Heng Chee How
Heng Chee How (Chinese: 王志豪; pinyin: Wáng Zhìháo; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as a Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence since 2018. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he is the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Whampoa ward of Jalan Besar GRC since 2001.
Before entering politics, Heng had worked at the Singapore Police Force and National Trades Union Congress. He made his political debut in the 1997 general election by contesting as a solo PAP candidate in Hougang Single Member Cons*uency (SMC) against the Workers' Party's Low Thia Khiang. He lost to Low, who won 58.02% of the vote against his 41.98%. In the 2001 general election, Heng joined a five-member PAP team contesting in Jalan Besar GRC and they won with 74.48% of the vote. Heng thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Whampoa ward of Jalan Besar GRC. Since then, he had retained his parliamentary seat in subsequent elections and had been Minister of State and later Senior Minister of State at various Ministries. He was also Deputy Leader of the House in Parliament from 2011 to 2015.
Contents
- 1 Education
- 2 Career
- 2.1 Political career
- 3 Personal life
- 4 References
- 5 External links
Education
A Chinese Singaporean of Teochew descent, Heng was educated at Raffles Ins*ution before he received an overseas scholarship from the Singapore Police Force in 1980 to read economics at Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Second Upper Cl* Honours) in 1983 and went on to complete a Master of Arts in economics at the University of Cambridge in 1986.
In 1992, he completed a Master of Public Administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University on a postgraduate overseas scholarship from the Singapore Police Force.
He also received the Edward S. Mason Fellowship (1990) and Lucius Littauer Fellowship Award (1992) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Eisenhower Fellowship in 2001.
Career
Heng started his career in 1983 in the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and held command and staff appointments, including Director of Manpower and Commander of the Geylang Police Division.
He left the SPF in 1995 to join the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and took up various positions in the labour movement, including Chief Executive Officer of the NTUC Club (1995–1998), Executive Secretary of the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees Union, Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries, and Divisional Director overseeing industrial relations, skills development, productivity improvement and employment *istance.
He became *istant Secretary-General of the NTUC in 1997. In 1999, he was promoted to Deputy Secretary-General of the NTUC has held that position since then.
Political career
Heng made his political debut in the 1997 general election when he contested as a solo candidate from the People's Action Party (PAP) in Hougang Single Member Cons*uency (SMC) against the in*bent opposition Member of Parliament, Low Thia Khiang of the Workers' Party. He lost to Low, who won 58.02% of the vote against his 41.98%.
In the 2001 general election, Heng contested again as a PAP candidate, this time in Jalan Besar Group Representation Cons*uency (GRC), as part of a five-member PAP team. The PAP team won with 74.48% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Alliance and Heng thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Whampoa ward of Jalan Besar GRC. From 24 November 2001 to 29 May 2006, he served as Mayor of the Central District.
On 12 August 2004, Heng was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. On 1 May 2005, he changed his appointment to Minister of State at the Ministry of National Development.
In the 2006 general election, Heng contested in Jalan Besar GRC again as part of a five-member PAP team and they won with 69.26% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Alliance. After the election, Heng was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Health on 30 May 2006. On 1 April 2008, he became Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office.
During the 2011 general election, Heng contested as a solo PAP candidate in the newly formed Whampoa SMC and won with 66.1% of the vote against the National Solidarity Party's Ken Sun. On 21 May 2011, he was promoted to Senior Minister of State and continued serving in the Prime Minister's Office. On 31 May 2011, he also became Deputy Leader of the House in Parliament.
In the 2015 general election, Whampoa SMC was dissolved and became part of Jalan Besar GRC again. Heng contested in the election as part of a four-member PAP team in Jalan Besar GRC and won with 67.75% of the vote. Heng continued to be a Member of Parliament representing the Whampoa ward of Jalan Besar GRC after the election. On 1 May 2018, Heng was appointed as Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence and has been holding that appointment since then after being elected again in the 2020 general election with 65.36% of the vote in Jalan Besar GRC.
Personal life
Heng is married to Goh Soon Poh, the Auditor-General. She previously served as Deputy Secretary (Corporate) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office.
References
External links
- Heng Chee How on Parliament of Singapore
All of the leaders of the respective GRCs are in underline. NMPs do not belong to any party.Other Current/Former MPs Nav Boxes1413121110The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the cons*uency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; WP: The Workers' Party
NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term.Other Current/Former MPs Nav Boxes1413121110The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the cons*uency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; SPP: Singapore People's Party; WP: The Workers' Party
For NCMPs, Gerald Giam and Yee Jenn Jong are from the WP, while Lina Loh is from the SPP. NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term.Other Current/Former MPs Nav Boxes1413121110The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the cons*uency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; SDA: Singapore Democratic Alliance; WP: The Workers' Party
NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term.Other Current/Former MPs Nav Boxes1413121110