George Yeo
George Yeo | |
---|---|
杨荣文 | |
In office 3 September 1988 – 7 May 2011 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Low Thia Khiang |
Majority | 16,225 (12.2%) |
Personal details | |
Born | George Yeo Yong-Boon 13 September 1954 Brigadier-General |
George Yeo Yong-Boon (
Yeo served in the
A former member of the governing
Education
Yeo was educated at
He subsequently went on to complete a
Military career
Upon returning from the United Kingdom, Yeo served as a commissioned officer in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He served as a signals officer in the Singapore Army, before transferring to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).
When Yeo returned to Singapore, he served as Chief of Staff – Air Staff between 1985 and 1986, and Director of Joint Operations and Planning at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) between 1986 and 1988.[2] He also led the team which conceptualised the SAFTI Military Institute.[3]
Yeo left the SAF in 1988 and attained the rank
Political career
Yeo made his political debut in the
Following his election into Parliament, Yeo served in various ministries, including the
Yeo represented the Eurasian community in the Cabinet at their request.
Yeo and his Aljunied GRC team first faced a team of
In 2006, Yeo along with his team
However, in the
Yeo, along with a co-anchor minister Lim Hwee Hua, were the first two cabinet ministers in post-independence Singapore, and after the 1963 election, to be defeated in the election and consequently losing their parliamentary seats to the opposition.[8][9]
According to Yeo, he was offered to rejoin Cabinet by then-Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew through a by-election in Lee's Tanjong Pagar GRC. Yeo declined.
On 5 October 2011, Yeo stepped down from the PAP's Central Executive Committee (the party's governing body).[10] However, he continues to be a member of the PAP.[11] During his announcement, Yeo stated that he declined running for presidency later that year, cited that he was a "free spirit" and he was not "temperamentally suited for such a job", despite being popular in online and have "a flood of support" on post-election.[12] He although stated on his Facebook page that he was "thinking hard" about the possibility of becoming a candidate on 1 June,[13][14][15] but however, on 15 June, Yeo confirmed that he declined standing for presidency.[16][17]
Minister for Information, Communications, and the Arts
As Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, he liberalised the use of dialects in the local film industry, which paved the way for a generation of local film directors and producers.[
In the 1990s, Yeo pushed for widespread adoption of internet infrastructure in Singapore, stating that it was important for Singapore to retain its role as a regional hub. Its geographical advantage would matter less, and its infrastructural advantage in the exchange of information and ideas would matter more. In 1995, he defended government censorship of the Internet even as it proved technologically challenging to do so: "Censorship can no longer be 100% effective, but even if it is only 20% effective, we should not stop censoring." In what he described as an "anti-pollution measure in cyberspace", Yeo transferred censorship authority from the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS) to the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), which was to "concentrate on areas which may undermine public morals, political stability or religious harmony in Singapore". Yeo said the government would focus on monitoring internet communications that broadcast material to millions of users rather than the "narrowcasting" of private communications between individuals.[18]
Minister for Trade and Industry
As Minister for Trade and Industry, Yeo led his team to successfully negotiate the
On 10 May 2011, Yeo announced that he would be retiring from politics.
Prior to the 2011 presidential election, Yeo announced that he will make a decision on running for president within 2 weeks, and has asked his friends to pick up eligibility forms on his behalf. Yeo later declined running for the Presidency on 15 June 2011.
Prior to the 2023 presidential election, Yeo announced on Facebook that he was seriously considering a run for the presidency; he later retracted these statements.
Post-political career
Yeo has been a visiting scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy since 2011.[21]
In 2013, Yeo was appointed as a non-official member of the newly established Hong Kong Economic Development Commission.[22]
In 2014, Yeo was named as a member of the Vatican's Council for the Economy. He was amongst the first lay Catholics appointed by the Vatican to oversee organisational and economic issues faced by the Holy See. At that time, Yeo was the only Asian appointed to the commission.[23]
Yeo is currently a member of the Foundation Board of the
Yeo was involved in reviving the ancient Buddhist university, Nalanda University, in Bihar, India. He was chancellor of Nalanda University[25] and member of the University Governing Board,[26] and the governing board's International Advisory Panel. In November 2016, he resigned as the chancellor of Nalanda University accusing the Indian government of failing to maintain the university's autonomy.[27]
In Singapore, he is also advisor to the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, as well as a patron of Lasalle College of the Arts.[1]
Private sector
Yeo moved to the private sector in Hong Kong since leaving politics in 2011.
On 23 August 2020, V3 Group, led by Osim founder Ron Sim, announced that George Yeo would join the group as senior advisor.[33] Yeo is also an independent board director of Nasdaq-listed e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, the largest agriculture platform in China.[34][35]
Yeo was appointed as an independent non-executive director of Creative Technology in 2021.[36] As of April 2024, George Yeo owns 400,000 shares in Wilmar International, and was appointed as an independent non-executive director.[32]
Awards and recognition
In 2012, Yeo was awarded the Padma Bhushan, by India,[37] the Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Datu (Grand Cross), by the Philippines,[38] and the Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, by Australia.[39]
Personal life
A
In 2004, their youngest son, who has struggled with childhood leukemia since age three, received a bone marrow transplant at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.[20] Recognising the difficulties faced by families in such situations, Leong founded the Viva Foundation to help children with cancer to improve the survival rate and cure of children with cancer, especially childhood leukemia, in Singapore and Southeast Asia.[40] In May 2006, a memorandum of understanding was signed between St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, National University of Singapore (NUS), National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore, and the VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer (VIVA).[41]
Yeo is an avid
Works
- "Reflection on Singapore–Israel Relations" in Beating the Odds Together: 50 Years of Singapore-Israel Ties. Ed. Mattia Tomba. Singapore: OCLC 1122747159
Bibliography
References
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- ^ a b c d e "Life and Career of George Yeo". Yahoo Singapore: SingaporeScene. 10 May 2011. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ "George Yeo". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022.
- ISBN 9789814520508.
- ^ "George Yeo". Archived from the original on 6 September 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-415-14865-8.
- ^ "YEO, george". Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ "A Singaporean minister again in a hot seat". Straits Times. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ Rajaram, Chitra (8 May 2011). "GE "We hear all your voices", says PM Lee – General Election 2011". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
- ^ "Goh Chok Tong, George Yeo & LKY step down from PAP CEC". Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "George Yeo's new book details 'tensions', complex ties with Lee Kuan Yew and why he nearly quit PAP after Aljunied GRC loss". CNA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Ong, Dai Lin (11 May 2011). "I'm disappointed, but this is politics, says George Yeo". Today (Singapore newspaper). Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- Asiaone. Archived from the originalon 4 June 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- TODAY. Archived from the originalon 7 June 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- ^ "楊榮文正認真考慮競選總統 (Translation: George Yeo is Considering to Run for President)". My Paper. 2 June 2011. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- Channel NewsAsia. Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ "'I don't see myself returning to politics': George Yeo". Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- JSTOR 2657651.
- ^ "Mega boost likely: George Yeo". The Straits Times. 15 April 2005. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Most difficult moment not politics: Foreign Min. George Yeo". sg.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ Saad, Imelda. "George Yeo to join LKY School of Public Policy". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ "No conflict of interest in George Yeo's appointment to Hong Kong commission: Masagos". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ Migration (26 March 2014). "George Yeo "honoured" by appointment to the Vatican's new Council for the Economy | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Members of IESE's International Advisory Board Archived 1 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine, iese.edu
- ^ New Chancellor, Nalanda University. "George Yeo". Nalanda University. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ Governing, Board. "Members". Nalanda University. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ "Too much politics: Singapore's George Yeo walks out of India's Nalanda University as chancellor". Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Singh, Malminderjit. "George Yeo joins Wilmar board". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ^ "George Yeo to join Kuok Group". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ "Focus" (PDF). Kerry Logistics FOCUS (12). 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
- ^ a b "George Yong-Boon Yeo". www.wilmar-international.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ^ a b Devi, Uma (19 April 2024). "Wilmar appoints former minister George Yeo as independent non-executive director". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Masterson, Victoria. "Here's what happened when AI and humans met in a strawberry-growing contest". World Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ Xue, Yujie (22 April 2020). "Pinduoduo pushes US$7.1 billion e-commerce campaign in rural China". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Padma Awards Announced". Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Photo". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ^ "Honorary Appointments within the General Division of the Order of Australia – 30 November 2012". Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ Chung, Grace. "Why Singapore's Wealthiest Are Backing This Lawyer In The Fight Against Childhood Cancer". Forbes. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Who We Are". Viva Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- Asiaone. Archived from the originalon 13 May 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
Sources
George Yeo, George Yeo on Bonsai, Banyan and the Tao, edited by Asad-ul Iqbal Latif and Lee Huay Leng, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2015, 686 pages.
Justin Corfield, Historical Dictionary of Singapore, Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2011, pp. 297–298.
Justin Corfield and Robin Corfield, Encyclopedia of Singapore, Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2006, pp. 247–248.
Low Kar Tiang (editor), Who's Who in Singapore, Singapore, 2003, p. 467.