Desmond Choo | |
|---|---|
| 朱倍庆 | |
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Mayor ofNorth East District | |
| In office 27 May 2017 – 23 May 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong |
| Preceded by | Teo Ser Luck |
| Succeeded by | Baey Yam Keng |
| Member of theSingapore Parliament forTampines Changkat SMC | |
| Assumed office 3 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 2,735 (12.32%) |
| Member of theSingapore Parliament forTampines GRC | |
| In office 11 September 2015 – 15 April 2025 | |
| Preceded by | PAP held |
| Succeeded by | PAP held |
| Majority |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1978-02-13)13 February 1978 (age 47) Singapore |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Choo Wee Khiang (paternal uncle) |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Politician |
Desmond Choo Pey Ching (Chinese:朱倍庆;pinyin:Zhū Bèiqìng; born 13 February 1978)[1][2] is a Singaporean politician and former police officer who has been serving as Assistant Secretary-General of theNational Trades Union Congress (NTUC) since 2015 andMinister of State for Defence since 2025. He was formerly the Mayor ofNorth East District from 2017 to 2025. A member of the governingPeople's Action Party (PAP), he has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forTampines Changkat Single Member Constituency (SMC) since 2025. He had previously represented the defunct Tampines Changkat division ofTampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) between 2015 and 2025.
Choo attendedAi Tong School,Catholic High School andNational Junior College, before graduating from theUniversity of Chicago, majoring ineconomics under the Singapore Police Force Overseas Merit Scholarship.[3]
Choo was awarded a government university scholarship and upon graduation, he served his scholarship bond in theSingapore Police Force, where he served 12 years in senior officer ranks including commanding officer of the Woodlands Neighbourhood Police Centre, head of the Special Investigation Section and deputy commander of the Clementi Police Division. He also served a stint on secondment to the Ministry of Manpower, where he was the deputy director of the Foreign Workforce Policy Department and was also a bodyguard assistant for the swearing-in ofPrime MinisterLee Hsien Loong and other new cabinet ministers at theIstana on 12 August 2004.
Choo resigned from the Singapore Police Force with the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police to join the NTUC in 2010. After serving on probation as the deputy director of the NTUC's Youth Development Unit, he later became deputy director of the Industrial Relations Unit. He also concurrently served as the executive secretary of the Union of Security Employees and the Singapore Shell Employees Union.
After a stint in 2013 in the private sector with Kestrel Capital Pte Ltd, an investment firm, Choo returned to the public sector to rejoin NTUC in April 2014 and became the assistant secretary-general ofNational Trades Union Congress (NTUC). He also became the Director of Policy Division at NTUC.
On 26 May 2025, Choo resigned from the board ofSBS Transit, a position he had held since April 2021, following his appointment as Minister of State for Defence on 23 May 2025.[4]
Choo was the mayor of the North East District of Singapore from 2017 to 2025.[1]
Choo stood as a candidate for the PAP at the2011 general election inHougang SMC, where he was defeated byYaw Shin Leong from the incumbentWorkers' Party (WP) with 35.2% of the valid votes.[5] After Yaw was expelled from the WP and lost his seat in Parliament in 2012, Choo was nominated again by the PAP for theby-election in the SMC that same year. He was defeated in the by-election by the WP with 37.92% of the valid votes.[6]
Choo went to contest in Tampines GRC in the2015 general election, where the PAP team won with 72.07% of the vote.[7] He was then assigned to the Tampines Changkat division.[8]
He was also appointed as chairperson of the Manpower Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) in the14th Parliament of Singapore.[9]
Choo, as an MP also working for NTUC, is a labour MP as defined by the Singaporean media.[10] In October 2024,ChannelNewsAsia noted that none of the labour MPs filed any questions or spoke during the parliamentary debate concerning the controversial deal to sell a controlling 51% stake inNTUC Enterprise subsidiaryIncome Insurance toAllianz.[11]
Before the2025 general election, Tampines Changkat SMC, where Choo stood for reelection, was carved from his Tampines Changkat division.[8] He defeated Kenneth Foo from the WP with 56.16% of the vote.[12]
Choo is married to Pamela Lee and has two daughters.[13][14][15]
Choo's uncle,Choo Wee Khiang, was a PAP MP from 1988 to 1999 when he resigned from his position in Parliament and was found guilty in the same year of cheating.[16][17] Choo had described his uncle as a source of inspiration and counsel.[18]
| Parliament of Singapore | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC 2015–2025 Served alongside: (2015-2020):Cheng Li Hui,Masagos Zulkifli,Heng Swee Keat,Baey Yam Keng (2020-2025): Cheng Li Hui, Masagos Zulkifli,Koh Poh Koon, Baey Yam Keng | Succeeded by |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Tampines Changkat SMC 2025-present | Incumbent |
