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Lim Swee Say | |
|---|---|
| 林瑞生 | |
.jpg) Lim in 2011 | |
| Minister for Manpower | |
| In office 4 May 2015 – 30 April 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Second Minister | Josephine Teo (2017–2018) |
| Preceded by | Tan Chuan-Jin |
| Succeeded by | Josephine Teo |
| Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress | |
| In office 15 January 2007 – 3 May 2015 | |
| Deputy | Heng Chee How |
| Preceded by | Lim Boon Heng |
| Succeeded by | Chan Chun Sing |
| Party Whip of the People's Action Party | |
| In office 1 April 2007 – 20 May 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Boon Yang |
| Succeeded by | Gan Kim Yong |
| Minister in the Prime Minister's Office | |
| In office 12 August 2004 – 3 May 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Lim Hng Kiang |
| Succeeded by | Josephine Teo (2017) Desmond Lee (2017) |
| Second Minister for National Development | |
| In office 12 August 2004 – 29 May 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Mah Bow Tan |
| Succeeded by | Desmond Lee (2017) |
| Minister for the Environment | |
| In office 23 November 2001 – 11 August 2004 Acting: 1 October 2000 – 22 November 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong |
| Preceded by | Lee Yock Suan |
| Succeeded by | Yaacob Ibrahim |
| Member of theSingapore Parliament forEast Coast GRC | |
| In office 7 May 2011 – 23 June 2020 | |
| Preceded by | PAP held |
| Succeeded by | PAP held |
| Member of theSingapore Parliament forHolland–Bukit Timah GRC | |
| In office 6 May 2006 – 19 April 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | PAP held |
| Member of theSingapore Parliament forHolland–Bukit Panjang GRC | |
| In office 25 October 2001 – 20 April 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of theSingapore Parliament forTanjong Pagar GRC | |
| In office 2 January 1997 – 18 October 2001 | |
| Preceded by | PAP held |
| Succeeded by | PAP held |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lim Swee Say (1954-07-13)13 July 1954 (age 71) |
| Party | People's Action Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Loughborough University Stanford University |
Lim Swee Say (Chinese:林瑞生;pinyin:Lín Ruìshēng;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Lîm Sūi-seⁿ; born 13 July 1954)[1] is a Singaporean former politician who served as Secretary-General of theNational Trades Union Congress between 2005 and 2015,Minister for Manpower between 2015 and 2018,Minister in the Prime Minister's Office between 2004 and 2015,Second Minister for National Development in 2004 and 2005, andMinister for the Environment between 2000 and 2004.
A member of the governingPeople's Action Party (PAP), he was theMember of Parliament (MP) for the Buona Vista division between 1997 and 2011 under variousgroup representation constituencies (GRCs),[a] and the Bedok division ofEast Coast GRC between 2011 and 2020.
Lim was appointed as a non-executive independent director inSingtel in 2021.[2]
Lim was born to Teochews and educated atCatholic High School andNational Junior College before graduating fromLoughborough University in 1976 with a first class honours degree in electronics, computer and systems engineering under a scholarship conferred by theSingapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1973.
He subsequently went on to complete a master's degree in management atStanford University in 1991.
Lim served as Chief Executive of the National Computer Board between 1986 and 1991, and later as chairman between 1994 and 1998.
He also served as Deputy Managing Director at theEconomic Development Board (EDB) based inNew York City between 1991 and 1993, and later as managing director between 1994 and 1996.
Lim made his political debut in the1997 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting inTanjong Pagar GRC, led by Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew and was elected in a walkover. He was on the PAP's team inHolland–Bukit Panjang GRC at the2001 general election, and inHolland–Bukit Timah GRC at the2006 general election, and was elected unopposed on both occasions. At the2011 general election, Lim stood inEast Coast GRC, where the PAP's team defeated the team from the oppositionWorkers' Party by 59,992 votes (54.8%) to 49,429 (45.2%).
Lim served as Deputy Secretary-General of theNational Trades Union Congress (NTUC) from 1997 to 1999. He also served on the Committee on Singapore's Competitiveness from 1997 to 1998, and chaired its Sub-committee on Manpower Development.
In 1999, Lim was appointed asMinister of State for Trade and Industry andMinister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts.
Lim was made a member of the PAP'sCentral Executive Committee in 1999 and served as the chairman of the party'syouth wing between 2000 and 2004.
Lim was made the Acting Minister for the Environment on 1 October 2000. He became a full minister of theCabinet on 23 November 2001.
On 12 August 2004, Lim was appointed a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. He also served as the SecondMinister for National Development from 12 August 2004 to 29 May 2006.
In 2005, Lim became the Deputy Secretary-General of the NTUC for the second time (while continuing to serve concurrently as a Minister without portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office). In 2007, he was made the Secretary-General of the NTUC.
In 2014, Lim appeared on Singapore'sMediacorp Channel 8 episode"Hear Me Out", to respond to the criticisms against him and clarify himself on a few topics such as his Zorro costume,"Cheaper Better Faster", "Better, Betterer, Betterest","Deaf Frog" and why Singapore implementsProgressive Wage Model instead ofminimum wage.
On 4 May 2015, Lim relinquished his post of Minister in Prime Minister's Office and NTUC secretary-general (in line with the NTUC's retirement policies) and was appointed the Minister for Manpower.[3]
Lim retired from the cabinet on 1 May 2018, with his Manpower portfolio succeeded toJosephine Teo.[4] On the same day, he was appointed to NTUC as trustee of NTUC and chairman of NTUC Administration and Research Unit (ARU) Board of Trustees replacing his predecessorLim Boon Heng.[5] On 5 May, Lim was awarded the Distinguished Comrade of Labour during the May Day Awards ceremony.[6]
In 2020, Lim announced that he would be retiring from politics, and not stand for the2020 general election.[7][8] In 2021, he was appointed as an independent director in Singtel.[9]
Lim married Elaine Cheong Siew Boon (born 1952) in 1981, introduced by a mutual friend. The couple had one daughter and one son. Cheong died on 6 July 2021, having had stage 4 cancer since 2017.[10][11]
He is a Roman Catholic and is an ethnicSingaporean Chinese ofTeochew descent.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for the Environment 23 November 2001 – 11 August 2004 Acting: 1 October 2000 – 22 November 2001 | Succeeded byas Minister for the Environment and Water Resources |
| New office | Second Minister for National Development 12 August 2004 – 30 September 2005 | Position abolished |
| Preceded by | Minister for Manpower 1 October 2015 – 30 April 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Singapore | ||
| Preceded by Peter Sung | Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC (Buona Vista) 1997 – 2001 | Ward abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC (Buona Vista) 2001 – 2006 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC (Buona Vista) 2006 – 2011 | Succeeded byas MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC (Buona Vista) |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC (Bedok) 2011 – 2020 | Succeeded byas MP for East Coast GRC (Bedok) |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman ofYoung PAP 2000 – 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Trade union offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary-General of theNational Trades Union Congress 2007 – 2015 | Succeeded by |
