Singapore recently celebrated a big moment in its history. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a respected economist with deep roots in Singapore’s Tamil community, became the country’s ninth president. This election was a big deal because people had to vote for a president for the first time in over ten years. Tharman won by a wide margin, receiving more than two-thirds of the vote.
Early life
Tharman Shanmugaratnam was born on February 25, 1957 in Singapore. His family has been part of the Tamil community in Singapore for generations. His father, Professor K. Shanmugaratnam, is a renowned medical scientist known as the “Father of Pathology in Singapore”. He conducted important cancer research and started the Singapore Cancer Registry.
Tharman is married to Jane Yumiko Ittogi, a Singaporean lawyer of Chinese-Japanese descent. They have one daughter and three sons.
Education
Tharman attended the Anglo-Chinese School and later studied economics at the London School of Economics (LSE). He did very well in his studies, and the LSE even gave him an honorary scholarship in 2011. After that, he went to the University of Cambridge and obtained a Master of Philosophy in Economics. He then went to Harvard University and earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA).
Career
Tharman’s career was mostly about working for the government and helping with economic and social policy. He didn’t just work in Singapore; he also had important jobs in international organizations. He was the head of the Monetary Authority of Singapore from 2011 to 2023, where he looked after the country’s monetary system.
Tharman also served as Deputy Chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) between 2019 and 2023. He has been part of major global groups such as the Group of Thirty, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations. He even chaired the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), which advises the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
From 2019 to 2022, he helped lead the Human Development Report Advisory Board for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In Singapore, he chaired groups such as the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) and the National Jobs Council.
Political career
Tharman’s political journey began in 2001 when he joined the People’s Action Party (PAP). He became Minister of Education, and later took on roles such as Minister of Finance, Minister of Manpower and Coordinating Minister for Social Policy. He was Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019 and Senior Minister from 2019 to 2023.
In 2023, Tharman decided to run for president. In order to do this, he had to leave all his government positions and stop being a member of the People’s Action Party (PAP) because the job of president was non-partisan.
With his economic background and extensive experience in public service, Tharman is well positioned to help Singapore grow and become more important on the world stage.
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education