Ng Chee Meng

} (born 8 August 1968) is a Singaporean politician, union leader and former lieutenant-general who has been serving as Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) since 2018 and as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jalan Kayu Single Member Constituency (SMC) since 2025.

Prior to entering politics, Ng served in the Republic of Singapore Air Force under the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) between 1986 and 2015, and held the appointments of Chief of Air Force between 2009 and 2013 and Chief of Defence Force between 2013 and 2015. He joined politics in 2015, and left the SAF in order to contest the general election that year.

Ng was the MP representing the Punggol North division of Pasir Ris–Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC) between 2015 and 2020. During his first stint as an MP, he had also served as Minister for Education (Schools) between 2015 and 2018 and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office between 2018 and 2020. In the 2020 general election, his team contested at Sengkang GRC but lost to the opposition Workers' Party (WP) team.

In 2020, Ng was co-opted into the PAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) despite losing his MP seat that year. During his time outside of political office, he had remained the Secretary-General of NTUC and was a key proponent of the Allianz– Income Insurance deal, which was ultimately called off amid intense public scrutiny. Ng made a political comeback In the 2025 general election, winning the newly formed Jalan Kayu SMC with a margin of just 809 votes against the Workers' Party's (WP) Andre Low.

Education

Ng was educated at The Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Junior College, and was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Training Award (Graduating) in 1987. He completed a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering at the United States Air Force Academy in 1991, and graduated from the Singapore Command and Staff College in 1999. In 2002, he obtained a Master of Arts in international relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Military career

Ng enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in December 1986 and was a fighter pilot in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). During his military career, among the appointments he held were: Commanding Officer, 144 Squadron; Commander, Changi Air Base; Deputy Head, Joint Communications and Information Systems Department; Head, Air Plans; Director, Joint Operations; Deputy Chief of Air Force. He was also Military Private Secretary to the Minister for Defence from December 1995 to July 1996.

On 10 December 2009, Ng succeeded his elder brother, Ng Chee Khern, as the Chief of Air Force. He was succeeded by Hoo Cher Mou on 25 March 2013, after his appointment as Chief of Defence Force on 27 March 2013. He was promoted from the rank of Major-General to Lieutenant-General on 27 June 2013. Ng was the second general from the RSAF to be appointed as Chief of Defence Force, after Bey Soo Khiang in 1995.

Ng chaired the organising committee for the state funeral of Singapore's first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, from 23 to 29 March 2015. He also led the first round of the vigil guard who stood guard during Lee's lying in state in Parliament House from 25 to 28 March.

Ng retired from the SAF on 18 August 2015 and was succeeded by Perry Lim as Chief of Defence Force.

Political career

2015–2020

On 18 August 2015, Ng announced that he would enter politics after retiring from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). On 22 August 2015, the PAP announced that Ng would be part of the six-member PAP team that would be contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC in the 2015 general election. The PAP team won, clinching 72.89% of the electorate's valid votes in the constituency. Ng was appointed subsequently appointed Acting Minister for Education (Schools), and served as Second Minister for Transport, and Minister for Education (Schools) concurrently from 1 November 2016 to 30 April 2018.

On 23 April 2018, Ng joined the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and was appointed Deputy Secretary-General. He was then appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Office on 1 May 2018. On 22 May 2018, Ng was elected Secretary-General of the NTUC by the NTUC Central Committee.

Defeat in Sengkang

In the 2020 general election, Ng's PAP team lost to the Workers' Party (WP) team led by He Ting Ru for the Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) by a margin of 4.26%, losing his parliamentary seat. He also left his positions in the cabinet, but remained as Secretary-General of the NTUC. Ng was also appointed to the board of NTUC's co-operative subsidiary, NTUC Enterprise.

On 19 November 2020, he was co-opted into the PAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) despite not being a Member of Parliament (MP). This was thought to be due to his role as the Secretary-General of NTUC which would allow the trade union to be represented on the CEC. On 27 March 2022, Ng was removed from the PAP team for Sengkang GRC.

On 5 August 2024, Ng, in a joint statement with NTUC president K Thanaletchimi, endorsed a deal to sell a controlling 51% stake in NTUC Enterprise subsidiary Income Insurance to Allianz. The statement mentioned that the NTUC Central Committee, which Ng is part of, supported the deal after "full and serious consideration". The Singapore Government announced on 14 October 2024 that it had blocked the deal. The Central Committee later stated that they were unaware of a controversial plan to reduce Income's share capital and return $1.85 billion in cash to shareholders within the first three years after completion of the transaction.

Return to Jalan Kayu

On 19 April 2025, it was announced that Ng would contest the newly formed Jalan Kayu SMC in the upcoming 2025 general election. He proceeded to narrowly defeat Andre Low from the WP with 51.47% of the vote against Low's 48.53%, a majority of just 809 votes. Three days later after his win, Ng announced that he had asked Prime Minister Lawrence Wong not to offer him any cabinet positions to allow him to focus on his duties as an MP and Secretary-General of NTUC.

This request came amid heightened public scrutiny following allegations about his conduct during a Ministry of Education (MOE) dialogue session in 2017, where he was accused of aggressive and patronising behavior towards teachers. Ng issued a statement on 6 May, stating that he "sincerely apologise" and that he "could have handled the situation better". Simultaneously, photos emerged online showing Ng dining with Su Haijin, one of the individuals who was later convicted in a massive money laundering case involving assets worth S$3 billion. Ng claimed that he had no further interactions with Su after learning about the police investigation. Prior to his own request to not be included into Wong's Cabinet, a petition calling for his exclusion from the Cabinet was made on Change.org, garnering over 25,000 signatures.

Personal life

Ng is married to Michelle Lim Bee Leng. They have two daughters, Elisabeth and Sara.

Ng has an elder brother, Ng Chee Khern, a former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2006 and 2009, and a younger brother, Ng Chee Peng, a former two-star rear-admiral who served as Chief of Navy between 2011 and 2014.

Awards and decorations

* Public Administration Medal (Military) (Bronze), in 2005.
* Public Administration Medal (Military) (Gold), in 2011.
* Long Service Medal (Military), in 2012.
* Meritorious Service Medal (Military), in 2015
* Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (10 Years) Medal with 15 year clasp
* Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (20 Years) Medal
* Singapore Armed Forces Good Service Medal
* Knight Grand Cross of the Most Noble Order of the Crown
* Bintang Swa Bhuwana Paksa Utama (1st Class)
* The Most Exalted Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang (1st Class)
* Knight Grand Cross of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
* Darjah Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera (1st Degree)
* Legion of Honour (Commander)

Notes and references

External links

Ng Chee Meng
on Prime Minister's Office

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ng, Chee Meng
1968 births
Living people
Members of the Parliament of Singapore
People's Action Party politicians
Chiefs of Defence Force (Singapore)
Chiefs of the Republic of Singapore Air Force
Singaporean people of Chinese descent
Singaporean people of Teochew descent
Hwa Chong Institution alumni
The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni
United States Air Force Academy alumni
Ministers for education of Singapore
Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera)
Recipients of the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (Tentera)
Recipients of the Long Service Medal (Military) (Singapore)