Goh Chok Tong 
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Dummipedia, the simplified free online encyclopedia
Goh Chok Tong (born 1941, age 68) was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, serving for 14 years from November 28, 1990 to August 12, 2004. He is currently Senior Minister of Singapore and the Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore's Central Bank.
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| Goh Chok Tong 吴作栋 | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office August 12, 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Constituency | Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (Marine Parade) |
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| In office November 28, 1990 – August 12, 2004 | |
| President | Wee Kim Wee Ong Teng Cheong Sellapan Ramanathan |
| Deputy | Lee Hsien Loong and Tony Tan Keng Yam (1995 to 2004) Ong Teng Cheong (1990 to 1993) |
| Preceded by | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Succeeded by | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Born | May 20, 1941 (aged 68) Singapore |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
| Spouse | Tan Choo Leng |
| Children | • Goh Jin Hian (son) • Goh Jin Theng (daughter) |
| Goh Chok Tong in the States (Video credit: DUSUN245) |
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2. Born into a Hokkien family in Singapore, Goh earned a First Class Honours (Bachelor of Arts) in economics from the National University of Singapore (then known as the University of Singapore) and in 1967, a Master of Arts in Development Economics from Williams College in the United States. After his studies, he returned to Singapore to serve in the Administrative Service [1] and was seconded in 1969 to the Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) as a Planning and Projects Manager. Goh's career advanced quickly and by 1973, he became its Managing Director, leading NOL to achieve impressive financial results during his tenure.[1]
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3. In the 1976 Singapore general election, at the age of 35, Goh was elected as Member of Parliament for the Marine Parade constituency as a People's Action Party (PAP) candidate, and was appointed a Senior Minister of State for Finance. In 1981, he was promoted to be the Minister for Trade and Industry. Goh later also served in other appointments, including Minister for Health and Minister for Defence. [1] In 1985, he became the First Deputy Prime Minister and began to assume the responsibility of the government in a carefully managed leadership transition. According to Lee Kuan Yew, his preferred successor was Tony Tan. However, as Goh was selected by the second generation of PAP leaders that included Tony Tan, S Dhanabalan, and Ong Teng Cheong, Lee accepted their decision. [1]
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4. On November 28, 1990, Goh became the second Prime Minister of Singapore, taking over from Lee Kuan Yew who remained an influential member of his Cabinet, holding the post of Senior Minister. He was initially written off by critics as a weak, transitionary figure, and a seat-warmer for Lee Hsien Loong. Nonetheless, in 1992, Lee Kuan Yew handed over to Goh the post of Secretary General of People's Action Party, successfully completing the leadership transition. As Prime Minister, Goh was seen as having a more open-minded and consultative style of leadership, compared to his predecessor. And as Secretary General, he led the People's Action Party to three general elections in 1991, 1997, and 2001, in which the party won 61%, 65% and 75% of the votes respectively. After the general election in 2001, Goh indicated that he would step down as Prime Minister after leading the country out of the recession.[1]
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5. In August 2004, Goh stepped down as Prime Minister and serves as Senior Minister in Lee Hsien Loong's Cabinet as well as assumed the post of Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.[1] He is currently a patron for the Institute of Policy Studies, a government think tank. more... at Wikipedia
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