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Halimah Yacob

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Halimah Yacob
حاليمه بنت يعقوب
Halimah Yacob at the APEC Women and the Economy Forum 2012.
9th Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
In office
14 January 2013 – 7 August 2017
PresidentTony Tan Keng Yam
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
DeputyCharles Chong
Seah Kian Peng
Preceded byMichael Palmer
Succeeded byCharles Chong (acting)
Minister of State, Ministry of Social and Family Development
In office
1 November 2012 – 13 January 2013
Minister of State, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
In office
21 May 2011 – 31 October 2012
Preceded byYu-Foo Yee Shoon
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC
In office
11 September 2015 – 7 August 2017
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Jurong GRC
In office
3 November 2001 – 11 September 2015
Personal details
Born (1954-08-23) 23 August 1954 (age 70)
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party (2001–2017)
Independent (2017–present)
Alma materNational University of Singapore
In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Yacob is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Halimah.

Halimah binti Yacob (Jawi: حاليمه بنت ياچوب; born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician[1] of Indian[2][3] and Malay[4] descent. Formerly a member of the country's governing People's Action Party (PAP), she was the ninth Speaker of Parliament,[5] from January 2013 to August 2017. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Jurong Group Representation Constituency between 2001 and 2015, and Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency between 2015 and 2017. On 7 August 2017, she resigned from her positions as Speaker and MP, and from her membership in the PAP, to stand as a candidate for the 2017 Singapore presidential election.[6]

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 an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NUS on 7 July 2016.[7]

Career

Halimah worked as a legal officer at the National Trades Union Congress, and became the director of its legal services department in 1992. She was appointed as a director of the Singapore Institute of Labour Studies (now known as the Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies) in 1999.[8]

Political career

Halimah entered politics in 2001 when she was elected as an MP for the Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

Following the 2011 general election, Halimah was made a Minister of State at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.[9] Following a Cabinet reshuffle in November 2012[10], she became a Minister of State at the Ministry of Social and Family Development.[9] She has also served as the Chair of Jurong Town Council.[citation needed]

In January 2015, she was co-opted into the PAP's Central Executive Committee, the party's highest decision-making body.[11]

At the 2015 general election, Halimah was the sole minority candidate for the People's Action Party group contesting the then-newly-formed Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.[12]

She has spoken out actively against radical Islam, in particular condemning and disassociating from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.[13][14][15]

Speaker of Parliament

On 8 January 2013, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong nominated Halimah Yacob to succeed former Speaker Michael Palmer.[16] She was elected Speaker of Parliament on 14 January 2013.

Halimah was the first woman to hold this post in the Republic's history[17]. She was the third consecutive Speaker belonging to a minority race, after Abdullah Tarmugi and Michael Palmer.[16]

Presidential candidate

On 6 August 2017, Halimah announced that she will step down as Speaker of Parliament and MP of Marsiling-Yew Tee on 7 August 2017 to run for the presidency in the 2017 Singapore presidential election[18][19], which has been reserved for members of the Malay community.[20] She is widely viewed as the PAP's candidate for the election, and has been endorsed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.[21]

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.[citation needed] She has also served as the Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries.[22]

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.[23]

Awards

In recognition of her contributions, she was conferred the Berita Harian/McDonald's Achiever of the Year Award in 2001[24], the "Her World Woman of the Year Award" in 2003,[25], the AWARE Heroine Award 2011[26], and was inducted into the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations's Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014[27].

Personal life

Halimah is married to Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee[28], a businessman of Arab descent[29], and has five children. Her Indian-Muslim father was a watchman[3] who died when she was eight years old, leaving her to be brought up by her Malay mother[4].

References

  1. ^ "Mdm Halimah Yacob", Singapore Parliament, retrieved 21 May 2011
  2. ^ 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. Notable female politicians include Dhanam Avadai, PAP Member for Moulmein (1965–1968), lawyer Indranee Rajah, the current Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Education, and Indian-origin politician Halimah Yacob, former Minister and current Speaker of Parliament. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b Cheam, Jessica (January 10, 2013). "A strong advocate for workers, women and minorities". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017. Her Indian-Muslim father was a watchman who died when she was eight years old. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Tham, Yuen-C (July 17, 2017). "More consultation needed before my decision to run for president: Halimah Yacob". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017. She added that her father, who died when she was eight years old, was born in Singapore, and she was brought up by her Malay mother. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Halimah Yacob Became First Woman Speaker of the Singapore Parliament". Jagran Josh. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  6. ^ "PM Lee accepts Halimah Yacob's resignation from the PAP". Channel NewsAsia. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  7. ^ Lim, Yan Liang (7 July 2016). "Halimah Yacob conferred honorary Doctor of Laws degree by NUS". Straits Times. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  8. ^ Rasheed, Zainul Abidin bin; Saat, Norshahril (2016). Majulah!: 50 Years of Malay/Muslim Community in Singapore. World Scientific. ISBN 9789814759885.
  9. ^ a b "Mdm Halimah Yacob". Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Singapore reshuffles Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Four more co-opted into PAP central executive committee". TODAYonline. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  12. ^ Ong, Justin (21 August 2015). "PAP unveils lineup for new Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  13. ^ Chong, Zi Liang (22 November 2015). "The Sunday Times - Counter ISIS ideology on social media: Halimah". The Straits Times (The Sunday Times). Singapore. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Heng, Janice (25 December 2016). "Build community ties to guard against terror: Halimah". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ WONG, PEI TING (16 June 2017). "Keep a close watch on daughters too, as IS not just targeting men: Halimah". TODAY Online. Singapore. Retrieved 23 July 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b Saad, Imelda (8 January 2013). "PM Lee to nominate Halimah Yacob as next Speaker of Parliament". ChannelNewsAsia. Archived from the original on 15 Feb 2013.
  17. ^ Imelda Saad (8 January 2013). "PM Lee to nominate Halimah Yacob as next Speaker of Parliament". Channel News Asia. Singapore. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2017. If elected, she will be Singapore's first woman Speaker and will fill the post vacated by former Member of Parliament, Mr Michael Palmer, who stepped down last month due to an extramarital affair. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Tham, Yuen-C (6 August 2017). "Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob to run for President in coming election". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Halimah Yacob announces bid to be Singapore's next President". Channel NewsAsia. 6 August 2017. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  20. ^ Yong, Charissa (8 November 2016). "Parliament: 2017 presidential election will be reserved for Malay candidates, says PM Lee". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  21. ^ Siau, Ming En (7 August 2017). "Halimah will bring dignity, warmth to presidency if elected: PM". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  22. ^ Yong, Charissa (4 August 2017). "Homecoming for Halimah Yacob at union's dinner and dance". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017. The United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries dinner and dance on Friday night (Aug 4) was a homecoming of sorts for Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob. She was its executive secretary from 2004 to 2011, and is now advisor to the 60,000-strong union. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Mdm Halimah Yacob appointed NTUC Advisor for Int'l Affairs". National Trades Union Congress Press Release. Singapore. 15 January 2013. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Cultural Ambassador is Berita Harian Achiever of the Year 2009". Singapore Press Holdings. 29 July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Her World Woman of the Year celebrates 20 years". Her World. 25 March 2011. Archived from the original on 30 Dec 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Recipients of AWARE Awards 2011". Association of Women for Action and Research. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  27. ^ "Halimah Yacob, trade unionist and first woman Speaker of Parliament". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Singapore Council of Women's Organisations. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  28. ^ Tham, Yuen-C (17 July 2017). "More consultation needed before my decision to run for president: Halimah Yacob". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  29. ^ "Getting to know Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee, husband of Madam Halimah Yacob". Thoughts of Real Singaporeans. 11 June 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halimah Yacob.
Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Speaker of Parliament
14 January 2013–7 August 2017 		Succeeded by
Charles Chong (acting)
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