Wong Kan Seng
Encyclopedia
Wong Kan Seng is a politician
from Singapore
. A member of the governing People's Action Party
(PAP), he served as the country's Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2011. He also held the Cabinet
portfolios of Minister for Community Development
(1987-91), Minister for Foreign Affairs
(1988-94), Minister for Home Affairs
(1994-2010) and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security
(2010-11). He is a Member of Parliament
(MP) representing the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency
.
. He went on to received a BA (Hons)
degree from the University of Singapore in 1970, and an MBA
from the London Business School
on a Singapore government scholarship in 1979.
Wong entered politics in 1984 after working in the civil service
and the private sector.
. He has since been re-elected as Member of Parliament for the Group Representation Constituencies
of Toa Payoh (1988), Thomson (1991) and Bishan-Toa Payoh (1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011).
Wong was appointed the Acting Minister for Community Development in 1986. He was made a full member of the Cabinet as Minister for Community Development by Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew
in 1987. He was concurrently appointed the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1988. In 1994, he became the Minister for Home Affairs. Wong also served as the Leader of the House in Singapore's Parliament from 1991-2007.
On 1 September 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
appointed Wong as one of two Deputy Prime Ministers following the retirement of Dr Tony Tan. On 1 November 2010, Wong was appointed the Co-ordinating Minister for National Security and relinquished his post as Minister for Home Affairs.
Wong retired from the Cabinet following the 2011 general election. He remains a Member of Parliament.
Wong is considered to be part of Singapore's third-generation leadership that includes Lee Hsien Loong
, S Jayakumar, Yeo Cheow Tong
, Mah Bow Tan
and others.
Wong started a personal website (www.wongkanseng.sg) in August 2010.
leader Mas Selamat bin Kastari
escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre, leading to the largest manhunt in Singapore. Wong expressed his regret in Parliament the day after the occurrence.
He revealed that Mas Selamat escaped when he was taken to the toilet before a meeting at the detention centre's family visit room.
Wong was criticised because news of Mas Selamat's escape was not disseminated to the public until four hours after its occurrence. There were calls for Wong to step down, given the severity of the security lapse. Mas Selamat was eventually recaptured in Johor Bahru
, Malaysia, on 1 April 2009, by Malaysian authorities, over a year after his escape.
epidemic
. Certain measures were taken to contain the virus, including mandatory home quarantine
measures, health screening at immigration
checkpoints, schools and hospitals and public education programs. On 31 May 2003, Singapore was taken off the World Health Organisation's list of SARS-affected countries.
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 as the country's Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2011. He also held 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...
portfolios of Minister for Community Development
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports is a ministry of the Government of Singapore tasked with, from the government's point of view, building a "cohesive and resilient" society in Singapore.The MCYS often pursues vigorous social engineering campaigns of varying effectiveness and...
(1987-91), Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Singapore)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a member of the Cabinet of Singapore....
(1988-94), Minister for Home Affairs
Minister for Home Affairs (Singapore)
The Minister for Home Affairs is an appointment in the Cabinet of Singapore. Formed in 1970, it replaced the post of Minister for the Interior and Defence with the split of the Ministry of the Interior and Defence into the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs....
(1994-2010) and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security
Co-ordinating Minister for National Security
Co-ordinating Minister for National Security is an appointment in the Cabinet of Singapore, currently held by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean....
(2010-11). He is a Member of Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
(MP) representing the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency
Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency
Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency located in the central region of Singapore. The GRC consists the entire areas of Bishan, the majority of Toa Payoh and parts of Thomson...
.
Early life
Wong received his secondary education at Outram Secondary SchoolOutram Secondary School
Outram Secondary School, abbreviated as OSS is a government school in Singapore. Founded in 1906 as Outram Road School, then Outram School by gazette notification, Outram Secondary School is one of the oldest schools in Singapore. It is the only government school in Singapore with a swimming pool...
. He went on to received a BA (Hons)
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Singapore in 1970, and an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
on a Singapore government scholarship in 1979.
Wong entered politics in 1984 after working in the civil service
Singapore Civil Service
The Singapore Civil Service is the set of civil servants working for the Government of Singapore. Many of its principles were inherited from the administrative system left by the British Civil Service, as Singapore was once a British colony....
and the private sector.
Political career
Wong became a Member of Parliament in 1984 when he was elected to repesent the Kuo Chuan constituency in Toa PayohToa Payoh
Toa Payoh is a district located in the Central Region of Singapore. It commonly refers to the Housing and Development Board housing estate of Toa Payoh New Town, one of the earliest satellite public housing estates in Singapore....
. He has since been re-elected as Member of Parliament for the Group Representation Constituencies
Constituencies of Singapore
Constituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies are classified as either single member or group representation constituencies...
of Toa Payoh (1988), Thomson (1991) and Bishan-Toa Payoh (1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011).
Wong was appointed the Acting Minister for Community Development in 1986. He was made a full member of the Cabinet as Minister for Community Development by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
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...
in 1987. He was concurrently appointed the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1988. In 1994, he became the Minister for Home Affairs. Wong also served as the Leader of the House in Singapore's Parliament from 1991-2007.
On 1 September 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
appointed Wong as one of two Deputy Prime Ministers following the retirement of Dr Tony Tan. On 1 November 2010, Wong was appointed the Co-ordinating Minister for National Security and relinquished his post as Minister for Home Affairs.
Wong retired from the Cabinet following the 2011 general election. He remains a Member of Parliament.
Wong is considered to be part of Singapore's third-generation leadership that includes Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
, S Jayakumar, Yeo Cheow Tong
Yeo Cheow Tong
Yeo Cheow Tong is a former politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he served in the Cabinet from 1990 to 2006, and was a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 2011....
, Mah Bow Tan
Mah Bow Tan
Mah Bow Tan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently a Member of Parliament representing the Tampines Group Representation Constituency...
and others.
Wong started a personal website (www.wongkanseng.sg) in August 2010.
Role in homeland security in Singapore
As the Minister for Home Affairs, Wong was a key figure in overseeing emergency planning, dealing with internal threats such as cults and terrorists, involved in law and order, border security rooting out criminals and illegal immigrants, and being tough on drugs.Mas Selamat escape
On 27 February 2008, alleged Jemaah IslamiyahJemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
leader Mas Selamat bin Kastari
Mas Selamat bin Kastari
Mas Selamat bin Kastari , an Indonesian-born Singaporean, was for more than a year Singapore's most-wanted fugitive after escaping from detention on 27 February 2008. The search for him has been described as the largest manhunt ever launched in Singapore...
escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre, leading to the largest manhunt in Singapore. Wong expressed his regret in Parliament the day after the occurrence.
"This should never have happened. I am sorry that it has."
He revealed that Mas Selamat escaped when he was taken to the toilet before a meeting at the detention centre's family visit room.
Wong was criticised because news of Mas Selamat's escape was not disseminated to the public until four hours after its occurrence. There were calls for Wong to step down, given the severity of the security lapse. Mas Selamat was eventually recaptured in Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
, Malaysia, on 1 April 2009, by Malaysian authorities, over a year after his escape.
SARS
Wong was then responsible for co-ordinating the inter-ministerial nationwide effort to counter the SARSSevere acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
. Certain measures were taken to contain the virus, including mandatory home quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
measures, health screening at immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
checkpoints, schools and hospitals and public education programs. On 31 May 2003, Singapore was taken off the World Health Organisation's list of SARS-affected countries.