Dr. Lee Boon Yang is a former politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 from Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. A member of the governing People's Action Party

People's Action Party

The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....

 (PAP), he served in the Cabinet

Cabinet of Singapore

The Cabinet of Singapore forms the Government of Singapore together with the President of Singapore. It is led by the Prime Minister of Singapore who is the head of government...

 from July 1991 to April 2009 in various portfolios including Minister for Defence, Minister for Manpower, and Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. He was a Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 from 1984 to 2011.

Political career

Dr Lee was first elected to parliament in 1984. He was appointed a Parliamentary Secretary in 1985, and went on to hold positions in the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Communications and Information

Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts

The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is a ministry of the Government of Singapore...

, Ministry of Finance

Ministry of Finance (Singapore)

The Ministry of Finance , is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for administering and regulating financial institutions and structures of the economy of Singapore. It is headed by the Minister for Finance...

, and Ministry of Home Affairs

Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore)

The Ministry of Home Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for public safety, civil defence and immigration. It is also known as the Home Team. It is headed by the Minister for Home Affairs....

.

Lee was brought into the Cabinet in 1991 as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office

Prime Minister's Office (Singapore)

The Prime Minister's Office is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that handles the ministries and other political matters that are of great importance to the nation, such as corruption and elections. It is headed by the Prime Minister and his top political staff...

. He was made Minister for Labour in 1992 (the role was renamed Minister for Manpower in 1998), and held this post until 2003. He also served concurrently as Minister for Defence from 1994-5. He became Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts in 2003 and served in that post until 2009.

Lee retired from the Cabinet on 1 April 2009. He remained a Member of Parliament for the Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency

Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency

Not to be confused with the smaller ward that existed since pre-indepence era named as Jalan Besar Single Member Constituency, which is also where the ex-minister Lee Boon Yang made his first debut there....

 until 2011, when he retired from politics.

Post political career

Lee is currently the director of Singapore Press Holdings

Singapore Press Holdings

Singapore Press Holdings Limited is a media organisation in Singapore with businesses in print, Internet and new media, television and radio, outdoor media, and property. SPH has over 4,000 employees, including a team of approximately 1,000 journalists, including correspondents operating around...

. If he is re-elected in the December AGM

Annual general meeting

An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...

, he will be the next chairman of Singapore Press Holdings.

Education

Lee received his early education at Montfort Junior School and Montfort Secondary School

Montfort Secondary School

Montfort Secondary School is a Catholic school in Singapore, founded in 1916. Originally named Holy Innocents' English School, it was renamed to its current one in 1959 in honour of the Founder of the Gabrielite Brothers, St Louis Marie Grignion De Montfort...

. He then went on to study veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine

Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...

 at the University of Queensland

University of Queensland

The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...

 in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

Personal life

Lee is married to Yap Mee Mee, and they have one daughter. His hobbies include golf, music, opera and ballet. Lee is a Teochew

Teochew people

The Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...

.

External links

• Singapore Cabinet Biography