Indranee Rajah
| |
| Designation | • Minister, Prime Minister's Office • Second Minister for Finance & Second Minister for National Development • Leader of the House |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Party | PAP 
|
Indranee Thurai Rajah SC, born on 12 April 1963, is a Singaporean lawyer and politician. She currently serves as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance (since 2018), Second Minister for National Development (since 2020), and Leader of the House (since 2020). A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), she represented Tanjong Pagar GRC from 2001 to 2025, and was elected in 2025 to represent Pasir Ris–Changi GRC following boundary changes.
Indranee is of mixed heritage, with a Tamil Hindu father and a Chinese mother, and was raised in the Anglican faith. Her father, A. T. Rajah, was a former Deputy Commissioner of Police and served as president of the Singapore National Olympic Council. Indranee attended Marymount Convent School and later Raffles Institution. She went on to study law at the National University of Singapore, graduating with an LLB (Honours) in 1986.[1]
For the full list of positions, refer to PARL link.
Legal career
Rajah began her legal career at the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 1987. In 1988, she joined Drew & Napier LLC, one of Singapore’s most prominent law firms. By 1991, she became Director of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. In January 2003, she was appointed Senior Counsel, a title awarded to lawyers with outstanding ability in advocacy, integrity, and knowledge of the law. Her legal practice focused primarily on civil and commercial litigation, and she has represented clients in several high-profile cases in the Supreme Court.[2]
Political career
Indranee Rajah entered politics in 2001, standing as a candidate for the People’s Action Party (PAP) in Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC), led by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. She was successfully elected and has been re-elected in subsequent general elections. As of 2025, she serves as Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC.
From 2006 to 2011, she served as Deputy Speaker of Parliament. In 2012, she was appointed Senior Minister of State for Law and Education. Her contributions in these roles included overseeing reforms in legal aid schemes, mediation, and professional development for lawyers. In 2018, she was promoted to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and concurrently served as Second Minister for Finance and Education. Her education portfolio included oversight of higher education institutions and policy planning.
On 27 July 2020, Rajah was appointed Second Minister for National Development, where she contributed to housing, urban planning, and sustainability efforts. She has also served as Chairperson of the National Population and Talent Division, addressing issues of demographic change and workforce development.
Since 20 August 2020, Indranee Rajah has held the position of Leader of the House in Parliament, where she manages the government’s legislative program and ensures the smooth conduct of parliamentary proceedings.[3] She has also been active in shaping debates on family policies, land valuation, and population issues.[3][4][5]
Controversies
- Keppel Offshore & Marine Bribery Case (2023) On 6 February 2023, Indranee Rajah defended the decision by the Attorney-General’s Chambers and CPIB not to prosecute six former senior executives of Keppel Offshore & Marine involved in a US$55 million bribery scandal linked to contracts with Brazilian oil company Petrobras. She stated that insufficient evidence and the refusal of overseas witnesses to testify in Singapore made prosecution unfeasible. The decision drew widespread public criticism, especially given Keppel O&M’s admission in a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. DOJ that it had paid bribes. The company was fined US$422 million globally, while the profits from the corruption allegedly exceeded US$350 million.[6]
- Claim that Divorcing Couples Do Not Face HDB Hurdles (2024) In May 2024, during a parliamentary exchange, Rajah asserted that individuals undergoing divorce could already apply for HDB rental flats prior to final or interim judgments. This was in response to WP MP Faisal Manap's concerns about systemic obstacles for divorcing couples. However, when Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh produced an HDB letter dated 1 May 2024 contradicting her claim, Rajah acknowledged possible confusion caused by HDB’s case-by-case discretion and pledged to review procedures for clarity.[4][7]
- Speaker’s Unparliamentary Remarks (2023) Following Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin’s hot mic incident involving NCMP Leong Mun Wai, Rajah delivered Tan's apology in Parliament on 2 August 2023 and declared the matter closed. She defended the lack of further action, asserting that necessary steps had been taken. Later, when Leong questioned why Tan did not compel Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to apologise for a related incident, Rajah reminded the House that Leong had initially accepted the apology. In July 2023, she also demanded an apology from Leong over a PSP Facebook post that referred to "sia suay" in the context of the Ridout Road property controversy.[8]
- Motion to Suspend S. Iswaran (2023) When NCMP Hazel Poa moved to suspend Transport Minister S. Iswaran during a CPIB investigation, Rajah submitted a counter-motion urging Parliament to wait for the investigation’s outcome. This allowed Iswaran to continue drawing his MP allowance. Critics, including opposition figures like Lim Tean, accused the government of double standards, citing prior instances where other civil servants were suspended without pay under similar circumstances.[9]
- Oxley Road Saga and Conflict of Interest Allegations (2017) In the midst of the Oxley Road property dispute involving the late Lee Kuan Yew’s will, Indranee Rajah dismissed claims that there was a conflict of interest in the appointment of Attorney-General Lucien Wong (previously PM Lee Hsien Loong’s personal lawyer) and Deputy AG Hri Kumar Nair (a former PAP MP). Responding to concerns raised by the Lee siblings and MP Sylvia Lim, Rajah contended that past political affiliations or legal associations should not automatically disqualify public officers and maintained that such conflict of interest accusations were unfounded.[10]
- Parliamentary Procedures and Urgent Bills (2025) Rajah faced parliamentary criticism in March 2025 for unilaterally redirecting MPs’ questions to different ministries without prior consultation. WP MP Sylvia Lim questioned the practice’s impact on transparency. Rajah defended the procedure as consistent with parliamentary rules and administratively efficient. She also justified the rare invocation of a certificate of urgency to expedite the Insurance (Amendment) Bill, preventing Allianz’s acquisition of Income Insurance. Critics claimed this undermined proper legislative scrutiny.[4][11]
- Fertility Rate Debate (2025) In a heated parliamentary exchange, Rajah disagreed with PSP MP Leong Mun Wai, who had characterized Singapore’s falling fertility rate as a national emergency. Rajah rejected the term “emergency,” calling for a more rational and comprehensive policy approach. The incident reflected ongoing friction between the government and opposition on demographic issues.[3]
Personal life
Indranee is the daughter of A. T. Rajah, a former Deputy Commissioner of Police and President of the Singapore National Olympic Council. Her multicultural background includes Tamil Hindu heritage from her father and ethnic Chinese Anglican roots from her mother.
Social Media Pages
References
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indranee_Rajah
- ↑ https://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/CV/parliament-cv_ms-indranee-rajah-(jan-2016).pdf
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/02/06/leong-mun-wai-and-indranee-rajah-clash-in-parliament-over-singapores-fertility-rate-and-policy-measures/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/03/01/pritam-singh-questions-hdb-land-valuation-transparency-indranee-rajah-sidesteps-key-issues/
- ↑ https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/03/14/netizens-react-as-indranee-rajah-says-singapore-has-no-plan-to-revise-parental-leave-policy/
- ↑ https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/keppel-corp-unit-not-let-off-lightly-in-corruption-scandal-indranee-rajah
- ↑ https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/02/06/indranee-rajah-backtracks-on-claim-divorcing-applicants-face-no-hdb-rental-hurdles/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- ↑ https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/indranee-tan-chuan-jin-address-next-house-sitting-3627416
- ↑ https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2023/09/19/lim-tean-expresses-outrage-over-indranees-counter-motion-on-minister-iswarans-mp-pay-suspension/
- ↑ https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/oxley-road-dispute-demolition-not-only-option-lee-kuan-yew-considered-says-indranee
- ↑ https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/indranee-rajah-sylvia-lim-wp-parliamentary-procedures-4972206
References
| 14th Parliament | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| 15th Parliament | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||