55 Facts About Tony Tan

Tony Tan Keng Yam is a Singaporean former politician who served as the seventh president of Singapore between 2011 and 2017.

Tony Tan made his political debut in the 1979 by-elections as a PAP candidate contesting in Sembawang SMC and won.

Tony Tan went on to serve as Minister for Education between 1980 and 1991, Minister for Finance between 1983 and 1985, and Minister for Defence between 1985 and 1991, Deputy Prime Minister between 1995 and 2005, and Coordinating Minister for National Security between 2003 and 2005.

Tony Tan resigned from the Cabinet in 2005 and was appointed Deputy Chairman and Executive Director of GIC, the country's sovereign wealth fund, Chairman of the National Research Foundation and Chairman of SPH.

Tony Tan resigned from all of his positions in 2010 before contesting in the 2011 presidential election as an independent candidate.

Tony Tan won the 2011 presidential election in a four-cornered fight and served as the president of Singapore until 2017.

Tony Tan did not seek for a second term in the 2017 presidential election, which was reserved for Malay candidates after a constitutional amendment.

Tony Tan was educated at St Patrick's School and St Joseph's Institution before topping his class and graduating from the University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science with first class honours degree in physics, under a scholarship conferred by the Singapore Government.

Tony Tan subsequently went on to complete a Master of Science degree in operations research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under the Asia Foundation Scholarship.

Tony Tan completed a Doctor of Philosophy in applied mathematics at the University of Adelaide, and went on to teach mathematics at the University of Singapore.

In 1969, Tony Tan left the University of Singapore and joined OCBC Bank, where he became the general manager, before leaving the bank in 1979 to enter politics.

In December 1991, Tony Tan stepped down from the Cabinet to return to the private sector, where he rejoined OCBC Bank as the chairman and chief executive officer from 1992 to 1995, while retaining his seat in the Parliament as the Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC.

Tony Tan was appointed as Deputy Chairman and Executive Director of GIC, the country's sovereign wealth fund, following his second retirement from Cabinet in 2005.

Tony Tan was appointed as Chairman of the National Research Foundation, Deputy Chairman of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council, and Chairman of Singapore Press Holdings concurrently.

Tony Tan was appointed as Senior Minister of State for Education in 1979.

Tony Tan joined the Cabinet in 1980, serving as Minister for Education.

Tony Tan introduced the independent schools system, allowing established educational institutions in Singapore to charge its own fees and have control over their governance and teaching staff, though this was criticised by parents as being "elitist" and made top-ranked schools increasingly out of reach to poorer families due to subsequent fee hikes.

Tony Tan took on the role of Minister for Trade and Industry from 1981 to 1986.

Tony Tan was appointed as Minister for Finance from 1983 to 1985, and Minister for Health from 1985 to 1986.

Tony Tan espoused a cut in the Central Provident Fund in the 1980s, which Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had said would not be allowed except "in an economic crisis".

Tony Tan was known to have opposed the shipping industry strike in January 1986, the first for about a decade in Singapore, which was sanctioned by fellow Cabinet minister, Ong Teng Cheong, who is Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, felt the strike was necessary.

Tony Tan initially opposed the timing of building the Mass Rapid Transit in 1981 when it was raised by Ong.

Tony Tan held the view that the local construction industry was overheated at the time, and public housing should take priority.

Tony Tan declared that "the interests of Singapore must take precedence over that of a bank and my own personal considerations".

Tony Tan later persuaded Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan to abandon plans to demolish an old mosque in his constituency of Sembawang.

Tony Tan joined other dissenting colleagues in opposing the implementation of Integrated Resorts with their attached casinos to Singapore.

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew picked Tony Tan to succeed him as Prime Minister, but Tony Tan declined.

Tony Tan believed that the third university should follow the American example which concentrated on management, business and economics.

Tony Tan made trips to universities in the United States to know more about them and search for potential partnerships.

Tony Tan helped to make the third university happen, reaching out to veteran businessman and current Chairman of the SMU Board of Trustees Ho Kwon Ping to help in its establishment.

Tony Tan, having begun to look after the university education in the 1990s, was the driving force behind SMU, which in 2000 was set up as the country's first publicly-funded autonomous university.

Tony Tan stepped down as Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Security and Defence on 1 September 2005.

On 22 December 2010, Tony Tan announced that he would step down from his government-linked positions at GIC and SPH to run for the office of President of Singapore.

On 7 July 2011, Tony Tan submitted his presidential eligibility forms.

In July 2011, Tony Tan stepped down from his positions at GIC and SPH to contest in the presidential election.

On 29 July 2011, Tony Tan responded to online allegations that his son Patrick Tony Tan had received preferential treatment during his National Service.

Tony Tan noted that he had served as Minister for Defence from 1995 to 2003, while Patrick Tony Tan said that it was in 1988 that he been permitted by the Ministry of Defence to disrupt his NS for premedical studies in Harvard University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry, and an MD-PhD program at Stanford University under the President's Scholarship and Loke Cheng Kim Scholarship.

Tony Tan received The Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry endorsed Tony Tan's presidential candidacy on 18 August 2011.

Tony Tan then went on to describe manufacturing as a "key pillar of Singapore's economy".

On 15 August 2011, following the National Day Rally speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Tony Tan said that one point he found particularly interesting in Lee's address was whether Singapore would remain pragmatic in its policy making, or if it would turn populist.

Tony Tan added that the temptation to make populist decisions was affecting the presidential election, "with some candidates appealing to the public in ways that could go beyond the parameters of the Singapore's Constitution".

At a press conference later that day, Tony Tan said that while different points of view were to be expected in a campaign, it was disappointing to have people who would not even listen, and hoped that Singaporeans would listen to the views of all the candidates.

Tony Tan sought to distinguish his presidency by promoting a more active civil society, believing that Singapore needed to build up its "social reserves" to complement the substantial financial reserves the city state had accumulated over time.

On 8 November 2016, Tony Tan announced that he would not be standing in 2017 presidential election, which was reserved for Malay candidates after a constitutional amendment on 9 November 2016.

Tony Tan was succeeded by Halimah Yacob who became president after a walkover of the presidential elections, as no other candidates were deemed eligible.

From 1980 to 1981, Tony Tan served as Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Singapore.

Tony Tan was ex officio appointed Chancellor of the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University when he was elected as the president of Singapore in 2017.

Tony Tan was named as the first patron of Dover Park Hospice in May 2011.

On 21 November 2017, GIC, the country's sovereign wealth fund, announced that Tony Tan will be appointed Director and Special Advisor from 1 January 2018.

Tony Tan's uncle was former Chairman of OCBC Bank, Tan Chin Tuan.

Tony Tan married Mary Chee Bee Kiang in 1964 and they have children together.

In 2005, Tony Tan was presented the NUS Eminent Alumni Award in recognition of his role as a visionary architect of Singapore's university sector.

Tony Tan was awarded a medal from the Foreign Policy Association in 2011 for "outstanding leadership and service".

Tony Tan was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.

In 2018, Tony Tan received the top honour of the Order of Temasek during Singapore's National Day Awards.