Halimah Yacob
Halimah Yacob | |
|---|---|
| حاليمه بنت يعقوب | |
 Halimah Yacob at the APEC Women and the Economy Forum 2012. | |
| 9th Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore | |
| Assumed office 14 January 2013 | |
| President | Tony Tan Keng Yam |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Deputy | Charles Chong Seah Kian Peng |
| Preceded by | Michael Palmer |
| Minister of State, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports | |
| In office 21 May 2011 – 13 January 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Yu-Foo Yee Shoon |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC | |
| Assumed office 11 September 2015 | |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for Jurong GRC | |
| In office 3 November 2001 – 11 September 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 August 1954 Singapore |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
| Alma mater | National University of Singapore |
Halimah Binti Yacob (Jawi: حاليمه بنت ياچوب; born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician[1] of Indian descent[2]. A member of the country's governing People's Action Party (PAP), she is currently the ninth Speaker of Parliament,[3] having assumed office on 14 January 2013. She is the first woman to hold this post in the Republic's history. She is the third consecutive Speaker belonging to a minority race, after Abdullah Tarmugi and Michael Palmer.[4] She also served as Minister of State at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports from 2011 to 2013. She has been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Jurong Group Representation Constituency between 2001 and 2015 and Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency since 2015.
Education
Halimah Yacob was educated at Singapore Chinese Girls' School and Tanjong Katong Girls' School, before going on to the University of Singapore where she completed an LLB (Hons) degree in 1978. She was called to the Singapore Bar in 1981. In 2001, she completed an LLM degree at the National University of Singapore, and was conferred honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NUS on 7 July 2016.[5]
Career
Political career
Halimah entered politics in 2001 when she was elected as an MP for the Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC)[citation needed].
Following the 2011 general election, Halimah was made a Minister of State at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports[citation needed].
Halimah has also served as the Chair of the Jurong Town Council[citation needed].
Halimah contributes to the Malay Knowledge-Based Economy Advisory Committee, which was formed to better integrate the Malay community into the knowledge-based economy[citation needed].
Halimah also speaks out actively against radical Islam in particularly condemning and disassociating from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.[6]
Speaker of Parliament
On 8 January 2013, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong nominated Halimah Yacob to succeed former Speaker Michael Palmer. She was supported by all the MPs of the ruling People's Action Party and all the opposition Workers Party and the sole Singapore Peoples Party NCMP.[4] She was elected Speaker of Parliament on 14 January 2013.
Trade union involvement
Halimah has served at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as the Deputy Secretary General, Director of the Legal Services Department and Director of the Women's Development Secretariat. She has also served as the Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries.
Halimah has also served on the governing body of the Geneva-based International Labour Organization. She was elected as the Workers' Vice-Chairperson of the Standards Committee of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and 2005. In 2003 and 2004, she was the Workers' Spokesperson for the ILC Committee on Human Resources Development and Training.
In recognition of her contributions, she was conferred the Berita Harian/McDonald's Achiever of the Year Award in 2001[citation needed] and the "Her World Woman of the Year Award" in 2003.[7]
Personal life
Halimah is married and has five children. She is the first woman, and the second Muslim to serve as the Speaker Parliament of Singapore.
References
- ^ "Mdm Halimah Yacob", Singapore Parliament, retrieved 21 May 2011
- ^ Rajan, Uma (June 28, 2016). "To Singapore with Love...". In Pillai, Gopinath; Kesavapany, Krishnasamy (eds.). 50 Years of Indian Community in Singapore. World Scientific Publishing Co. p. 107. ISBN 978-9-813-14058-5.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - ^ "Halimah Yacob Became First Woman Speaker of the Singapore Parliament". Jagran Josh. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Singapore's first female Speaker of Parliament". Channel Newsasia. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ Lim, Yan Liang (7 July 2016). "Halimah Yacob conferred honorary Doctor of Laws degree by NUS". Straits Times. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "The Sunday Times - Counter ISIS ideology on social media: Halimah". Government of Singapore. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ "Her World Woman of the Year celebrates 20 years". Her World. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
External links
- Mdm Halimah Yacob at parliament.gov.sg
- Halimah Yacob on Facebook
- http://www.jrtc.org.sg/
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The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- 1954 births
- Living people
- Members of the Parliament of Singapore
- National University of Singapore alumni
- People's Action Party politicians
- People of Indian descent
- Singaporean people of Indian descent
- Singaporean women in politics
- Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore
- Singaporean Muslims
- Singaporean politicians of Indian descent
- 21st-century women politicians
- Women legislative speakers