Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Preceded by Chan Chun Sing Spouse Soo Fen Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong | Name Lui Yew Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Role Singaporean Politician | |
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Education University of Cambridge, Anglo-Chinese School, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University Similar People Lee Kuan Yew, Lim Chin Siong, Toh Chin Chye | ||
Constituency Moulmein-Kallang GRC | ||
Lui tuck yew bus punctuality scheme unlikely to encourage reckless driving 21jan2014
Lui Tuck Yew (simplified Chinese: 吕德耀; traditional Chinese: 呂德耀; pinyin: Lǚ Dé Yào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lū Tek-iāu) (born 16 August 1961) is a former Singaporean politician. Prior to his retirement from politics on 11 August 2015, he was the country's Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Defence. He previously served as the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts from 2010 to 2011. Lui was formerly an officer in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), where he rose to the rank of Rear-Admiral (RADM). He took over from RADM Richard Lim Cherng Yih and served as Singapore's Chief of Navy from 1999 to 2003.
Contents
- Lui tuck yew bus punctuality scheme unlikely to encourage reckless driving 21jan2014
- Lui tuck yew farewell press interview 13 aug 2015
- Education
- Career
- Political career
- 2011 general election
- Departure from politics
- Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan
- Personal life
- References
Lui tuck yew farewell press interview 13 aug 2015
Education
Lui was educated at Anglo-Chinese Primary School (Canning Rise)(1968-1973), Anglo-Chinese Secondary School (Barker Road) (1973-1977) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (Rochester Park) (1978-1979), before receiving a Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge, where he read Natural Sciences Tripos (Chemistry) in Trinity College and graduated in 1983. In 1994, he completed a Master of Arts in international relations at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.
Career
Lui began his career in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). He became the Chief of Navy in 1999. He left the RSN in 2003 to join the Administrative Service, and was appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA). In 2004, he became the Deputy Secretary (Land) at the Ministry of Transport, while continuing to serve concurrently as CEO of the MPA. In 2005, Lui was appointed the CEO of the Housing and Development Board.
Political career
At the 2006 general election, Lui was elected to Parliament as a member of the People's Action Party (PAP) team in the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC). He was re-elected to Parliament at the 2011 general election, this time in Moulmein-Kallang GRC.
Lui was appointed a Minister of State at the Ministry of Education on 30 May 2006. On 1 April 2008, he became the Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. He was made the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts on 1 April 2009, and became a full member of the Cabinet in 2010.
After the 2011 general election, Lui was appointed the Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs. He relinquished his portfolio in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 1 August 2012, and remains the Minister for Transport.
During his tenure as Minister for Transport, Lui defended the privatization of the public transport system, explaining that if public transport were to be nationalised, operators would be dependent on government funding as well as operate on a cost recovery basis. This he added, would not spur them to lower transport costs. Lui is adamant that the companies remain financially viable by approving yearly fare hikes.
2011 general election
In the 2011 general election, Lui was a PAP candidate in the newly created Moulmein-Kallang GRC, which included his Moulmein ward (which had previously been part of Tanjong Pagar GRC). The PAP team defeated the team from the Workers' Party by 44,828 votes (58.56%) to 31,721 (41.44%).
Departure from politics
On 11 August 2015, Lui announced his departure from politics after serving for nine years.. Together with former cabinet ministers Wong Kan Seng, Mah Bow Tan and Raymond Lim, they stepped down from politics after the 2015 General Elections. Yew acknowledged the criticisms against him as a result of handling the Transportation portfolio, and said, "In politics, you need a tender heart and a thick skin, not a hard heart and thin skin. I think my heart, my skin, like all my body parts, are fine."
Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan
On 1 June 2017, Lui was officially appointed as Singaporean Ambassador to Japan.
Personal life
Lui is married to Soo Fen. They have two children.