Desmond Lee (Singaporean politician)
Desmond Lee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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李智陞 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Lee in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for Education | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 23 May 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Lawrence Wong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Chan Chun Sing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 27 July 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Office established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th Chairman of the People's Action Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 29 May 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Heng Swee Keat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 15 July 1976 Singapore | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | People's Action Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Lee Yock Suan (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | National University of Singapore (LLB) University of Oxford (BCL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Politician | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Desmond Lee Ti-Seng (Chinese: 李智陞; pinyin: Lǐ Zhìshēng; born 15 July 1976) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has been serving as Minister for Education since 2025 and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration[1] since 2020. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Boon Lay-West Coast division of West Coast–Jurong West GRC since 2025, and previously the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC from 2020 to 2025, and the Jurong Spring division of Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 2011 to 2020.
A lawyer by profession, Lee had worked at various public-sector institutions, including the Supreme Court, Attorney-General's Chambers and Temasek Holdings before entering politics. He made his political debut in the 2011 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC and won with 66.96% of the vote. He had held various political positions in the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Home Affairs before he was made full member of the Cabinet on 1 May 2017. He forms part of the new Cabinet selected by Lawrence Wong announced in May 2024.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Lee's father is Lee Yock Suan,[3] a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister. Of Hokkien (Han-Chinese language group) ancestry from his father's side, Lee also has Peranakan ancestry from his mother's side.[4]
Lee was educated at Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College before graduating from the National University of Singapore in 2001 with a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours degree. He subsequently went on to complete a Bachelor of Civil Law degree (a Masters-equivalent degree) at the University of Oxford.[5]
Legal career
[edit]Upon his graduation from the NUS Faculty of Law in 2001, Lee served as Justices' Law Clerk at the Supreme Court before serving as a deputy public prosecutor in the Criminal Justice Division of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC).
Lee then served as deputy director of the Legal Branch of the Ministry of Health (MOH) between 2005 and 2009 before being transferred to the Ministry of Law, where he served as deputy director of the Legal Policy Division until 2011.
In March 2011, Lee joined Temasek Holdings as an associate director in the Legal and Regulations Department.[6]
Political career
[edit]Lee made his political debut in the 2011 general election as part of a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Jurong GRC and won 66.96% of the vote. Lee was subsequently elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Jurong Spring division of Jurong GRC.
Following the 2011 general election, Lee served as a member of the Government Parliamentary Committees for Culture, Community and Youth, Home Affairs, Law, and Social and Family Development.
On 1 September 2013, Lee was appointed Minister of State for National Development[7] and left Temasek Holdings to take on this role.[8]
At the 2015 general election, Lee was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC. The PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC won 79.3% of the vote. In October 2015, Lee was promoted to Senior Minister of State for National Development, and was appointed Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs. On 1 May 2017, he was appointed full minister and took up the portfolio of Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for National Development. He was also Deputy Leader of the House from October 2015 to June 2020.
On 11 September 2017, Lee relinquished his portfolio at the Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Home Affairs, and became Minister for Social and Family Development while retaining his portfolio as Second Minister for National Development.
At the 2020 general election, Lee was part of the five-member PAP team contesting in West Coast GRC and won against the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) with 51.69% of the vote. He was subsequently elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC.
Following a Cabinet reshuffle on 27 July 2020, Lee succeeded Lawrence Wong as Minister for National Development and took on an additional newly created role of Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration under the Ministry of Social and Family Development.[9][10][11]
On 8 November 2020, Lee, along with Lawrence Wong, was elected to the PAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) for the first time.[12]
Lee stood for election in the 2025 general election, leading the PAP team, which defeated the PSP with 59.99% of the vote, in the redrawn West Coast–Jurong West GRC.[13][14] He was appointed Minister of Education after the Cabinet was reshuffled by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.[15] On 29 May, Lee was appointed as the 8th Chairman of the People's Action Party following a reshuffle in the Party's Central Executive Committee, thus relinquishing his role as 2nd Assistant Secretary-General.[16][17]
Personal life
[edit]Lee is married with three children.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Changes to Cabinet and Other Appointments (July 2020)". Prime Minister's Office, 25 July 2020.
- ^ anthony_chia (2024-05-14). "PMO | Changes to Cabinet and Other Appointments (May 2024)". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ Yes to evolution, no to revolution Archived 2015-08-06 at the Wayback Machine, My Paper, 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Digging up the past, in search of a deeper sense of self: Desmond Lee on the Bicentennial and its lessons". CNA.
- ^ "Parliament of Singapore, Desmond Lee". Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ MP Profile – Desmond Lee Ti-Seng Archived 2013-01-14 at the Wayback Machine, pap.org.sg, retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ PM Lee reinforces team as governance becomes "more complicated" Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine, channelnewsasia.com, 28 August 2013.
- ^ katherine_chen (2022-05-30). "PMO | Mr Desmond LEE". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ "Desmond Lee: Youngest minister in current Cabinet to helm his first ministry". Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ "GE2020: PAP wins West Coast GRC with 51.69% of votes against Tan Cheng Bock's team". CNA.
- ^ "PM Lee announces new Cabinet; 6 office holders promoted, 3 retirements". CNA. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ Yuen, Sin; Lim, Min Zhang (8 November 2020). "PAP conference: Lawrence Wong, Desmond Lee elected to party's top committee for first time". The Straits Times. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ "ELD | 2025 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
- ^ Tan, Audrey (28 April 2025). "GE2025: Sustainability a key pillar of PAP's plans for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, says Desmond Lee". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "PM Lawrence Wong unveils new Cabinet, says it's the 'strongest team' for Singapore". The Straits Times. 2025-05-21. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
- ^ "Appointment of New Chairman and Changes to the 38th PAP Central Executive Committee". pap.org.sg. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Education Minister Desmond Lee appointed PAP chairman; Health Minister Ong Ye Kung becomes party treasurer". CNA. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Mr Desmond Lee" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
External links
[edit]
- Desmond Lee on Prime Minister's Office
- Desmond Lee on Parliament of Singapore
 Current members of the Cabinet of Singapore | |
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