Lim Boon Heng
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Lim Boon Heng | |
---|---|
林文兴 | |
Singapore Parliament for Kebun Baru SMC | |
In office 23 December 1980 – 14 August 1991 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Umar Abdul Hamid |
Personal details | |
Born | Lim Boon Heng 18 November 1947 Colony of Singapore |
Political party | People's Action Party (1980–2011) |
Spouse | Florence Chia |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Newcastle University |
Lim Boon Heng (
Lim had also served as Chairman of NTUC Enterprise Co-operative, Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Labour Foundation, Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Deputy Chairman of the People's Association.
Since retiring from politics, Lim has been the chairman of Temasek Holdings since 2013.[1]
Early life
Lim grew up in a small farm in
Political career
Lim was approached by former NOL colleague
In 1984, Lim raised the concept of town council,[3] and was appointed the chairman of Ang Mo Kio West Town Council, the first in the country, in 1986. He was the MP for the Ulu Pandan division of Bukit Timah GRC (1991–2001) and the Jurong Central division of Jurong GRC (2001–2011).
Lim was Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Labour (1987–1991) and Deputy Speaker of Parliament (1989–1991).
Lim first entered the Cabinet when he was appointed as Minister without portfolio in October 1993 (later renamed as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office).[4] Before being elevated to the Cabinet, he was appointed Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1991 and later became the Second Minister in 1993. In 1996, he was the Treasurer of the PAP Central Executive Committee and went on to become the Chairman of the PAP Central Executive Committee in 2004. In 2007, Lim was appointed Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing to oversee issues related to Singapore's rapidly ageing population.
Lim was Chairman of the National Productivity Board (1991–2003), later known as the Productivity and Standards Board and subsequently the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING Singapore). Lim was also Chairman of the Skills Development Council (1999–2002).
Lim was the Chairman of the Cost Review Committee to look into cost of living in Singapore. (CRC1993 and CRC1996).
Lim announced his retirement from politics in 2011 before the general elections. He also hit the headlines in when he teared up while responding to the media on whether there was groupthink among PAP politicians. He recounts how the Cabinet was deeply split over whether to set up a casino in Singapore and his struggle with the decision.[5][6]
Trade union career
Lim has a long career with the trade union in Singapore. He spent 26 years at the National Trades Union Congress, with the last 13 as its Secretary-General. He rose from the position of Deputy Director (1981–1983) to Assistant Secretary-General (1983–1987) and Deputy Secretary-General (1987–1991). Thereafter, he had a two-year stint at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (1991–1993). Upon his return to the NTUC, he was elected Secretary-General and served for another four terms until he stepped down in December 2006 to make way for Lim Swee Say.[citation needed]
Lim is Chairman of NTUC Eldercare since 2000 and Deputy Chairman of Singapore Labour Foundation since 1997. Following his retirement from NTUC, Lim helps to oversee the labour movement's network of nine cooperatives. He is currently Chairman of the Social Enterprises Development Council.
Lim served as a member on the National Wages Council from 1981 to 1991. Lim was instrumental in pushing for a flexible wage system to help older workers keep their jobs and to preserve jobs during difficult economic times.[citation needed]
Lim was able to persuade union leaders to support the Central Provident Fund (CPF) cuts and reform during the 1998 recession. He also rallied union leaders and workers to support the restructuring of key companies like PSA International and Singapore Airlines (SIA).[citation needed]
Aware of the many criticisms of his wearing the two hats - that of NTUC chief and Minister in the Cabinet, Lim argued that this arrangement gave labour a place to influence public policy-making at the highest level. He opined that both trade unions and government have the same objective - to better the lives of workers.[citation needed]
In August 1996, Lim was conferred the honorary Doctor of Business from the
Lim was also the Executive Secretary of SMMWU (1981–1991) and advisor to 11 unions affiliated to the NTUC. He was also Chairman of NTUC Pasir Ris Resort Management Committee (1988–1992), Chairman of NTUC Club (1993–2006) and Appointing Governor of the Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies (OTC-ILS) (1993–2006).
In 2013, the Lim Boon Heng Scholarship was launched to help Singaporean students who are residents of Jurong Central and Jurong Spring constituencies who have applied for admission into or are pursuing higher education in Singapore universities.[7]
Post-politics career
After Lim's retirement from politics in 2011, he joined Temasek Holdings as a director in June 2012.[8] In July 2013, the investment company announced his appointment as chairman to replace outgoing chairman S. Dhanabalan.[9]
Lim is also the chairman of NTUC Enterprise Co-operative.[10] and retains his position as deputy chairman of the Singapore Labour Foundation.[11]
In 2017, Lim urged Singaporeans to work as long as they can, as working longer can offer health benefits and give them a sense of purpose.
"We should work for as long as we are able to work, and want to work, although we should not expect the same pay."[12]
In 2018, Lim participated in a roundtable to discuss about the merits of the Progressive Wage Model in Singapore versus a universal Minimum Wage.[13]
References
- ^ Migration (2013-07-22). "Lim Boon Heng to take over as chairman of Temasek Holdings from S. Dhanabalan". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
- ^ "Lim Boon Heng: always at PAP's service". Petir. December 2018. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ "First town councils are established". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ "Close-up of Mr. Lim Boon Heng, former Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress". Retrieved 2018-12-01.
- ^ "Inside Cabinet... it's no wayang". www.asiaone.com. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ Wee, Eugene (2017-04-09). "Real men do cry". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ "Jurong Central - Lim Boon Heng Scholarship 2013". www.jurongcentral.sg. Archived from the original on 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
- ^ "Boon Heng Lim". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ "Lim Boon Heng to take over as Temasek Chairman from S. Dhanabalan". AsiaOne. 22 Jul 2013.
- ^ "NTUC Enterprise group CEO to leave his post after February 2017". Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ "Board of Directors - Lim Boon Heng". www.temasek.com.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ Goy, Priscilla (2017-03-25). "Work for as long as you can, says Lim Boon Heng". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ "The Sunday Times' Roundtable: Be willing to pay more to lift low-wage workers' income, says ST panel on minimum wage". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2021-04-08.