Chee Hong Tat: Difference between revisions

'''Chee Hong Tat''' (Chinese: 徐芳达; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhî Hong-ta̍t; pinyin: Xú Fāngdá; born 1973) is a Singaporean politician and former civil servant who has been serving as the '''Minister for Transport''' and '''Second Minister for Finance''' since 2024. A member of the governing [[People's Action Party]] (PAP), he has been a '''Member of Parliament (MP)''' representing the '''Toa Payoh West–Thomson''' division of '''Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC''' since 2015.

Chee was educated at '''The Chinese High School''' and '''Raffles Junior College'''. He received an '''Overseas Merit Scholarship''' from the Singapore Government to study at the '''University of California, Berkeley''', where he graduated in 1996 with a '''Bachelor of Science''' with highest honors in '''electrical engineering and computer science''' and a '''Bachelor of Arts''' with highest honors in '''economics'''.

In 2006, Chee completed a '''Master of Business Administration''' at the '''University of Adelaide''', where he was awarded the '''Newmont Australia Prize''' for being the Most Outstanding MBA Graduate.

Chee joined the '''Singapore Administrative Service''' in 1998, serving in key roles across the '''Ministries of Home Affairs''', '''Finance''', '''Transport''', and '''Education'''. From 2008 to 2011, he was the '''Principal Private Secretary''' to Minister Mentor '''Lee Kuan Yew'''. During this time, he gained public attention for his role in defending Singapore's bilingual education policies, particularly in response to proposals advocating for the return of Chinese dialects. Lee later commended Chee’s work in his book, ''My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore’s Bilingual Journey''.

Chee went on to become the '''Chief Executive Officer (CEO)''' of the '''Energy Market Authority (EMA)''' from 2011 to 2014. He subsequently served as the '''Second Permanent Secretary''' at the '''Ministry of Trade and Industry''' from 2014 to 2015.

Chee entered politics in the 2015 general election, contesting as part of a five-member PAP team for '''Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC''', which won with 73.59% of the vote. He was elected MP for the '''Toa Payoh West–Balestier division'''. In the 2020 general election, Chee successfully retained his seat in the GRC as part of a four-member PAP team with 67.26% of the vote.

In 2022, Chee was appointed '''Senior Minister of State for Finance''', a role he continued to hold after being appointed to the '''Labour Movement''' at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

In July 2023, Chee was appointed '''Acting Minister for Transport''' following the leave of absence of then-Minister '''S. Iswaran''', who was under investigation for corruption. Chee was formally promoted to '''Minister for Transport''' in January 2024 following Iswaran’s resignation. At the same time, Chee was appointed '''Second Minister for Finance'''.

In May 2024, Chee was appointed a '''Director''' on the '''Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Board of Directors''', with his term lasting until May 2027. He was also named '''Deputy Chairman''' of the MAS Board in August 2024.

Chee is married and has four children.

In response to the Jeju plane  on 29 December 2024, Chee stated that Singapore airports do not have concrete structures near runways similar to the one that caused the deadly accident in the South Korea city.  

“There are no such concrete structures near runways at our airports, all equipment that are required for air navigation purposes that are located near our runways are designed to break off in the event of a collision,”Chee said.<ref>https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/singapore-airports-have-no-concrete-structures-one-jeju-accident-chee-hong-tat</ref>  

Chee is active in grassroots activities and his firm defense of Singapore's governance policies in Parliament. He also contributed to modernizing Singapore’s transport policies and advancing its financial systems during his tenure.

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