Teo Chee Hean

The Honourable Teo Chee Hean PPA(E)
张志贤
Teo in 2021
Senior Minister of Singapore
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 2019 Serving with Tharman Shanmugaratnam (2019–2023) Lee Hsien Loong (since 2024)
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong
Preceded by	Vacant
Coordinating Minister for National Security
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 May 2011
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong
Preceded by	Wong Kan Seng
Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
In office 1 April 2009 – 30 April 2019 Serving with Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong
Preceded by	S. Jayakumar Wong Kan Seng
Succeeded by	Heng Swee Keat Lawrence Wong
Minister for Home Affairs
In office 21 May 2011 – 30 September 2015
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong
Second Minister	S. Iswaran Masagos Zulkifli
Preceded by	K. Shanmugam
Succeeded by	K. Shanmugam
Minister for Defence
In office 1 August 2003 – 20 May 2011
Prime Minister	Goh Chok Tong Lee Hsien Loong
Second Minister	Ng Eng Hen
Preceded by	Tony Tan
Succeeded by	Ng Eng Hen
Minister for Education
In office 25 January 1997 – 31 July 2003
Prime Minister	Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Lee Yock Suan
Succeeded by	Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Minister for the Environment
In office 15 January 1996 – 24 January 1997 Acting: 17 April 1995 – 14 January 1996
Prime Minister	Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Mah Bow Tan
Succeeded by	Yeo Cheow Tong
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC (Pasir Ris West)
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 October 2001
Preceded by	Constituency established
Majority	44,466 (28.30%)
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Pasir Ris GRC (Pasir Ris Loyang)
In office 2 January 1997 – 18 October 2001
Preceded by	Charles Chong (PAP)
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Marine Parade GRC (Joo Chiat)
In office 19 December 1992 – 15 December 1996
Preceded by	Lim Chee Onn (PAP)
Succeeded by	Chan Soo Sen (PAP)
Personal details
Born	(1954-12-27) 27 December 1954 Colony of Singapore
Political party	People's Action Party
Spouse	Chew Poh Yim (died 2021)
Children	2
Education	University of Manchester (BS) Imperial College London (MS) Harvard University (MPA)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	Republic of Singapore Navy
Years of service	1972–1992
Rank	Rear-Admiral

In this Chinese name, the family name is Teo.

Teo Chee Hean PPA(E) (Chinese: 张志贤; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tiuⁿ Chì-hiân; pinyin: Zhāng Zhìxián; born 27 December 1954) is a Singaporean politician and former two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Senior Minister of Singapore since 2019 and Coordinating Minister for National Security since 2015. A member of the governing People's Action Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Pasir Ris West division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC since 2001.

A recipient of the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship, Teo served in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) between 1972 and 1992, and attained the rank Rear-Admiral (Two-Star). He served as Chief of Navy between 1991 and 1992 before leaving the Navy and entering politics.

He made his political debut in the 1992 by-election in Marine Parade GRC as part of a four-member PAP team. He had served as 6th Deputy Prime Minister between 2009 and 2019, Minister for the Environment between 1995 and 1997, Minister for Education between 1997 and 2003, Minister for Defence between 2003 and 2011 and Minister for Home Affairs between 2011 and 2015. Teo was part of the ministerial committee of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG). As Senior Minister, Teo had served as acting prime minister in several occasions, during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's absence.

Within the PAP, Teo was First Assistant Secretary-General in the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) before he was succeeded by Heng Swee Keat in November 2018.

Education

Teo was educated at St. Joseph's Institution before he was awarded the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1973. He graduated from the University of Manchester in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science with first class honours degree in electrical engineering and management science.

He subsequently went on to complete a Master of Science with distinction degree in computing science at Imperial College London in 1977. He also completed a Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard Kennedy School in 1986, where he was named a Littauer Fellow.

Career

Military career

Teo joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1972 and was commissioned as a naval officer at the SAFTI Military Institute in 1973. He went on to hold various command and staff appointments in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Joint Staff before his appointment as Chief of Navy in 1991 with the rank of Rear-Admiral (Two-Star) before leaving the SAF on 7 December 1992 to contest in the 1992 by-elections in Marine Parade GRC.

Teo was awarded the Commendation Medal (Silver) (Military) and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) (Military) in the 1981 and 1992 National Day Awards respectively.

Political career

Teo made his political debut in the 1992 by-elections in Marine Parade GRC as part of a four-member PAP team led by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. After the PAP team won 72.9% of the vote against three opposition parties, Teo was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Joo Chiat ward of Marine Parade GRC. He was subsequently appointed as Minister of State for Finance, Minister of State for Communications and Minister of State for Defence.

In April 1995, Teo was appointed as Senior Minister of State for Defence and Acting Minister for the Environment. In January 1996, he was promoted to full Minister and given the Cabinet portfolios of Minister for the Environment and Second Minister for Defence.

Teo switched to contesting in Pasir Ris GRC during the 1997 general election and the four-member PAP team led by him won 70.9% of the vote against the Workers' Party. Teo thus elected as the MP representing the Pasir Ris Loyang ward of Pasir Ris GRC. In subsequent Cabinet reshuffles, he became Minister for Education while continuing to serve as Second Minister for Defence.

During the 2001 general election, Teo led the five-member PAP team contesting in the newly formed Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC and won an uncontested walkover. After winning the general election, he continued to hold his previous Cabinet portfolios while becoming the MP representing the Pasir Ris West ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. On 1 August 2003, Teo was appointed as Minister for Defence and Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service.

During the 2006 general election, Teo led a six-member PAP team to contest in Pasir–Ris Punggol GRC again and won 68.7% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Alliance. He retained his parliamentary seat and continued holding his Cabinet portfolios. On 1 April 2009, Teo was appointed as one of two Deputy Prime Ministers, in addition to his portfolios as Minister for Defence and Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service.

Teo led a six-member PAP team to contest in Pasir–Ris Punggol GRC in the 2011 general election and won 64.79% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Alliance. On 18 May 2011, Teo relinquished his Cabinet portfolio of Minister for Defence and took up the positions of Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security, while concurrently serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service.

On 1 May 2019, Teo relinquished his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister to become a Senior Minister, while retaining his position as Coordinating Minister for National Security. In his new role, he also oversaw four departments under the Prime Minister's Office; Smart Nation and Digital Government Group, National Security Coordination Secretariat, National Population and Talent Division, and the National Climate Change Secretariat.

Personal life

Teo was married to Chew Poh Yim, who was the director of the business consultancy and part-time marketing management at Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Business Management. Chew graduated from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science with honours degree in biochemistry. In 2015, she founded Stroke Support Station, a volunteering organisation that provides assistance to stroke survivors and caregivers. Chew died on 31 October 2021 at the age of 67. The couple have one son and one daughter.

Teo was also President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) between 1984 and 2014, and an advisor to the Singapore Dragon Boat Association.

Honours

• 1981: Pingat Penghargaan, Perak (Tentera) - Commendation Medal (Silver) (Military)
• 1992: Pingat Pentadbiran Awam, Emas (Tentera) - Public Administration Medal (Gold) (Military)

Bibliography

• (in Chinese) Liu, Changping & Zhang, He, 风雨晚晴园(不应忘却的辛亥革命勋臣张永福), 中国文史 (2011), ISBN 9787503431098

External links

• Teo Chee Hean on Singapore Prime Minister's Office
• Teo Chee Hean on Parliament of Singapore
• Teo Chee Hean on Twitter
• Teo Chee Hean on Facebook