Lee Boon Yang ( zh, s=李文献, p=Lǐ Wénxiàn; born 1 October 1947) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts between 2003 and 2009, Minister for Manpower between 1992 and 2003, and Minister for Defence between 1994 and 1995. A former member of the governing

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (PAP) is a major Conservatism, conservative political party in Singapore and is the governing contemporary political party represented in the Parliament of Singapore, followed by the opposition Workers' Party of Singap ...

(PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Jalan Besar ward of Jalan Besar GRC between 1984 and 2011. Lee retired from politics in 2011, and served as Chairman of

Singapore Press Holdings Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH) was one of Singapore's two state media companies, which published ''The Straits Times'', numerous other newspapers and operated radio, television and digital media. In 2021, the media division was spun ...

between 2011 and 2022.

Education

Lee was awarded a

Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri ...

scholarship to study

veterinary science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both ...

at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Veterinary Science The Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc or BVSC; Latin Baccalaureus Veterinariae Scientiae), "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine" (BVetMed), or "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery" ("BVM&S" or "BVMS") is a degree for studies in veterinary me ...

degree in 1971. In 2015, Lee was conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Queensland.

Career

Lee began his career as a veterinary surgeon and worked as a research and development officer in the Singapore Government's Primary Production Department between 1972 and 1981. Lee subsequently worked at the US Feed Grains Council as Assistant Regional Director and later Senior Project Manager for Primary Industries Enterprise between 1981 and 1984.

Political career

Lee was first elected into Parliament in 1984. He was subsequently appointed Parliamentary Secretary in 1985, and went on to hold positions in the Ministry of the Environment,

Ministry of Communications and Information The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI; ; zh, 数码发展及新闻部; ) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for overseeing the development of the infocomm technology, media and design sectors, as well ...

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

and the

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

. Lee was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Office in 1991. He served as Minister for Labour between 1992 and 2003. He also served as Minister for Defence between 1994 and 1995 concurrently. He was subsequently appointed Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts in 2003, where he served until 2009. Lee resigned from the Cabinet in 2009 but remained as a Member of Parliament on the backbenches until his retirement from politics in 2011.

Post-political career

Lee was appointed Chairman of the Board of Keppel Corporation in 2009, after resigning from the Cabinet, where he served until 2021. He also served as Chairman of Singapore Press Holdings between 2011 and 2022, before he was succeeded by Christopher Lim.

Personal life

Lee has an elder brother Lee Boon Wang, a landscape painter and a sister Lee Boon Ngan. Lee is married to Yap Mee Mee and they have a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Boon Yang Ministers for defence of Singapore Members of the Parliament of Singapore People's Action Party politicians Singaporean people of Teochew descent University of Queensland alumni Living people 1947 births Communications ministers of Singapore Labour ministers of Singapore Singaporean chairpersons of corporations Montfort Secondary School alumni