Lim Swee Say

Lim Swee Say
Lâm thụy sinh
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 October 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 (Bedok)
In office 7 May 2011 – 23 June 2020
Preceded by	S. Jayakumar(PAP)
Succeeded by	Heng Swee Keat(PAP)
Member of theSingapore Parliament forHolland–Bukit Timah GRC (Buona Vista)
In office 6 May 2006 – 19 April 2011
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Chan Chun Sing (PAP)
Member of theSingapore Parliament forHolland–Bukit Panjang GRC (Buona Vista)
In office 25 October 2001 – 20 April 2006
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of theSingapore Parliament forTanjong Pagar GRC (Buona Vista)
In office 2 January 1997 – 18 October 2001
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	Lim Swee Say (1954-07-13)13 July 1954 Colony of Singapore,British Empire
Political party	People's Action Party
Spouse	Elaine Cheong Siew Boon ​ ​ (m.1981; died2021)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Loughborough University Stanford University

In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisLim.

Lim Swee Say(Chinese:Lâm thụy sinh;pinyin:Lín Ruìshēng;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Lîm Sūi-seⁿ;born 13 July 1954)is a Singaporean former politician who served as Secretary-General of theNational Trades Union Congressbetween 2005 and 2015,Minister for Manpowerbetween 2015 and 2018,Minister in the Prime Minister's Officebetween 2004 and 2015,Second Minister for National Developmentbetween 2004 and 2005, andMinister for the Environmentbetween 2000 and 2004.

A member of the governingPeople's Action Party(PAP), he was theMember of Parliament(MP) representing the Buona Vista ward ofTanjong Pagar GRCbetween 1997 and 2001,Holland–Bukit Panjang GRCbetween 2001 and 2006,Holland–Bukit Timah GRCbetween 2006 and 2011, and the Bedok ward ofEast Coast GRCbetween 2011 and 2020.

Lim was appointed as a non-executive independent director inSingtelin 2021.

Early life and career

Lim was educated atCatholic High SchoolandNational Junior Collegebefore graduating fromLoughborough Universityin 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 Universityin 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 Citybetween 1991 and 1993, and later as managing director between 1994 and 1996.

Political career

Lim made his political debut in the1997 general electionas part of a five-member PAP team contesting inTanjong Pagar GRC,led by Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yewand was elected in a walkover. He was on the PAP's team inHolland–Bukit Panjang GRCat the2001 general election,and inHolland–Bukit Timah GRCat 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' Partyby 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 IndustryandMinister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts.

Lim was made a member of the PAP'sCentral Executive Committeein 1999 and served as the chairman of the party'syouth wingbetween 2000 and 2004.

Lim was made the Acting Minister for the Environment on 1 October 2000. He became a full minister of theCabineton 23 November 2001.

Minister in Prime Minister's Office (2004–2015)

On 12 August 2004, Lim was appointed a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. He also served as the SecondMinister for National Developmentfrom 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 8episode"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 Modelinstead ofminimum wage.

Minister for Manpower (2015–2018)

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.

Lim retired from the cabinet on 1 May 2018, with his Manpower portfolio succeeded toJosephine Teo.On 5 May, Lim was awarded the Distinguished Comrade of Labour during the May Day Awards ceremony.

Retirement from politics

In 2020, Lim announced that he would be retiring from politics, and not stand for the2020 general election.

Personal life

Lim married to 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, after battling stage 4 cancer since 2017.

He is a Roman Catholic and is an ethnicSingaporean ChineseofTeochewdescent.

External links

• Lim Swee Sayat cabinet.gov.sg
• Lim Swee Sayat parliament.gov.sg