Tharman Shanmugaratnam
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| Tharman Shanmugaratnam | |
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| In office August 1, 2003 – April 1, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Teo Chee Hean |
| Succeeded by | Ng Eng Hen |
| Constituency | Jurong GRC (Taman Jurong) |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 01, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Lee Hsien Loong |
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Second Minister for Finance
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| In office 2005 – December 2007 |
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| Political party | People's Action Party |
| Spouse | Jane Yumiko Ittogi |
Tharman Shanmugaratnam (simplified Chinese: 尚达曼; pinyin: Shàng Dámàn) was the Minister for Education of Singapore since August 12, 2004[1] till April 1, 2008[2], and Minister for Finance since December 1, 2007[3], having previously been Second Minister for Finance from May 2005[1]. He is also a Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC.
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[edit] Early life
Tharman was born in 1957, of Sri Lankan Tamil ancestry. He studied at the Anglo-Chinese School and subsequently obtained undergraduate and masters degrees in Economics from the London School of Economics and Cambridge University respectively, and another masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, where he received the Littauer Fellow award.
[edit] Career
Much of Tharman's earlier, professional career was spent at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Singapore’s central bank and financial regulator, where he was the Managing Director. Till today, he still serves on the Board of MAS, and sits on the Board of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. He is also Deputy Chairman of the National Research Foundation.
Tharman is also Co-Chairman of the Singapore-Liaoning Economic and Trade Council (SLETC), which was established in 2003 to advance stronger links between Singapore and Liaoning Province, China. He is Chairman of the Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies, and serves as a Life Trustee of the Singapore Indian Development Association. In 1999, he was awarded the Singapore Public Administration Gold Medal.
[edit] Arrest and Conviction
While serving as economics director in Monetary Authority of Singapore in 1994, Tharman was charged under the Official Secrets Act for inadvertently releasing Singapore's 1992 second-quarter flash projections to a research director and economist of a securities company and journalists from the Business Times.
Tharmam was convicted by Senior District Judge Richard Magnus and fined SGD$1,500 along with the other men.
[edit] Political career
Upon entering politics in 2001, Tharman was appointed Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education. In August 2003, he was appointed Acting Minister for Education. Just a year later, he became Minister for Education. In May 2006, he was also appointed the post of Second Minister for Finance.
In December 2007, Tharman was promoted to Minister for Finance, together with his earlier post of Minister for Education. He will hold his Minister for Education post until the Budget Debate and Committee of Supply in 2008 [3]. In 2002, Tharman was appointed to the Central Executive Committee of the PAP, and is currently its Assistant Treasurer. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
[edit] Private life
Tharman is married to Jane Yumiko Ittogi, a lawyer of Chinese-Japanese parentage.[4] They have four children, three sons and one daughter. All of his children are of school-going age.
[edit] References
- ^ a b The Government of Singapore (2006-06-21). The Cabinet - Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
- ^ "PM Lee unveils cabinet changes", 2008-03-29. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
- ^ a b "PM Lee to relinquish Finance Minister post, Tharman takes over", 2007-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ "Try discipline with love - Acting Education Minister Tharman: My kids, their Mandarin and their future in China", Singapore: The New Paper, 2004-06-09. Retrieved on 2008-01-22. Archived from the original on 2008-01-22. "They are for his three sons, aged 10, 12 and 13 and an 8-year-old daughter; His lawyer-wife, Madam Jane Yumiko Ittogi, is of Chinese-Japanese parentage and can speak Teochew; Mr Tharman revealed that the Chinese translation of his name, Shang Da Man, was given by a language specialist in 1995. That was the year he visited China, and felt that having a Chinese name would be more convenient."
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Teo Chee Hean |
Minister for Education 2004-2008 |
Succeeded by Ng Eng Hen |
| Preceded by Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister for Finance 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by None |
Second Minister for Finance 2005-2007 |
Succeeded by None |
| Assembly seats | ||
| Preceded by (new constituency) |
Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC (Taman Jurong) 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
