Ng Eng Hen
Ng Eng Hen (; born 10 December 1958) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as the Minister for Defence since 2011. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Toa Payoh Central ward of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC since 2001. He was previously Minister for Manpower (2004–2006) and Minister for Education (2008–2011). Before entering politics, Ng was a consultant surgeon at the Singapore General Hospital and later a private surgical oncologist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. He made his political debut in the 2001 general  election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC. The PAP team won by an uncontested walkover and Ng had been a Member of Parliament since then after winning the subsequent general elections. Background. A Chinese Singaporean of Henghua descent, Ng and his five siblings lived in a rental flat in Zion Road during his childhood. He attended Anglo-Chinese School and National Junior College before he completed medical school at the National University of Singapore. He also underwent fellowship training in surgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Ng  was a consultant surgeon at the Singapore General Hospital from 1992 to 1997 before he went into private practice in Mount Elizabeth Hospital as a surgical oncologist from 1997 to 2001. Political career. Ng made his political debut in the 2001 general election as part of a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency. The PAP team won by an uncontested walkover so Ng became a Member of Parliament representing the Toa Payoh Central ward of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC. Since 25 October 2001, he has been the Member of Parliament  for that ward, having successfully retained his seat in subsequent general elections. He is also an adviser to the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council and Bishan-Toa Payoh grassroots organisations. In 2002, Ng was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower. In August 2004, Ng was promoted to full Minister and appointed Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Education. In 2005, he relinquished his portfolio as Second Minister for Education and became Second Minister for Defence. In April 2008, he stepped down from his post as Minister for Manpower and took up the  portfolio of Minister for Education. Ng was also Chairman of the Jobs Task Force at the Ministry of Manpower, and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Low Wage Workers. In June 2007, Ng was invited by the French ministry of defence to visit the Paris Air Show and also to visit a permanent Republic of Singapore Air Force detachment stationed at Cazaux Air Base. In March 2010, Ng mentioned that the weight of mother-tongue language examinations in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) might be reduced in order to benefit some students who are weak in their mother -tongue due to the emphasis on the English language in the Singaporean education system. This sparked a debate among Singaporeans who support emphasis on mother-tongue languages in education. Ng subsequently assured Singaporeans that the weight of mother-tongue language in the PSLE would not be reduced. During the 2011 general election, Ng was part of a People's Action Party five-member team for Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency and won about 56.93% of the vote against the Singapore People's Party. In 2011, Ng stepped down from his role as Minister for Education and was appointed Minister  for Defence. In Parliament, he served as Deputy Leader of the House from 1 April 2007 to 30 May 2011 and later as Leader of the House from 31 May 2011 to 30 September 2015. During 2015 general election, Ng lead the People's Action Party five-member team for Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency and won about 73.59% of the vote against the second challenge by the Singapore People's Party. In 2017, Ng appeared in episode 20 of the Channel 8 drama "When Duty Calls" to deliver a speech on National Service. In 2018, the French government  awarded Ng the Legion of Honour. During the 2020 general election, Ng contesting in a four-member People's Action Party team for Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency won with about 67% of the vote against the Singapore People's Party. Private life. Ng is married to Ivy Ng Swee Lian, a paediatrician and geneticist who is also the Chief Executive Officer of SingHealth. They have four children born between 1984 and 1994. Ng revealed that he was infected by Covid-19 on 4th Feb 2022.