Toh Chin Chye
Encyclopedia
Toh Chin Chye is a prominent first generation political leader in Singapore. He completed his Secondary education in St. George's Institution
St. George's Institution, Malaysia
Saint George's Institution is a secondary school for boys and is one of the oldest schools in Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. The school is widely known as by its initial SGI and the students of St...

 and continued his studies at Raffles College and the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

. Subsequently, Toh received his PhD at the National Institute for Medical Research
National Institute for Medical Research
The National Institute for Medical Research, commonly abbreviated to NIMR, is a medical research facility situated in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of London, England. It is mainly funded by the Medical Research Council, or MRC, and is its largest establishment and the only one designated as an...

, London. He was the origin of the cadres system within the PAP as a means to elect its Central Executive Committee
Central Executive Committee (PAP)
The Central Executive Committee is the highest ruling committee within Singapore's People's Action Party and its "inner circle".-History:...

, as a means to prevent newcomer "ordinary members" from having undue influence over election of the CEC.

Academic career

Toh began his career as an academic. He was Reader
Reader
Reader can mean a person who is reading a text, or a basal reader, a book used to teach reading. It may also refer to:-People:* Richard Reader Harris , English barrister and Pentecostalist* Reader Harris , British politician...

 in Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...

 at the University of Singapore from 1958 to 1964. He became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Singapore while concurrently serving as the Minister for Science and Technology from 1968 to 1975.

Political career

Toh’s political career begun during his days in London where he was actively involved in the Malayan Forum, a forum which many Malayan nationals like future Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...

 and Tun Abdul Razak meet for discussions and debate on the future of Malaya.

He was among the founder members with the 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....

 and was chairperson from its formation in 1954 to 1981, save for a brief period in 1957 when leftists, who dominated the common membership in 1957, elected leftist leaders took over the Party leadership. The founding members were restored when many of the leftist leaders were arrested by Lim Yew Hock
Lim Yew Hock
Lim Yew Hock , later renamed Haji Omar Lim Yew Hock, was Singapore’s second Chief Minister from 1956 to 1959. He is known for suppressing the communist movements and leading the all-party delegation that won internal self-government for Singapore....

 in his anticommunist crackdown, allowing for the restoration of the original "basement group" of Toh, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Keng Swee, et al. to the CEC. Following this, Toh implemented a cadres system to prevent from the teeming mass of leftist sympathisers in the PAP, who were being recruited for electoral support, from affecting the membership of the CEC. Toh as party secretary would remain party secretary until 1981. Toh was elected as a PAP member for Rochor
Rochor
Rochor is a place in the central area of Singapore. There are two hotels in the area and there are many commercial buildings in the area as well.-External links:*...

 in the 1959 Singapore general elections.

Toh was a key member of Lee’s faction in their fight against their rivals within the party. One example was in the aftermath of PAP’s victory in the 1959 elections, there was a contest between Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore's only mayor Ong Eng Guan
Ong Eng Guan
Ong Eng Guan is a former minister and politician of Singapore. A staunch anti-communist, he was a Chinese-educated orator who was one of the pioneer members of the People's Action Party Ong was well-known among the Chinese community in Singapore, In the 1957 City Hall Elections, he was elected...

 for the premiership. Ultimately, it was Toh’s vote that swung the fight in Lee’s favour. Toh was again the tenacious fighter in the fight against the Barisan Sosialis
Barisan Sosialis
The Barisan Sosialis is a former Singaporean left-wing political party formed in 1961, by left-wing members of the People's Action Party and led by Dr Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong.-Formation:...

 party, a splinter group from the PAP. He managed to beat Barisan Chairman Lee Siew Choh
Lee Siew Choh
Dr. Lee Siew Choh was a politician and medical doctor from Singapore. Initially a member of the People's Action Party , he became a leader of the breakaway Barisan Sosialis in 1961...

 by a mere 89 votes in the 1963 Singapore general elections, his narrowest electoral victory.

Toh held several cabinet portfolios including Deputy Prime Minister (1959 to 1968), Minister for Science and Technology (from 1968 to 1975) and Minister for Health (from 1975 to 1981). He was also University of Singapore’s vice-chancellor from 1968 to 1975. His stint at the university drew mixed reactions from staff and students alike. While his role to reorient the university’s focus to suit the fledging nation's needs was applauded, he was also perceived as authoritarian especially when he clamped down on student demonstrations and political activities.

Toh stepped down from the cabinet and party chairmanship in 1981. He served out his final two terms as a vocal backbencher, including criticising his own party on a regular basis. He retired from politics in 1988.

Retirement

Toh Chin Chye spends his retirement days away from the public eye. The Straits Times featured Toh twice in 2005 and 2006 respectively, once on May 2, 2005 to pay his last respects to former president Wee Kim Wee
Wee Kim Wee
Wee Kim Wee GCB was the fourth President of Singapore from 2 September 1985 to 1 September 1993.-Early life:Born into a humble family, Wee Kim Wee was the son of a clerk, Wee Choong Lay and his wife Chua Lay Hua. His father died when he was eight...

. He was seen being assisted by two men and a walking stick as he walked. In February 2006, Toh was featured again in The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...

 paying his last respects to the late former Deputy Prime Minister S. Rajaratnam at his home in Chancery Lane.

Toh was briefly back into the spotlight when he was mistaken for a culprit in a ‘hit and run’ accident by the English tabloid, The New Paper. He subsequently won a libel suit against the publishers.

Contributions

Toh is considered one of the founding fathers of modern Singapore that along with Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...

, Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1984, and a Member of Parliament for the Kreta Ayer constituency for a quarter of a century. Born in Malacca in the Straits Settlements into a Peranakan family, he came to Singapore at the age of two years...

 and S. Rajaratnam led Singapore during its formative years.
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