Tharman Shanmugaratnam
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தர்மன் சண்முகரத்னம் | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Tharman in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th President of Singapore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 14 September 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Halimah Yacob | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Tharman Shanmugaratnam 25 February 1957[1] Colony of Singapore | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Independent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | People's Action Party (2001–2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Jane Yumiko Ittogi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Kanagaratnam Shanmugaratnam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | London School of Economics (BSc) University of Cambridge (MPhil) Harvard University (MPA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tharman Shanmugaratnam[a] PBM (born 25 February 1957) is a Singaporean politician and economist. He is the President of Singapore since 2023.
He was Senior Minister of Singapore between 2019 and 2023. He was also the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies between 2015 and 2023, and Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 2011 and 2023.
On 8 June 2023, Tharman announced his plans to run for president in the 2023 presidential election.[2] He was elected on 2 September 2023 in a landslide victory, winning 70.40% of the vote.[3]
Early life and education
[change | change source]Tharman was born in the Colony of Singapore in 1957. He studied at the Anglo-Chinese School. When he was studying there, he was not interested in his studies and was not disciplined. However, he liked to read and tried out poetry. During his time at Anglo-Chinese School, he created four poets with his schoolmates. Also, he was interested in sports and spent most of his time playing sports. He even joined his school's hockey team.[4]
Tharman attended the London School of Economics (LSE), graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. Then, Tharman went on to study at Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge. There, he completed a Master of Philosophy degree in economics.
Tharman then became a student at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, where he finished a Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree. He was a student activist there. He explored left-wing politics, as he did not agree with the ruling People's Action Party back in Singapore.
Tharman was a recipient of the Lucius N. Littauer Fellows Award. The award is given to students with MPA's who showed academic excellence and leadership.[5]In 2011, the LSE gave him an Honorary Fellowship.[6]
Early career
[change | change source]Tharman began his working career at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 1982, where he worked as an economist.
He later left MAS and joined Ministry of Education as Senior Deputy Secretary for Policy.
He returned to the MAS in 1997. He became its managing director in 2001. He resigned at MAS to contest in the 2001 Singaporean general election.[5]
Parliamentary career
[change | change source]Tharman participated in the 2001 Singaporean general election. He contested as part of a People's Action Party candidate with a five-member team at Jurong GRC. The team won 79.75% of the vote. After joining Parliament, he was appointed Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Senior Minister of State for Education.
In August 2003, he became part of the cabinet after he was made Minister of Education.[7]
During the 2006 Singaporean general election, he kept his seat in Parliament. The team won with an uncontested walkover since there were no opponents. He was made Second Minister of Finance.[8] In December 2007, he became the Minister of Finance. In March 2008, he stopped being Minister of Education.
During the 2011 Singaporean general election, he kept his seat in Parliament. The team won with 66.96% of the vote. He was made Deputy Prime Minister. He was also made Minister of Manpower.[9]
In July 2012, he stopped being Minister of Manpower.
During the 2015 Singaporean general election, he kept his seat in Parliament. Jurong GRC led by Tharman, won 79.3% of the vote. His team's constituency got the highest percentage of votes, compared to other constituencies.[10] After the election, he stopped being Minister of Finance.[7] He was made Coordinating Minister for Social Policies (known then as Coordinating Minister for Social and Economic Policies).
After the election, many people wanted him to be the next Prime Minister (PM), but Tharman refused. He said, "I'm good at policymaking, I'm good at advising my younger colleagues, and at supporting the PM - not at being the PM. That's not me."[11]
On 23 April 2019, it was announced that both Tharman will be made Senior Ministers from 1 May 2019 because of a Cabinet reshuffle. He will stop being Deputy Prime Minister. However, Tharman will stay as the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies.
During the 2020 Singaporean general election, he kept his seat in Parliament. Tharman led his Jurong GRC team and got 74.62% of the vote. Once again, his team's constituency got the highest percentage of votes.[12]
In July 2023, Tharman stepped down as a Member of Parliament and his government positions. He also resigned as a member of the People's Action Party. He did that to become a candidate in the 2023 Singaporean presidential election.
Presidency
[change | change source]2023 election
[change | change source]Tharman first announced his plan to become a candidate in the 2023 Singaporean presidential election on 8 June 2023. He announced that he will leave Parliament and the People's Action Party on 7 July.[13]
After leaving Parliament and the People's Action Party, he increased preparation for the presidential election. On 26 July 2023, Tharman launched his presidential campaign. He announced his campaign slogan, which is called "Respect for All".[14]
On 18 August 2023, he was confirmed to be able to run for presidency after he was given the Certificate of Eligibility.[15]
On 2 September 2023, Tharman was announced as the next president after getting 70.40% of the vote. He was elected as the ninth president of Singapore. He is the first non-Chinese presidential candidate to win in a contested presidential election in Singapore and has gotten the highest vote count in Singapore's presidential election history.[16][17] He was made President on 14 September 2023.[18]
Notes
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ "MP | Parliament Of Singapore".
- ↑ Goh, Han Yan (8 June 2023). "SM Tharman to run for president, will resign from Govt and PAP on July 7". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ↑ Correspondent, Goh Yan HanPolitical (2023-09-02). "Landslide 70.4 per cent victory for president-elect Tharman". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ "Economist, sportsman and poet: 6 things about Tharman, who will run for president". www.businesstimes.com.sg. Archived from the original on 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Correspondent, Tham Yuen-CSenior Political (2023-06-08). "Economist, sportsman and poet: 6 things about SM Tharman, who will run for president". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ "Who is Tharman Shanmugaratna, Indian-origin economist elected as Singapore's 9th president?". The Indian Express. 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Things to know about presidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam". TODAY. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ "The Cabinet - Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam". web.archive.org. 2007-03-18. Archived from the original on 2007-03-18. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ PTI (2023-09-02). "Economist-Turned-Politician Tharman Shanmugaratnam Becomes President Of Singapore". BQ Prime. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ Tan, Sumiko (2015-09-12). "GE2015: PAP vote share increases to 69.9%, party wins 83 of 89 seats including WP-held Punggol East". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ Correspondent, Rachel Au-YongHousing (2016-09-28). "DPM Tharman rules himself out as next prime minister: 'I am not the man for PM'". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ Davie, Hariz Baharudin and Sandra (2020-07-11). "GE2020 official results: Tharman leads PAP to thumping win in Jurong GRC with 75 % of votes against RDU". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ "Tharman Shanmugaratnam to run for President in Singapore, will resign from PAP". CNA. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ "Tharman formally launches bid to be Singapore's 'President for a new era'". CNA. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ "Ng Kok Song, Tan Kin Lian, Tharman Shanmugaratnam qualify as presidential candidates; George Goh ineligible". CNA. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ "Singapore picks economic czar Tharman Shanmugaratnam as its next president". CNBC. 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ "'I did not expect such a high degree of endorsement': President-elect Tharman Shanmugaratnam". CNA. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ↑ Correspondent, Goh Yan HanPolitical (2023-08-11). "Singapore Presidential Election 2023: Polling Day on Sept 1, Nomination Day on Aug 22". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help)