Sam Tan Chin Siong (, born ) is a Singaporean former politician. A 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 ...

, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Radin Mas division of

Tanjong Pagar GRC The Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in Central Region, Singapore, Central and West Region, Singapore, Western Singapore. The five divisions consists: Buona Vista, Telok Bl ...

between 2006 and 2011 and Radin Mas SMC between 2011 and 2020. Tan had served as Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth between 2014 and 2015, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office between 2014 and 2018, Minister of State for Manpower between 2015 and 2018, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs between 2017 and 2020 and Minister of State for Social and Family Development between 2018 and 2020. He had also served as Mayor of Central Singapore District between 2011 and 2014.

Early life and education

Tan attended Tuan Mong High School and

Hwa Chong Junior College The Hwa Chong Junior College () was a Junior college (Singapore), junior college in Singapore offering Education in Singapore#Pre-university, pre-university education. The school merged with The Chinese High School on 1 January 2005 to form the ...

before graduating from the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...

in 1983 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

with honours degree. Tan started his career at the

People's Association The People's Association (PA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) of the Government of Singapore that oversees neighbourhood communities and social organisations. Established in 1960, it was part of ...

(PA), where he served as Deputy Executive Director between 1992 and 1997. He subsequently became Executive Director of the

Chinese Development Assistance Council The Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC; ) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit self-help group that provides assistance to the Chinese community in Singapore. Jointly set up by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCC ...

(CDAC) in 1997. From 2007 to 2009, he served as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Business China.

Political career

Tan made his political debut in the 2006 general election contesting in

and won by an uncontested walkover. Tan was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry, and Parliamentary Secretary for Information, Communications and the Arts concurrently from July 2009 to October 2009. He was subsequently promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary in November 2009, and served until May 2011. During the 2011 general election, Tan contested in the newly created Radin Mas SMC. Tan faced a challenge from veteran Yip Yew Weng of the National Solidarity Party after two other political parties, Reform Party and

Singapore Democratic Alliance The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) is a political coalition between the Singapore Malay National Organization (PKMS), and Singapore Justice Party (SJP). The SDA was formed in 2001 and initially consisted of four political parties, PKMS, S ...

withdrew in favour of the NSP. Tan won by a large margin, garnering 67.10% of the vote. Tan was appointed Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports in May 2011. He was also appointed Mayor of Central Singapore District. On 28 September 2015, it was announced that Tan will become Minister of State for Manpower from 1 October 2015. On 29 June 2020, Tan announced that he will not contest in the 2020 general election.

Awards

* PBM (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat) Public Service Medal (2002)

References

''Parliament of Singapore - CV of Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong ''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Sam Singaporean people of Hokkien descent Living people People's Action Party politicians 1958 births Mayors of Singapore Members of the Parliament of Singapore