to S$2.2 million (US$1.7 million). He remains the highest-paid premier in the world.

Personal life

Lee's first wife, Malaysian-born doctor Wong Ming Yang, died on 28 October 1982 of a heart attack, three weeks after giving birth to Lee's first son Li Yipeng, an autistic albino. In 1985, Lee married Ho Ching, a fast-rising civil servant who subsequently became the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. They have one daughter and three sons, including one daughter and son from Lee's first wife. (The oldest son of Ho Ching, Li Hongyi, was the winner of the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Math & Science in 2006, the same year he was commissioned as an officer in the Singapore Armed Forces.)

From : www.wikipedia.org

Singapore

Singapore is a hi-tech, wealthy city-state in south-east Asia, also known for the conservatism of its leaders and its strict social controls.

The country comprises the main island - linked by a causeway and a bridge to the southern tip of Malaysia - and around 50 smaller islands.

Once a colonial outpost of Britain, Singapore has become one of the world's most prosperous places - with glittering skyscrapers and a thriving port.

Most of its people live in public-housing tower blocks. They enjoy one of the world's highest standards of living, but also a system of punishments for acts deemed to be anti-social.

Government-led initiatives have encouraged Singaporeans to have more babies and to be more courteous. Citizens are urged to "Speak Good English" in place of a local slang known as "Singlish".

Chinese make up more than 75% of the community; Malays and Indians make up much of the remainder. There are many foreign workers.

Although Singapore is a multi-party nation, the People's Action Party (PAP) has been the dominant force since independence, regularly winning well over 60% of the vote.

But some critics say the PAP cements its hold on power by a electoral system that makes it difficult for opposition parties to gain seats, as well warnings that it will target investment at constituencies that vote PAP.

Singapore is often referred to as one of Asia's economic "tigers". Its economy is driven by electronics manufacturing and financial services and has weathered regional crises, including the 1997 Asian markets slump, the 2003 Sars virus outbreak and the 2009 world banking crisis.

In the face of strong competition from regional manufacturers, Singapore is seeking to strengthen its services sector and tourism industry.

Singapore argues that its use of capital punishment - applied mostly for drugs trafficking offences - has stopped the growth of narcotics syndicates.

Facts

    * Full name: Republic of Singapore

    * Population: 4.8 million (UN, 2010)

    * Capital: Singapore

    * Area: 660 sq km (255 sq miles)

    * Major languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil

    * Religions: Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism

    * Life expectancy: 79 years (men), 84 years (women) (UN)

    * Monetary unit: 1 Singapore dollar = 100 cents

    * Main exports: Computer equipment, machinery, rubber products, petroleum products

    * GNI per capita: US $41,430 (World Bank, 2010)

    * Internet domain: .sg

    * International dialling code: +65

Leaders

President: Tony Tan

Tony Tan, a former deputy prime minister, won the 2011 presidential election by a narrow margin. He was seen as the establishment candidate.

All four candidates in the election - the first of its kind for 18 years - shared the same surname, Tan.

Presidential candidates run as individuals because Singapore's head of state is supposed to be non-partisan.

Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong

The elder son of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong took office in August 2004, without an election, as part of a planned handover of power.

He vowed to continue the policy of opening up Singapore's society.

Mr Lee won re-election with typically large PAP majorities in 2006 and 2011. However, the opposition made some significant gains in 2011, spurred by voter concern about income inequality and immigration.

The prime minister said the election marked a "shift in the political landscape", and said his party would undergo "soul-searching".

A former army officer, Mr Lee followed his father into politics at the age of 32, becoming deputy prime minister in 1990.

As finance minister in his predecessor's cabinet, he was credited with helping to secure Singapore's competitive edge amid growing competition from China.

Mr Lee's father, who oversaw the transformation of Singapore into an economic power, served as the cabinet's official mentor between 2004 and 2011, when he said it was time to make way for a younger generation.

From : BBC News