Yam Ah Mee
Encyclopedia
Yam Ah Mee is a Singapore
an civil servant and Chief Executive Director
of the People's Association
. He shot to fame after Singaporeans took to his monotone voice and expressionless demeanour, as the Returning Officer
for the General Elections in 2011.
and graduated from the University of New South Wales
with a First Class Honours in Engineering and Royal Military College, Duntroon, Australia, with The Queens Medal, on a Singapore Armed Forces
scholarship. He also has a Masters in Business Administration degree from the National University of Singapore
and a Masters in Public Administration degree from Harvard University
.
Yam served in the Republic of Singapore Air Force
, writing an article in the Military Journal POINTER, rising to be the chief of staff of the air staff and commanding the ground based air-defence systems, including the new Igla short range surface to air missiles, before retiring as a Brigadier-General and entering the Civil Service.
He joined the Public Service Division in August 1998 and was appointed the Deputy Secretary (Development) and the CEO & Dean of the Civil Service College. He was then posted to the Ministry of Transport as Deputy Secretary (Sea & Air) on 1 June 2004 and was appointed chief executive of Land Transport Authority
on 11 May 2005. He was also President of the Singapore Youth Flying Club
for 8 years from 1998 to 2006. Yam was honoured in 2008 with the Public Administration (Gold) Medal, a top National Day Award.
On May 1, 2010 Mr Yam was appointed CED-designate of the People's Association
and on June 1, 2010 fully assumed the Chief Executive Director (CED) mantle, taking over from the retiring Tan Boon Huat. His appointment as Returning Officer also took effect on June 1, 2010.
Yam has since explained that his "robotic" and "nasal" voice is due to an operation he had to remove a fishbone in his larynx, although he has also said, explaining his impassive delivery to The Straits Times, that he "felt it was important to announce (the election results) clearly, concisely and impartially."
as Returning Officer for the 2011 Presidential Elections
.
Yam announced the results of the 4 nominated candidates for the Presidential Election on 4:24am (GMT +8).
.
Within two days, Yam's Facebook account had reached the 5000 friends limit. Yam thus created an official page for himself ; although non-official pages had already appeared by then.
After a week, he did a "spoof" video of himself, in which he announced PAssion Movie Night, held to celebrate a million PAssion Card memberships, in his trademark manner.
Mr. Yam filmed a video in late May, to promote a K-pop
dance event on May 29, 2011, to be held at Ngee Ann City
.
In less than 24 hours after the release of the presidential election results, a club mix of Yam announcing the results was released on YouTube
,by the same user responsible for the earlier club mix of Yam's general elections "performance".
Yam starred in a musical held to celebrate the opening of the first 12 stations of the Circle Line
, on the 2nd of October.
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...
an civil servant and Chief Executive Director
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the People's Association
People's Association
The People’s Association was established in Singapore as a statutory board on 1 July 1960 to promote racial harmony and social cohesion. PA commemorated its 50th Anniversary in 2010....
. He shot to fame after Singaporeans took to his monotone voice and expressionless demeanour, as the Returning Officer
Returning Officer
In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies.-Australia:In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a State Electoral Commission who heads the local divisional office...
for the General Elections in 2011.
Biography
Yam studied at Hwa Chong Junior CollegeHwa Chong Junior College
Hwa Chong Junior College was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1974 and merged with The Chinese High School on 1 January 2005 to form Hwa Chong Institution.-Founding:...
and graduated from the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
with a First Class Honours in Engineering and Royal Military College, Duntroon, Australia, with The Queens Medal, on a Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
scholarship. He also has a Masters in Business Administration degree from the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
and a Masters in Public Administration degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Yam served in the Republic of Singapore Air Force
Republic of Singapore Air Force
The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command...
, writing an article in the Military Journal POINTER, rising to be the chief of staff of the air staff and commanding the ground based air-defence systems, including the new Igla short range surface to air missiles, before retiring as a Brigadier-General and entering the Civil Service.
He joined the Public Service Division in August 1998 and was appointed the Deputy Secretary (Development) and the CEO & Dean of the Civil Service College. He was then posted to the Ministry of Transport as Deputy Secretary (Sea & Air) on 1 June 2004 and was appointed chief executive of Land Transport Authority
Land Transport Authority
The Land Transport Authority is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Singapore Government.-History:...
on 11 May 2005. He was also President of the Singapore Youth Flying Club
Singapore Youth Flying Club
The Singapore Youth Flying Club , headquartered at Seletar Airport, was established in December 1971 as the Junior Flying Club the then newly formed Singapore Armed Forces to introduce aviation and provide flight training to the youth of Singapore...
for 8 years from 1998 to 2006. Yam was honoured in 2008 with the Public Administration (Gold) Medal, a top National Day Award.
On May 1, 2010 Mr Yam was appointed CED-designate of the People's Association
People's Association
The People’s Association was established in Singapore as a statutory board on 1 July 1960 to promote racial harmony and social cohesion. PA commemorated its 50th Anniversary in 2010....
and on June 1, 2010 fully assumed the Chief Executive Director (CED) mantle, taking over from the retiring Tan Boon Huat. His appointment as Returning Officer also took effect on June 1, 2010.
Singaporean general election, 2011
Yam shot to fame during the election results release night/morning, as the Returning Officer (having replaced Tan Boon Huat, who retired). He was noted for his monotoned "nasal" voice and expressionless demeanour while reading out the 26 batches of results. Fan pages were soon created on Facebook while the results release was still ongoing. Netizens have also released music videos with clips and remixes of his voice on YouTube. A video of Yam doing the chicken dance with youths from Geylang Serai Community Club also went viral, before it was quickly taken down.Yam has since explained that his "robotic" and "nasal" voice is due to an operation he had to remove a fishbone in his larynx, although he has also said, explaining his impassive delivery to The Straits Times, that he "felt it was important to announce (the election results) clearly, concisely and impartially."
Singaporean presidential election, 2011
Yam was appointed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien LoongLee 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....
as Returning Officer for the 2011 Presidential Elections
Singaporean presidential election, 2011
The Singapore presidential election of 2011 was the fourth Singapore Presidential Election, held on 27 August 2011. Nomination day for eligible candidates was held on 17 August 2011. Mr. S.R. Nathan, the previous President of Singapore, stepped down on 31 August 2011 when his term drew to a close...
.
Yam announced the results of the 4 nominated candidates for the Presidential Election on 4:24am (GMT +8).
Post-elections
Yam's robotic voice announcing the results for Aljunied GRC had turned into a mix just within a few hours ensuing the elections. Many have taken clips of his voice and mixed it with various styles of music, from electro to dance, on popular video-sharing website YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Within two days, Yam's Facebook account had reached the 5000 friends limit. Yam thus created an official page for himself ; although non-official pages had already appeared by then.
After a week, he did a "spoof" video of himself, in which he announced PAssion Movie Night, held to celebrate a million PAssion Card memberships, in his trademark manner.
Mr. Yam filmed a video in late May, to promote a K-pop
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
dance event on May 29, 2011, to be held at Ngee Ann City
Ngee Ann City
Ngee Ann City is a shopping and commercial centre located on Orchard Road, Singapore. The S$520 million building was officially opened on 21 September 1993 by then Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong. Many Singaporeans refer to Ngee Ann City as "Taka", a slang-abbreviation of the anchor tenant's name,...
.
In less than 24 hours after the release of the presidential election results, a club mix of Yam announcing the results was released on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
,by the same user responsible for the earlier club mix of Yam's general elections "performance".
Yam starred in a musical held to celebrate the opening of the first 12 stations of the Circle Line
Circle Line
The Circle line, coloured yellow on the tube map, is the eighth busiest line on the London Underground. It forms a loop line around the centre of London on the north side of the River Thames with, since 13 December 2009, an extension to Hammersmith on its north-western side.-History:The route now...
, on the 2nd of October.