Tan Soo Khoon ( zh, c=陈树群, p=Chén Shùqún; born 1 September 1949) is a Singaporean former politician who served as

Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Singapore. The speaker is nominated by the prime minister before being appointed by the Parliament. The speaker is also second in the presidential line o ...

between 1989 and 2001.

Education

Tan attended the

Anglo-Chinese School Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Its students and alumni are referred to as "ACS ...

before graduating from the

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

in 1971 with an honours degree in

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. He also served as the general secretary of the students' union of the

in 1969.

Political career

Tan started assisting in the Kuo Chuan constituency in 1971, where he learned about the needs of the working-class in Singapore society. It is his strong desire for social equality and improving the lives of the less fortunate that has made his parliamentary speeches well known amongst his fellow MPs. Tan took a 13-year break from speech-making when he became speaker. He is remembered for his fairness to both sides of the floor of the house, allowing members of both the governing party and the opposition to speak their minds. He is also remembered for his sense of humor, for his notes to fellow MPs would be signed off "The Watchman", a take on his private business, and his role as speaker. During his stint as the speaker, he was also president of the AIPO (

ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

Inter-Parliamentary Organization) for the 1989–1990, 1994–1995 and 1999–2000 sessions. He also served as acting president of Singapore on a number of occasions when the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

were both out of the country on official business. During the 1991 general election, Tan left Bricksworks GRC to contest Bedok GRC. Tan also supervised the building of the new Parliament House, heading the Committee on the Parliament Complex Development Project. The new building was completed in 1999, and a ceremony was conducted to officiate the "move" from the old Parliament House near the Supreme Court to the new one along the Singapore River. In April 2002, when he stepped down as speaker after 13 years, Tan immediately made it known that as a backbencher, with his brutal honesty and openness, he could still "shake the House". Many of his speeches provided witty, pointed, even scathing, remarks about certain government policies and expenditures, such as the extravagance of certain public buildings and the rising cost of public transportation. In a tribute by Prime Minister

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former military officer who served as the third Prime Minister of Singapore, prime minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024, thereafter serving as a Senior Minister of S ...

on 15 April 2006, he said of Tan, "''He makes very good speeches in Parliament. Sometimes, he draws blood... Sometimes he has offended ministers, but he has spoken his mind.''"

Personal life

Tan's maternal grandfather is Lee Wee Nam, born 1880, who was one of the prominent Teochew Chinese figures in Singapore. Lee was the founder of Lee Hiok Kee Pte Ltd and chairman of the Four Seas Communications Bank.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Soo Khoon 1949 births Singaporean people of Chinese descent Anglo-Chinese School alumni Living people Members of the Parliament of Singapore People's Action Party politicians Singaporean people of Teochew descent Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore University of Singapore alumni