Renowned economist Thurman Shanmugaratnam has been elected Singapore’s ninth president, making him the third Indian-origin to lead the prosperous city-state for the next six years.
Born of Tamil ancestry from Singapore’s indigenous community, which makes up about 9 per cent of Singapore’s more than 2.7 million voters, Thurman is one of the most prominent figures in the resource-poor city-state, which has experienced various stages of development for more than 50 years. Be one of the eligible citizens.
“For decades, I have worked in the field, shaped national policy for a fairer and more inclusive society, and raised Singapore’s flag high internationally. I am very honored to have been able to contribute,” the 66-year-old said. He worked as an economist, sportsman, and poet just days before the presidential election was held on September 1st.
Mr Thurman also appointed Mr Ng Kok Son, former chief investment officer of the Government Investment Corporation of Singapore (GIC), and Mr Tan Kin Lian, former head of state union-based insurance group NTUC Income. I defeated it by a large margin. In the first presidential election since 2011, he won more than 70 percent of the vote.
Incumbent President Halimah Yacob’s six-year term ends on September 13th. The term of office of the elected president is six years.
Born in Singapore on February 25, 1957, Thurman is a multigenerational Singaporean of 19th century Tamil ancestry. One of his three children, Thurman is the son of medical scientist Emeritus Professor K. Shanmugaratnam, known as the “Father of Pathology in Singapore”. He founded the Singapore Cancer Registry and led many international organizations related to cancer research and pathology.
Mr Thurman is married to Jane Yumiko Itgi, a Singaporean lawyer of mixed Chinese-Japanese descent who is active in social work and non-profit arts in Singapore. The couple has one daughter and three sons.
Thurman attended the Anglo-Chinese School and graduated with a BA in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE). (LSE subsequently awarded him an honorary fellowship in 2011). He then attended Wolfson College, Cambridge University, where he earned a Master of Philosophy in Economics.
He then became a student at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree and received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellows Award (awarded to MPA students who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership). Did. .
An economist by trade, Thurman has spent his career working in public service roles primarily related to economic and social policy. He has also led various high-level international councils and panels.
Mr Thurman served as Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019 and as a Senior Cabinet Minister from 2019 to 2023. In June 2023, Mr. Thurman announced his intention to run for president in 2023 and resigned from all positions within the government. And since the presidency is bipartisan, he will become a member of Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in July 2023.
A student activist who studied in Britain in the 1970s, Thurman originally held socialist beliefs, but his views on economics evolved over the course of his working career.
In 1992, while serving as head of the Economics Department at MAS, Thurman was charged under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for publishing Singapore’s preliminary GDP growth forecast for the second quarter of 1992 in a local newspaper. He contested the suit and was fined S$1,500.
Forgetting all that, he continued to serve in the public sector and held various ministerial positions in the government.
He made his political debut in 2001 after joining the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), and was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Education in 2003, a position he held until 2008.
The next president served as Minister of Finance from 2007 to 2015, Minister of Human Resources from 2011 to 2012, and Minister of Social Policy Coordination from 2015 to 2023.
Other positions he held include chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the de facto central bank, from 2011 to 2023, and vice chairman of the Government Investment Corporation of Singapore (GIC) from 2019 to 2023. served as
Thurman served as Member of Parliament (MP) representing Taman Jurong sector in Jurong GRC as a member of PAP from 2001 to 2023. She was subsequently re-elected to Parliament four times in the 2006, 2011, 2015 and 2020 general elections.
He has also led various high-level international councils and panels. Mr. Thurman has served as Chairman of the Board of the Group of Thirty, a global council of economic and financial leaders from the public and private sectors and academia.
Mr. Thurman is also a member of the Executive Board of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Committee on Effective Multilateralism. The commission will make recommendations on effective multilateralism ahead of the UN summit. The future of 2024.
From 2011 to 2014, he served as Chairman of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the policy advisory committee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), becoming the first chairperson from Asia. From 2019 until 2022, she co-chaired the Human Development Report (HDR) Advisory Committee of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
An active athlete in his youth, Thurman emphasized how sports instill life lessons. He talks about sports as education and says, “Kids learn the value of a team. They learn the discipline of repeated practice and that that’s the only way to develop expertise. The ability to bounce back with humility even when you fall or lose.” Started Chinese calligraphy in 2002.
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Thurman has also worked for non-governmental organizations and was the Chairman of the Singapore Indigenous Development Association (SINDA), which aims to improve the educational outcomes and aspirations of Singapore’s Indian community.
He also chaired the Ong Teng Chong Institute for Labor Guidance and the National Employment Council, which aimed to reskill and employ Singaporeans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also won multiple awards and honors including international platforms.
A Singaporean politician of Tamil origin, Serappan Ramanathan (commonly known as SR Nathan) has served as the President of Singapore since 2009, while Chengala Veethil Devan Nair of Malayal origin, better known as Devan Nair, has served as President of Singapore since 1981. He served as the third president of Singapore until the inauguration of the president of Singapore. He resigned in 1985.
Date first published: January 9, 2023 22:44 IST