Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong ( Chinese 李顯龍 / 李显龙 , Pinyin Lǐ Xiǎnlóng ; born February 10, 1952 in Singapore ) is the third Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (from 2001 to November 2007) of the Republic of Singapore. He is the eldest son of the state's founder and first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and has succeeded Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong since August 12, 2004 .
biography
Lee Hsien Loong was educated in prestigious schools such as Catholic High School and National Junior College . Lee's first wife died in 1982. He is a second married to Ho Ching , the general manager and general manager of Temasek Holdings . Together they have three sons and a daughter.
Career
As the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong has repeatedly faced allegations of nepotism . In 1979 Lee Hsien Loong studied at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University . He had previously graduated with top grades in Mathematics and Computer Science in Cambridge , UK .
Before he was elected to parliament for the first time in 1984, Lee Hsien Loong last held the rank of brigadier general in the Singaporean army .
In 1986 he became a member of the executive committee of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP). He is currently its Deputy Secretary General. In the 1980s he served temporarily as Minister of Commerce and Industry and as Second Defense Minister, at the end of 1990 Prime Minister Goh appointed him one of his deputies. Since 1998 Lee Hsien Loong has also been chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (de facto the city-state's central bank). In 2001, Goh Chok Tong appointed him Minister of Finance. In view of this abundance of power, Lee Hsien Loong could since then be regarded as the third most powerful man in the state. In November 2007, he handed over the post of finance minister to Tharman Shanmugaratnam .
It is rumored that in 2003 he insulted Treasury Secretary Richard Hu and slapped former Minister S. Dhanabalan. His predecessor Goh Chok Tong is unwilling to comment publicly on the incidents.
In terms of foreign policy, he caused a stir when he paid a visit to Taiwan on July 10, 2004, which was later described as "private", and on August 28, 2004, he criticized Taiwan's independence policy. To this end, he obtained a critical comment on the Republic of Singapore from Taiwanese Foreign Minister Mark Chen .
On December 1, 2005, Lee Hsien Loong caused a protocol affront during his state visit to Germany . When pacing the guard battalion of honor at the Federal Ministry of Defense, he did not bow in front of the German flag , contrary to international protocol practice , but left Chancellor Angela Merkel standing and continued without her until a protocol officer pointed out his mistake and asked him to speak to Mrs. Merkel waiting. He also caused a stir when he justified the death penalty for Van Tuong Nguyen , an Australian for drug smuggling .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Der Spiegel: Embarrassing mishap on the red carpet , December 1, 2005, accessed April 20, 2010
Web links
- Official biography of Lee Hsien Loong on the government website
- Profile of Lee Hsien Loong on the BBC website
Hon Sui Sen (1971–1980) | Goh Keng Swee (1980–1985) | Richard Hu (1985-1997) | Lee Hsien Loong (1998-2004) | Goh Chok Tong (2004-2011) | Tharman Shanmugaratnam (from 2011)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lee Hsien Loong |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 李显龙 (Chinese, abbreviation); 李顯龍 (Chinese, traditional character); Lǐ Xiǎnlóng (Pinyin) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Singaporean politician, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 10, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Singapore |