Heng Swee Keat
Updated: Wikipedia source
Heng Swee Keat (Chinese: 王瑞杰; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hêng Sūi-kia̍t; pinyin: Wáng Ruìjié; born 15 April 1961) is a Singaporean former politician and police officer who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 2019 and 2025. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tampines Central division of Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) between 2011 and 2020 and the Bedok division of East Coast GRC from 2020 to 2025. Heng had previously served as Minister for Education between 2011 and 2015, as Minister for Finance between 2015 and 2021, and as Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies between 2020 and 2024. Prior to entering politics, Heng worked in the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). He was also the principal private secretary to Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew between 1997 and 2001. He made his political debut in the 2011 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Tampines GRC and won with 57.22% of the vote. He was then elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Tampines Central ward of Tampines GRC and managed to retain his parliamentary seat in the 2015 general election with 72.06% of the vote before switching to contest in East Coast GRC in the 2020 general election. Heng was poised to succeed Lee Hsien Loong as the fourth prime minister of Singapore following his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore in May 2019 and First Assistant Secretary-General of the People's Action Party in November 2018. However, he withdrew himself from consideration in April 2021.