| George Yeo Yong-Boon | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 12 August 2004 – 21 May 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Shanmugam Jayakumar |
| Succeeded by | K. Shanmugam |
| Minister for Trade and Industry | |
| In office 3 June 1999 – 12 August 2004 |
|
| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong |
| Succeeded by | Lim Hng Kiang |
| Minister for Health | |
| In office 2 January 1994 – 25 January 1997 |
|
| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong |
| Preceded by | Yeo Cheow Tong |
| Succeeded by | Yeo Cheow Tong |
| Minister for Information and the Arts | |
| In office 28 November 1990 – 3 June 1999 |
|
| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong |
| Preceded by | Yeo Ning Hong |
| Succeeded by | Lee Yock Suan |
| Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC |
|
| In office 3 September 1988 – 7 May 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | New seat creation |
| Succeeded by | Low Thia Khiang |
| Majority | 16,225 (12.2%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 September 1954 |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
George Yeo Yong-Boon (simplified Chinese: 杨荣文; traditional Chinese: 楊榮文; pinyin: Yáng Róngwén; born 13 September 1954) is a former politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he served in the Cabinet from 1991 to 2011 as the Minister for Information and the Arts (1991–99), Minister for Health (1994–97), Minister for Trade and Industry (1999–2004) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–11). However he lost his seat in Parliament at the 2011 general election when the PAP's team in the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency lost to the Workers' Party, following which he announced that he was retiring from politics.
Prior to entering Parliament, Yeo was a Brigadier-General in the Republic of Singapore Air Force. He served as the Chief-of-Staff of the Air Staff from 1985 to 1986, and as the Director of Joint Operations and Planning at the Ministry of Defence from 1986 to 1988.
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Yeo received his primary school education at St. Stephen's School.[1] He studied at St. Joseph's Institution and finished his O-Levels at the top of the class in 1970. As a President's Scholar and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Scholar, he graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in engineering in 1976.[2]
Upon returning from England, Yeo served as an officer in the SAF. He served as a Signals officer in the Army, before transferring to the Republic of Singapore Air Force, where he rose to the rank of Brigadier-General. He then attended Harvard Business School and earned an MBA, graduating as a Baker Scholar in 1985.[2]
When Yeo returned to Singapore, he served as the Chief-of-Staff of the Air Staff from 1985 to 1986, and as the Director of Joint Operations and Planning at the Ministry of Defence from 1986 to 1988. He also led the team which conceptualised the SAFTI Military Institute.
In 1988, Yeo resigned from the SAF in order to stand for Parliament.
Following his election into Parliament, Yeo served in various Ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, he liberalised the use of dialects in the local movie industry, which paved the way for a generation of local movie directors and producers. He also oversaw the design and construction of the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and the new National Library.
As Minister for Trade and Industry, Yeo led his team to successfully negotiate the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries.
Yeo proposed the idea of having Integrated Resorts (IRs) in Singapore, which would include casinos, which was intensely debated for a year. [3]This paved the way for the 2 IRs in Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands at the Marina Promenade. (He later shared with a group of university students during a dialogue that his late father had a problem with gambling and the decision to push for the gaming resorts was personally a very difficult one. He said that policy making often involved a choice between 'evils'.)
He represented the Eurasian community in the Cabinet at their request.
Yeo represented the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) of Aljunied in Parliament from 1988 to 2011.
At the 2006 general election, Yeo led the PAP team in the constituency which defeated the team from the Workers' Party with 56.1% of the votes to 43.9%. This was the PAP's narrowest margin of victory in the elections that year.
At the 2011 general election, on 7 May 2011, Yeo led the PAP's team in Aljunied which was defeated by the team from the Workers' Party's (which was led by the party's Secretary-General, Low Thia Khiang). The Workers' Party team won 54.7% of the votes to the PAP team's 45.3%. Yeo thus lost his seat in Parliament and his ministerial appointment.
Yeo announced that he was retiring from active politics on 10 May 2011. However on 1 June 2011, he stated on his Facebook page that he was "thinking hard" about the possibility of becoming a candidate in the 2011 Singapore presidential election.[4][5][6] But on 15 June, Yeo announced that he would not be standing for President.[7]
On 5 October 2011, Yeo stepped down from the PAP's Central Executive Committee (the party's governing body).[8]
Yeo will join the Kuok Group as vice chairman of Kerry Group (HK) Pte Ltd in January 2012.[9]
Yeo joined the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy as a Visiting Scholar from August 2011. His appointment will last for a three-year term.[10]
Yeo is currently a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute’s 21st Century Council and the International Advisory Boards of Harvard Business School and IESE Business School. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Kuok Group.
Yeo has taken an important role in reviving the ancient Buddhist university, Nalanda University, in Bihar, India. He is a member of the University Governing Board led by Prof Amartya Sen, and the governing board's International Advisory Panel.
He also takes the following advisory roles in Singapore:
Yeo was the first Singaporean Minister to start blogging. He has been blogging since August 2006. He then moved on to Social networking service and is one of the most active Singaporean politician on it, with over 85,000 friends and supporters.
Yeo has devoted a considerable amount of time interacting with young people, often speaking and listening to them in informal groups and organised dialogues. He professes to be "energised" by the younger generation and "constantly learns from them". He attends and supports many youth driven community projects and events. He attended the mega dance festival ZoukOut for the last two years with his wife.
A Roman Catholic, Yeo married lawyer Jennifer Leong Lai Peng in 1984.[2] The couple have three sons and one daughter.
In 2004, their youngest son had a long struggle with childhood leukemia from the age of 3 and is well now after a bone marrow transplant at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. Recognising the difficulties faced by families in such situations, Jennifer founded Viva Foundation to help children with cancer, actively championing their cause.
Yeo is an avid jogger and participated in the Singapore Marathon 10 km run in the last 2 years. He has been learning Taiji for the last 2 years and calls himself "a bit of a Taoist by philosophy".[11]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ? |
Minister of State for Finance 13 September 1988-28 November 1990 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by ? |
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs 13 September 1988-28 November 1990 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by ? |
Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs 28 November 1990-1 July 1991 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by ? |
Second Minister for Foreign Affairs 1 July 1991-2 January 1994 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by Yeo Ning Hong |
Minister for Information and the Arts 28 November 1990 - 1 July 1991 (acting) 1991 - 1999 |
Succeeded by Lee Yock Suan |
| Preceded by Yeo Cheow Tong |
Minister for Health 2 January 1994-25 January 1997 |
Succeeded by Yeo Cheow Tong |
| Preceded by ? |
Minister for Trade and Industry 3 June 1999 - 12 August 2004 |
Succeeded by Lim Hng Kiang |
| Preceded by Shanmugam Jayakumar |
Minister for Foreign Affairs 12 August 2004-7 May 2011 |
Succeeded by K Shanmugam |