GOH CHOK TONG
Name: Goh Chok Tong
Born: 20 May 1941 Singapore
Goh Chok Tong (born May 20, 1941), was the second Prime
Minister of the Republic of Singapore from November 28, 1990 to August 12, 2004,
succeeding Lee Kuan Yew. He served a total of fourteen years. He is currently
Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore,
the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Born into a Hokkien family, Goh studied at Raffles Institution from 1955 to 1960.
He is said to have been a very competitive swimmer in his younger days.
He earned a First Class Honours (Bachelor of Arts) in economics from the
National University of Singapore (then known as the University of Singapore), a
Master of Arts in Development Economics from Williams College in the United
States in 1967. After his study, Goh returned to Singapore to serve in the
Administrative Service.
In 1969, Goh was seconded to the Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) as a Planning and
Projects Manager. His career advanced quickly and by 1973, he became the
Managing Director and led NOL to achieve impressive financial results during his
tenure.
In the 1976 Singapore general election, at the age of thirty-five, Goh was
elected as Member of Parliament for Marine Parade constituency, as a People's
Action Party (PAP) candidate. He was appointed a Senior Minister of State for
Finance. In 1981, he was promoted to be the Minister for Trade and Industry. He
later also served in other appointments including Minister for Health and
Minister for Defence.
In 1985, Goh became the First Deputy Prime Minister and began to assume the
responsibility of the government in a carefully managed leadership transition.
According to Lee Kuan Yew, his preferred successor was Tony Tan; however Goh was
selected by the second generation of PAP leaders that included Tony Tan, S
Dhanabalan, and Ong Teng Cheong, and Lee accepted their decision.
Prime Minister Goh and U.S. President George W. Bush signing the US-Singapore
Free Trade Agreement in the White House, May 6, 2003.
On 28 November 1990, Goh became the second Prime Minister of Singapore, taking
over from Lee Kuan Yew. Lee remained an influential member of his Cabinet,
holding the post of Senior Minister. Goh was initially written off by critics as
a weak, transitionary figure, and a seat-warmer for Lee Hsien Loong. Nonetheless,
in 1992, Lee Kuan Yew handed over to Goh the post of Secretary General of People's
Action Party, successfully completing the leadership transition.
During the period under Goh's administration, Singapore experienced several
crises, such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis, threats of terrorism including
the 2001 plot to bomb embassies in Singapore by Jemaah Islamiyah, 2001 to 2003
economic recession, and the 2003 SARS outbreak.
As Secretary General, Goh led the PAP to three general elections in 1991, 1997,
and 2001, in which the party won 61%, 65% and 75% of the votes respectively.
After the general election in 2001, Goh indicated that he would step down as
Prime Minister after leading the country out of the recession.
During an interview with Time Magazine in July 2003, Goh surprised his national
by announcing that his Government is now openly employing gays, even in
sensitive jobs. This is despite homosexual acts remaining illegal under the
Singaporean Penal Code of 377a. His announcement drew a strong backlash from
self proclaimed conservatives of the island nation, but nevertheless reinforced
Goh's image as an open-minded leader.
Goh Chok Tong speaking at a rally at Potong Pasir during the 2006 general
election. The banner behind him shows the campaign manifesto of the People's
Action Party, "Staying Together, Moving Ahead".
On 12 August 2004, Goh stepped down as Prime Minister and serves as Senior
Minister in Lee Hsien Loong's Cabinet. On 20 August 2004, Goh assumed the post
of Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. After a number of threats
of Islamist terrorism in Singapore, Goh met local Islamic religious leaders in
2004, and made a visit to Iran, where he met the Iranian president, Mohammad
Khatami, and visited local mosques. The Straits Times speculated that this was
meant to develop relationships between Singapore and Iran.
Goh subsequently visited other Middle-Eastern countries as Senior Minister, with
a view to improving diplomatic relationships and thus gaining wider business
opportunities for Singaporean businessmen, especially in the United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.
On May 19, 2005, Goh signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with Israel's
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his visit to Israel. A previous agreement
was signed in 1971. Improvements in the agreement include enhancements to the
withholding tax rate on interest income, which was reduced from 15 % to 7 %.
This would benefit Singaporean businessmen with investments in Israel and vice
versa, by ensuring they are not taxed twice. Goh also discussed for an agreement
to recognise each other's certification standards, so as to ease the flow of
goods between the two countries.
He currently is a patron for the Institute of Policy Studies, a government think
tank.
In the Singapore general election, 2006, Goh was tasked to help the PAP win back
the two opposition wards of Hougang and Potong Pasir. However, he was
unsuccessful in this task, as Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong retained their
respective wards.
In 2006, Goh was briefly considered for the job as Secretary General of the
United Nations. The job eventually went to Ban Ki Moon.
Name: Goh Chok Tong
Born: 20 May 1941 Singapore
Goh Chok Tong (born May 20, 1941), was the second Prime
Minister of the Republic of Singapore from November 28, 1990 to August 12, 2004,
succeeding Lee Kuan Yew. He served a total of fourteen years. He is currently
Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore,
the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Born into a Hokkien family, Goh studied at Raffles Institution from 1955 to 1960.
He is said to have been a very competitive swimmer in his younger days.
He earned a First Class Honours (Bachelor of Arts) in economics from the
National University of Singapore (then known as the University of Singapore), a
Master of Arts in Development Economics from Williams College in the United
States in 1967. After his study, Goh returned to Singapore to serve in the
Administrative Service.
In 1969, Goh was seconded to the Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) as a Planning and
Projects Manager. His career advanced quickly and by 1973, he became the
Managing Director and led NOL to achieve impressive financial results during his
tenure.
In the 1976 Singapore general election, at the age of thirty-five, Goh was
elected as Member of Parliament for Marine Parade constituency, as a People's
Action Party (PAP) candidate. He was appointed a Senior Minister of State for
Finance. In 1981, he was promoted to be the Minister for Trade and Industry. He
later also served in other appointments including Minister for Health and
Minister for Defence.
In 1985, Goh became the First Deputy Prime Minister and began to assume the
responsibility of the government in a carefully managed leadership transition.
According to Lee Kuan Yew, his preferred successor was Tony Tan; however Goh was
selected by the second generation of PAP leaders that included Tony Tan, S
Dhanabalan, and Ong Teng Cheong, and Lee accepted their decision.
Prime Minister Goh and U.S. President George W. Bush signing the US-Singapore
Free Trade Agreement in the White House, May 6, 2003.
On 28 November 1990, Goh became the second Prime Minister of Singapore, taking
over from Lee Kuan Yew. Lee remained an influential member of his Cabinet,
holding the post of Senior Minister. Goh was initially written off by critics as
a weak, transitionary figure, and a seat-warmer for Lee Hsien Loong. Nonetheless,
in 1992, Lee Kuan Yew handed over to Goh the post of Secretary General of People's
Action Party, successfully completing the leadership transition.
During the period under Goh's administration, Singapore experienced several
crises, such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis, threats of terrorism including
the 2001 plot to bomb embassies in Singapore by Jemaah Islamiyah, 2001 to 2003
economic recession, and the 2003 SARS outbreak.
As Secretary General, Goh led the PAP to three general elections in 1991, 1997,
and 2001, in which the party won 61%, 65% and 75% of the votes respectively.
After the general election in 2001, Goh indicated that he would step down as
Prime Minister after leading the country out of the recession.
During an interview with Time Magazine in July 2003, Goh surprised his national
by announcing that his Government is now openly employing gays, even in
sensitive jobs. This is despite homosexual acts remaining illegal under the
Singaporean Penal Code of 377a. His announcement drew a strong backlash from
self proclaimed conservatives of the island nation, but nevertheless reinforced
Goh's image as an open-minded leader.
Goh Chok Tong speaking at a rally at Potong Pasir during the 2006 general
election. The banner behind him shows the campaign manifesto of the People's
Action Party, "Staying Together, Moving Ahead".
On 12 August 2004, Goh stepped down as Prime Minister and serves as Senior
Minister in Lee Hsien Loong's Cabinet. On 20 August 2004, Goh assumed the post
of Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. After a number of threats
of Islamist terrorism in Singapore, Goh met local Islamic religious leaders in
2004, and made a visit to Iran, where he met the Iranian president, Mohammad
Khatami, and visited local mosques. The Straits Times speculated that this was
meant to develop relationships between Singapore and Iran.
Goh subsequently visited other Middle-Eastern countries as Senior Minister, with
a view to improving diplomatic relationships and thus gaining wider business
opportunities for Singaporean businessmen, especially in the United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.
On May 19, 2005, Goh signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with Israel's
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his visit to Israel. A previous agreement
was signed in 1971. Improvements in the agreement include enhancements to the
withholding tax rate on interest income, which was reduced from 15 % to 7 %.
This would benefit Singaporean businessmen with investments in Israel and vice
versa, by ensuring they are not taxed twice. Goh also discussed for an agreement
to recognise each other's certification standards, so as to ease the flow of
goods between the two countries.
He currently is a patron for the Institute of Policy Studies, a government think
tank.
In the Singapore general election, 2006, Goh was tasked to help the PAP win back
the two opposition wards of Hougang and Potong Pasir. However, he was
unsuccessful in this task, as Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong retained their
respective wards.
In 2006, Goh was briefly considered for the job as Secretary General of the
United Nations. The job eventually went to Ban Ki Moon.