Desmond Choo

From PoliticalSG
Desmond Choo Pey Ching
朱倍庆
Party Affiliation PAP  
Current Role • MP for Tampines GRC
• North East District Mayor
Past Roles Pending
Others Pending
Pending
Background
Education Pending


Personal Details
Age 47
Others Pending


Desmond Choo Pey Ching (Chinese: 朱倍庆; pinyin: Zhū Bèiqìng; born 13 February 1978) is a Singaporean politician from the ruling party the People's Action Party (PAP), representing he Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC). He has served as a MP since 2015. In addition to that, he has been the Mayor of the North East District since 2017. Choo is the Assistant Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), where he has been actively calling for workers' rights and policies.

For the full list of positions, refer to PARL link.

Early Life and Education

Choo received education at Ai Tong School, Catholic High School, and National Junior College. He graduated from the University of Chicago, majoring in economics. A scholarship from The Singapore Police Force financed his studies.

Career before entering politics

Singapore Police Force

Upon graduation, Choo served his scholarship bond in the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for 12 years, holding various senior officer positions, including:

  • Commanding officer of Woodlands Neighbourhood Police Centre,
  • Head of the Special Investigation Section,
  • Deputy commander of Clementi Police Division.

He was also seconded to the Ministry of Manpower as Deputy Director of the Foreign Workforce Policy Department. He was part of the security team during the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other Cabinet ministers at the Istana on 12 August 2004.

Choo left the police force with the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police in 2010 to join NTUC.

National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)

After a probationary stint as Deputy Director of NTUC's Youth Development Unit, Choo later became Deputy Director of the Industrial Relations Unit. He concurrently served as the Executive Secretary of the Union of Security Employees and the Singapore Shell Employees Union.

In 2013, he briefly joined the private sector at Kestrel Capital Pte Ltd, an investment firm, before returning to NTUC in April 2014.

As of 2015, Choo served as Assistant Secretary-General of NTUC and Director of the Policy Division, overseeing economic and social policies, strategic communications, and international affairs.

Additionally, he serves as Executive Secretary of the Union of Telecoms Employees of Singapore and Advisor to the Young NTUC Committee.

Political career

Early Elections (2011–2012)

Choo entered politics as a PAP candidate in Hougang SMC during the 2011 general election. But he lost to the Workers' Party. He ran again a year later but faced another defeat.

Member of Parliament (2015–present)

Choo contested in Tampines GRC during the 2015 general election, where the PAP team secured 72.06% of the vote. He was elected MP for Tampines Changkat and has held the position since then.[9]

He was also appointed Chairperson of the Manpower Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) in the 14th Parliament of Singapore.[10]

Mayor of North East District

In 2017, Choo was appointed Mayor of North East District, a position he continues to hold.

Personal life

Choo married in July 2011.

His uncle, Choo Wee Khiang, was a PAP MP from 1988 to 1999 and was later convicted of cheating after resigning from Parliament. Despite this, Choo has stated that his uncle was a source of inspiration and counsel.

Social media pages

Controversies

  • in the Hougang By-election, triggered by the expulsion of WP's Yaw Shin Leong, Desmond Choo was sent by PAP to contest this SMC
  • famously said that "I understand how the poor feel" and wanted to implement schemes for the "many poor residents" there[1]
  • this was despite his father running an antique business and his family staying in a maisonette in the early years until the family faced financial difficulties, after which they still managed to secure a 4-room HDB flat

14th Parliament
MP  : Ang Wei NengBaey Yam KengCheryl Chan Wei LingChan Chun SingChee Hong TatCheng Li HuiEdward Chia Bing HuiChong Kee HiongDesmond ChooChua Kheng Wee LouisEric ChuaDarryl DavidChristopher de SouzaFoo Mee HarGrace Fu Hai YienGan Kim YongGan Siow HuangGan Thiam PohDerrick GohHe Ting RuHeng Chee HowHeng Swee KeatShawn Huang Wei ZhongIndranee RajahS IswaranJanil PuthuchearyAmy Khor Lean SuanKoh Poh KoonKwek Hian Chuan HenryDesmond LeeLee Hsien LoongLiang Eng HwaLim Biow ChuanJamus Jerome LimSylvia LimLim Wee KiakLow Yen LingMariam JaafarMasagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos MohamadMohamad Maliki Bin OsmanMohd Fahmi Bin AlimanMuhamad Faisal Bin Abdul ManapMuhammad Faishal IbrahimMurali PillaiNadia Ahmad SamdinNg Eng HenNg Ling LingLouis Ng Kok KwangRachel Ong Ong Ye KungJoan PereiraLeon PereraDenise Phua Lay PengPoh Li SanPritam SinghRaeesah KhanRahayu MahzamSaktiandi SupaatSeah Kian PengK ShanmugamSharael TahaSim AnnSitoh Yih PinHany SohSun XuelingAlvin TanCarrie TanTan Chuan-JinDennis Tan Lip FongDesmond TanJessica Tan Soon NeoTan Kiat HowTan See LengTan Wu MengPatrick Tay Teck GuanTeo Chee HeanJosephine TeoTharman ShanmugaratnamTin Pei LingEdwin Tong Chun FaiVikram NairVivian BalakrishnanWan RizalDon WeeLawrence WongXie Yao QuanAlex Yam ZimingYeo Wan LingYip Hon WengMelvin Yong Yik ChyeZaqy MohamadZhulkarnain Abdul Rahim
NCMP  : Leong Mun WaiHazel Poa


References

  1. File:NewspaperSG - Today, 22 March 2011, Page 2.pdf Article on TODAY dated 22 Mar 2011