Temasek Review, 1 October 2010
Former PAP minister Dr Lee Boon Yang has decided to retire from
politics for good and will not be contesting in the next general
election.
The 63 year old veterinarian first enter politics in 1984 as MP
of Jalan Besar ward which has since be “expanded” to form a
GRC.
He claimed that he joined politics to “serve” the people:
“When I entered politics, it was not a career move.
Politics is about serving the people and helping people to improve
their life and realising their dreams.”
Dr Lee is the second PAP heavyweight to retire in the next
general election, the other being former transport minister Yeo
Cheow Tong. He will be joining Keppel Corporation to sit on its
board of directors after leaving politics, a standard “exit route”
for former PAP ministers to keep their mouths shut in “retirement”
like former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan who is now the Chairman
of Singapore Press Holdings.
While the younger ministers have retired to make way for new
leaders, there are no signs if PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew is going
to retire anytime soon.
At 87 years of age, Lee is probably the world’s oldest living
minister and MP. Though he admitted he is not doing much work
lately except “forecasting”, he costs Singapore taxpayers more than
$3 million dollars a year.
Lee has been dropping subtly to the press recently that he is
not quite ready to retire. He quipped famously that he will
“decline” if he stops working.
Soon after returning from a tour of Russia and Ukraine, Lee had
a fall. He was admitted to SGH on Wednesday for a chest infection.
His current status remains unknown.
Source:
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/10/01/paps-lee-boon-yang-wont-contest-in-next-ge/
