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| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
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| spouse =[[Ho Ching]]As the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]], Lee's career has been shadowed by allegations of [[nepotism]]. At the age of 32 he became the youngest Brigadier General in Singapore's history, and from a young age was widely tipped to be Lee Kuan Yew's successor as Prime Minister. When Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister to make way for his successor, Goh Chok Tong, several critics had seen him as a seat-warmer, but Lee Kuan Yew said he had disproved that. In his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew stressed that he could not have his son directly succeed him.
| spouse =[[Ho Ching]]
| constituency =[[Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency]] ([[Teck Ghee]])
| party =[[People's Action Party]]
| languagesspoken =[[English language|English]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and [[Malay language|Malay]]
| signature =
}}
{{Chinese name|[[Li (surname)|李 (Li)]]}}
'''Lee Hsien Loong''' ({{zh-stp|s=李显龙|t=李顯龍|p=Lǐ Xiǎnlóng}}; born [[February 10]] [[1952]]) is the third and current [[Prime Minister of Singapore|Prime Minister]] of [[Singapore]]. He also serves as the [[Minister for Finance (Singapore)|Minister for Finance]]. Lee Hsien Loong is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]] and is married to [[Ho Ching]], who is the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the government-owned [[Temasek Holdings]].

==Early life==
{{NPOV}}
The eldest child of former-Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]] and [[Kwa Geok Choo]], Lee was born in [[Singapore]] on [[February 10]], [[1952]]. In Lee Kuan Yew's biography, the young Lee had learned [[Jawi]] since he was five, and has always been interested in the affairs of Singapore, often following his father to the rally grounds since 1963.

Lee studied at [[Nanyang Primary School]], received his secondary education at [[Catholic High School (Singapore)|Catholic High School]] and subsequently studied at [[National Junior College]]. He studied mathematics at [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], where he graduated in 1974 with First Class Honours in [[Mathematics]] and a Diploma (with distinction) in [[Computer science|Computer Science]]. He subsequently obtained a [[Master of Public Administration]] (MPA) from [[Harvard University]]'s [[John F. Kennedy School of Government|Kennedy School of Government]] in 1980.

Lee joined the [[Singapore Armed Forces]] (SAF) in 1971 and rose quickly through the ranks becoming one of the youngest [[Brigadier General|brigadier generals]] in Singapore's history. In 1978, he attended the [[Command and General Staff College|US Army Command and General Staff College]] at [[Fort Leavenworth]]. He retired from the military in 1984 to enter politics and was elected as a [[Member of Parliament]] that year. Lee's first wife, Malaysian-born doctor [[Wong Ming Yang]], died in 1982 &mdash; possibly by suicide<ref name="bbc">''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3556982.stm Singapore's philosopher-prince]'', by Andrew Wood. [[British Broadcasting Corporation]], 12 August 2004.</ref> &mdash; three weeks after giving birth to Lee's first son Lee Yi Peng, a mildly [[autism|autistic]] [[albino]]<ref name="bbc"/>. In 1985, Lee married [[Ho Ching]], a fast-rising civil servant. They have one daughter and three sons (the oldest son of Ho Ching, Li Hong Yi was the winner of the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Math & Science in 2006, the same year he was commissioned as an officer in the Singapore Armed forces at the SAFTI Military Institute) , including one daughter and son from Lee's first wife.

In 1992, Lee was diagnosed with [[lymphoma]]. He underwent a three-month period of [[chemotherapy]] and has since recovered.

== Early political career ==
Lee entered politics at the age of 32 in 1984. He was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defence in December 1984 by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, and was subsequently promoted to Acting Minister for Trade and Industry in 1986, and the Second Minister for Defence.

In February 1987, issues on ethnic relationships in Singapore surfaced when [[Malaysian]] leaders asked the Members of Parliament why there were so few Malays holding key positions in the [[Singapore Armed Forces|SAF]]. Lee Hsien Loong, then Second Minister for Defence, stated that the SAF did not want its soldiers to be in a position where the loyalty of the soldiers might clash with racial and religious factors.

==Deputy Prime Minister==
When [[Goh Chok Tong]] became the [[Prime Minister]] of Singapore on [[November 28]] [[1990]], Lee became the [[Deputy Prime Minister]] of [[Singapore]]. He focused on economic and civil service matters and was concurrently serving as [[Minister for Trade and Industry]] until 1992.

Lee was appointed Chairman of the [[Monetary Authority of Singapore]] in 1998, and [[Minister for Finance]] in 2001. During Lee's thirteen and a half years as Deputy Prime Minister, he exerted significant influence on Singapore's governance, especially in economic and social affairs.

To ease the growing budget deficit due to falling tax revenues from cuts in corporate and personal income taxes and other factors such as the [[Iraq War]] and [[Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome|Sars]] outbreak, Lee proposed on [[August 29]] [[2003]] to raise the [[Goods and Services Tax|GST]] from three percent to five percent, a change that took place in January 2004.

Lee also initiated several relaxation of requirement for the application of Singapore citizenship, especially in regards to foreign husbands of Singaporean women and foreign-born children of Singaporeans. The changes were made after repeated pleas for the change to be made by MPs and the Remaking Singapore Committee over the past years.

== Prime Minister ==
[[Image:Lee Hsien Loong.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Singapore's Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Lee Hsien Loong giving the Keynote Address for The [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]] [[2006]] "[[Shangri-La Dialogue]]"]]
===2004===

On [[August 12]], [[2004]], Lee Hsien Loong succeeded [[Goh Chok Tong]] as Prime Minister, relinquishing his Chairmanship of the Monetary Authority of Singapore to Goh Chok Tong. Lee was sworn in by former Chief Justice [[Yong Pung How]] at the [[Istana, Singapore|Istana]], residence of the [[President of Singapore]].

Lee made his maiden "National Day Rally Speech'" on [[August 12]] [[2004]]. In his speech, Lee initiated the policy of the "Five-day work week", a plan that would remove a half-working day on Saturday. The plan took effect on [[1 January]], [[2005]].

Lee also proposed two-month paid maternity leaves for new-born's mothers and financial incentives to mothers who give birth to a fourth child. These policies were initiated in response to the declining birth rate that Singapore has experienced in recent years.

In November 2004, Lee sparked a national debate when he revealed a proposal to build two [[Integrated Resort]]s (IRs) which are holiday resorts with casinos. In April 2005, despite substantial oppositions expressed by the public, Lee announced the decision to approve the proposal. The two IRs are to be built in [[Marina Bay]] and [[Sentosa]]. To limit the negative social impact of casino gambling, Lee suggested that safeguards be implemented, such as prohibiting minors from entering the casinos and charging a [[SGD]]$100 entrance fee for Singaporeans and permanent residents or [[SGD]]$2000 for a year long entrance fee.

===2005===

Lee sought security support on the [[Straits of Malacca]] in the wake of pirate attacks on ships that pass through the [[Strait of Malacca]]. Approximately 50,000 ships pass through the Straits each year. In response, Lee sought security assistance from neighbouring countries, including the US, at a meeting of defence ministers from around the world in Singapore June 3, 2005.

In 2005, Lee's cabinet oversaw the government response to the [[2005 dengue outbreak in Singapore|dengue outbreak in Singapore]]. Lee himself was seen at his constituency in [[Ang Mo Kio]], inspecting possible mosquito breeding sites. He also visited homes, a market and a hawker centre in his Teck Ghee ward, handing out leaflets, bamboo pole covers and insecticide to residents. The activity was part of Lee's plan to reiterate Environment and Water Resources Minister [[Yaacob Ibrahim]]'s message to fight the spread of the [[Dengue fever|dengue]] virus.

Lee made his second National Day Rally speech on August 22, 2005 and mapped out the vision to remake Singapore and called on all Singaporeans to play their part. The vision encompasses how Singapore would look like in 2015. He proposed several changes to six major areas, which include:

1. City of the future
* A new downtown at Marina Bay with three gardens, a lake, one Integrated Resort and a first-class Business and Financial Centre. Plus a vibrant Orchard Road and bustling Bras Brasah and Bugis area.

2. R & D Driver for economy
* A new Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council to take the new economy to the next level. Chaired by PM Lee with DPM Tony Tan as deputy chairman.
* A new National Research Foundation headed by Dr Tan.

3. Service Culture
* A long-term national effort to raise service standards, to be led by Minister Raymond Lim.

4. Education
* Polytechnics will link up with specialised foreign universities in niche areas.
* Post-secondary education accounts for students to pay for their higher education.
* Changes in curriculum for students in Normal (Technical) stream to make it more interesting through group work, hands-on work and use of information technology.

5. Help for Low-Income
* Poorer families to get a housing grant in their CPF to help them buy HDB flats.

6. Health Care
* Age limit for medical insurance scheme Medishield to grow up from 80 to 85.
* Medisave use to become more flexible, for use at private hospital and Class A and B1 ward stays, plus major treatments in specialist outpatient clinics.

<blockquote>We've created a Singapore spirit. We're courageous but compassionate, we're confident, never complacent. It's a spirit which will hold us together as one united people, each one contributing to remaking our nation.</blockquote>

===2006===

In February 2006, Lee announced in parliament a S$2.6 billion bonus called the ''Progress Package'' [http://www.progress.gov.sg]. The plan was to distribute budget surpluses accumulated from the past few years to adult Singaporeans in the form of cash to everyone, top-ups to the state pension savings for elders, rental and utilities rebates for those living in public housing, educational funds for school children from low-income families, and cash bonuses for low-wage workers above 40 and for those men who have completed National Service. The cash bonuses was distributed in early May 2006.
Critics, especially members of the opposition, have slammed the Progress Package as a "vote-buying exercise" for the [[Singapore general election, 2006|Singapore parliamentary election]] held on 6 May 2006. In that election, Lee led the [[People's Action Party]] to win 82 of the 84 seats, including 37 walkovers. Lee and his 6-member team won the [[Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency]] with 66.1% of votes polled.

=== Foreign relations ===
;Relations with China
Relations with China have improved under Lee's administration. Smooth progress has been made in areas of trade, tourism and investment, which is not merely in accordance with the interest of the two countries, but promises to be further beneficial to the common development of the region. The China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) is responsible for promoting Sino-Singaporean co-operations.

During his meeting with vice-premier [[Wu Yi]] in September 2005, Lee proposed the establishment of a China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone, which would achieve the goal of realizing US$50 billion in trade volume before 2010. In doing so, both agreed that relations between China and the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] should be elevated.

During his seven-day visit to China in late October 2005, the Prime Minister stressed the need of improving bilateral diplomatic relationships between ASEAN and China. Lee also urged leaders to focus on the next wave of growth in north-eastern China.

<blockquote>"It is a long-term commitment. There is no place in the world that you can go in and your money just grows on trees. Not in China."</blockquote>

; Relations with United States
[[Image:Bush Lee.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Lee visits the United States in July 2005.]]

Singapore has generally had a favourable relationship with the [[United States|USA]]. The growth of bilateral trade improved commercial and diplomatic ties between the two countries after the implementation of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the growth in bilateral trade has been evident, since the Free Trade Agreement became effective on January 1, 2004.

Lee made his inaugural visit to the United States, as Prime Minister of Singapore, between 6th July and 16 July, 2005. Several other ministers, notably the defence minister [[Teo Chee Hean]] and foreign minister [[George Yeo]], accompanied Lee.

On July 12, 2005, President George W. Bush and Lee signed the "Strategic Framework Agreement between the United States of America and the Republic of Singapore for a Closer Cooperation Partnership in Defence and Security". The agreement was a natural step in the expansion of bilateral ties. President Bush and the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had first announced their intention to conclude this agreement in October 2003.

The intention of the agreement is to address common threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of [[Weapons of mass destruction]] (WMD), which called for even closer cooperation between the United States and Singapore.

The agreement recognizes Singapore's role as a Major Security Cooperation Partner and will expand the scope of current cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, joint military exercises and training, policy dialogues, and defence technology. The Agreement will further enhance regional stability by supporting the continued security presence of the United States in [[Southeast Asia]].

Both Lee and Bush agree that US presence in Southeast Asia has promoted peace and stability, which are crucial for regional cooperation and economic development.

During their meeting, both Bush and Lee acknowledged the progress in the war on terror. Lee commended Bush's 'resolute and steadfast stance in the war on terror' and expressed Singapore’s continued support in this endeavour. In exchange, Bush commended the professionalism of the Singapore Armed Forces personnel, who have been deployed in support of Iraq operations over the past two years and of the Singapore Police Force, which has provided critically important training. Both Bush and Lee also pledged to sustain the close cooperation between the United States and Singapore in key regional and global multilateral institutions.

== Controversy ==
As the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]], Lee's career has been shadowed by allegations of [[nepotism]]. At the age of 32 he became the youngest Brigadier General in Singapore's history, and from a young age was widely tipped to be Lee Kuan Yew's successor as Prime Minister. When Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister to make way for his successor, Goh Chok Tong, several critics had seen him as a seat-warmer, but Lee Kuan Yew said he had disproved that. In his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew stressed that he could not have his son directly succeed him.


<blockquote>"It was better that someone else succeed me as Prime Minister. Then were Loong to make the grade later, it would be clear that he made it on his own merit."</blockquote>
<blockquote>"It was better that someone else succeed me as Prime Minister. Then were Loong to make the grade later, it would be clear that he made it on his own merit."</blockquote>

Revision as of 02:18, 15 January 2007

{{Infobox Prime Minister | name =Lee Hsien Loong | image =Lee Hsien Loong, June 3, 2006.jpg | order =Prime Minister of Singapore | term_start =12 August 2004 | term_end = | deputy =Wong Kan Seng
S Jayakumar
Tony Tan Keng Yam (2004 to 2005) | predecessor =Goh Chok Tong | successor = Incumbent | birth_date =10 February 1952 | birth_place =Singapore | death_date = | death_place = | spouse =Ho ChingAs the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Lee's career has been shadowed by allegations of nepotism. At the age of 32 he became the youngest Brigadier General in Singapore's history, and from a young age was widely tipped to be Lee Kuan Yew's successor as Prime Minister. When Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister to make way for his successor, Goh Chok Tong, several critics had seen him as a seat-warmer, but Lee Kuan Yew said he had disproved that. In his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew stressed that he could not have his son directly succeed him.

"It was better that someone else succeed me as Prime Minister. Then were Loong to make the grade later, it would be clear that he made it on his own merit."

However, such allegations by critics held on for six to seven years until Goh managed to prove his worth by regaining seats and pushing up the PAP's vote share in the 1997 elections. Another issue was Lee's encounter with cancer of the lymph nodes in 1992, in which several political commentators have doubted Lee's physical capabilities to withstand the hard life, the long hours and the pressures of prime minister.[citation needed]

Perhaps understandably, the appointment of Lee's wife Ho Ching as the director of state investment agency Temasek has also raised some eyebrows. The Lees reacted strongly against such allegations by taking legal action, often winning large out-of-court settlements for defamation from, among others, the International Herald Tribune (1994), Bloomberg (2002) and The Economist (2004).

Lee's career has also been dogged by a perceived reputation for being arrogant and autocratic. According to one particularly persistent rumour, at a pre-Cabinet meeting in 1990 an enraged Lee first insulted the then Minister for Finance Richard Hu and then physically slapped the then Minister for National Development S. Dhanabalan when he sided with Hu and demanded an apology [1]. While those directly involved have never publicly mentioned the alleged incident, in 2003, then prime minister Goh Chok Tong dismissed the incident when discussing the leadership transition to his successor.

On July 10, 2004, Lee visited Taiwan, causing displeasure in the People's Republic of China. On August 28, 2004 in his maiden National Day Rally speech, he criticized the Taiwanese leadership and populace of overestimating the support they would receive if they were to declare Taiwan independence. At the same time, he also clarified during the rally that his visit to Taiwan in July was to ensure he gather enough intelligence to make right decisions when he took over the baton as Prime Minister. He reiterated his support for the One-China policy. Later that year in September, Foreign Minister George Yeo cautioned the United Nations General Assembly about the dangers of letting the cross-strait relationship deteriorate. In response, an enraged Republic of China Foreign Minister, Mark Chen, called Singapore a "Pi-Sai Country", translated literally from Minnan, it means a "country no bigger than a snot". The Taiwanese Foreign Minister later made a formal apology.

In 2005, Lee made a remark regarding Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visit to Yasukuni Shrine, stating that from the point of view of many countries in the region who have experienced Japanese occupation, it raises many unhappy memories. His remark drew public demonstrations outside Singapore embassy in Japan on May 24, 2005 with protestors criticising Lee for "meddling" with Japanese issues.

In November 2005, Singapore had a diplomatic row with Australia over the imminent execution of Australian drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van. In one incident, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his government were upset when Lee failed to inform Howard the scheduled date of the execution during their meeting at the APEC summit even though Nguyen's mother was already informed of the date. Appeals for clemency by Australian government and Nguyen's lawyer were turned down. Singapore did however grant an exception to allow Nguyen's mother to hold his hands (but not hug him) following a personal appeal by Howard. Nguyen was later executed on December 2, 2005.

Electoral record

Election Seats Voters Party Candidate(s) Votes Votes %
Electoral record of Lee Hsien Loong (Teck Ghee)
Singapore general election, 1984 1 16,866 PAP File:Pap logo.gif Lee Hsien Loong 12,794 80.38
UPF Giam Lai Cheng 3,123 19.62
Singapore general election, 1988 1 15,510 PAP File:Pap logo.gif Lee Hsien Loong 11,512 79.13
INDP Patrick Leong 3,037 20.87
Election Seats Voters Party Candidate(s) Votes Votes (%)
Electoral record for Lee Hsien Loong (Ang Mo Kio GRC)
Singapore general election, 1991 4 74,004 PAP File:Pap logo.gif Lau Ping Sum
Lee Hsien Loong
Umar Abdul Hamid
Yeo Toon Chia		 Walkover Walkover
Singapore general election, 1997 5 125,344 PAP File:Pap logo.gif Inderjit Singh
Lee Hsien Loong
Seng Han Thong
Tan Boon Wan
Tang Guan Seng		 Walkover Walkover
Singapore general election, 2001 6 166,644 PAP File:Pap logo.gif Inderjit Singh
Lee Hsien Loong
Seng Han Thong
Tan Boon Wan
Sadasivan Balaji
Wee Siew Kim		 Walkover Walkover
Singapore general election, 2006 6 159,838 PAP File:Pap logo.gif Inderjit Singh
Lam Pin Min
Lee Bee Wah
Lee Hsien Loong
Sadasivan Balaji
Wee Siew Kim		 96,636 66.14
WP File:Wp logo.gif Abdul Salim Bin Harun
Gopal Krishnan
Han Su May
Lee Wai Leng
Tan Kian Hwee Melvin
Yaw Shin Leong		 49,479 33.86

References

  • "Hsien Loong: Election soon". (8 November 2005). New Straits Times, p. 31.
  • PM Lee: Your vibrant global city, your home, The Straits Times, Headlines, p. 1.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lee Hsien Loong.
Template:Incumbent succession boxTemplate:Incumbent succession box
Preceded by Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
1990-2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Trade and Industry
1986-1992 		Succeeded by

Template:SingaporePMs

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