Yeo Cheow Tong

Yeo Cheow Tong (Chinese: 姚照东; born 1947) was the former Minister for Transport in Singapore and is the incumbent Member of Parliament for Hong Kah Group Representation Constituency.

In his early life, Yeo attended the Anglo-Chinese School. He received a Colombo Plan Scholarship in 1967 to the University of Western Australia, where he received his Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) degree. He worked in the Economic Development Board (EDB) from 1972 to May 1975, before entering the private sector.

In 1984, Yeo entered politics as the elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Hong Kah Constituency. A year later, he was appointed Minister of State for Health and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. In 1988, he became the Acting Minister for Health and later became full Minister in 1990. Since then, he has held different Ministerial positions including Minister for Community Development, Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for the Environment. In 1999, he became the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, a position which was renamed as Minister for Transport in 2001.

In June 2006, Yeo Cheow Tong resigned his position as Minister of Transport, leaving the Singapore cabinet to return to the private sector. Yeo had informed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before the General Elections that were held in May 2006, of his intention to step down as part of the renewal process of the Singapore cabinet. He was, however, persuaded to continue to lead his Hong Kah GRC team of 5 candidates in the 2006 General Elections, and was re-elected as a Member of Parliament through a walkover.

Yeo Cheow Tong is married to lawyer Helen Yeo Cheng Hoong.

External links

* [http://www.cabinet.gov.sg/CabinetAppointments/index.htm Appointments of the Cabinet of Singapore]
* [http://www.yeocheowtong.com The unOfficial Yeo Cheow Tong Website]