Tan Chuan-Jin

MPM 2017

Speaker of Parliament, Parliament of Singapore

Government Administration

At the national level, Chuan-Jin started and co-chairs SG Cares, a movement that rallies corporates, organisations and individuals to start the volunteering journey so that they can collectively begin to build a caring, compassionate and more inclusive Singapore. It is about creating an ecosystem that makes it easier and more effective for people to participate.

At the local level, he seeks to cultivate this community spirit of looking out for one another within his Kembangan-Chai Chee ward as their Member of Parliament. He and his volunteers organised themselves to outreach to those who may need the extra help, and to also begin to look at preventive efforts. These efforts range from providing residents with short-term help, assisting to clean flats that are in poor condition, provision of free meals, running reading programmes for children from more challenging background, helping those with mental health concerns etc.

Prior to holding public office, Chuan-Jin had spent nearly 24 years in the Singapore Armed Forces. In the aftermath of the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, he was appointed as the Task Force Commander for the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief effort to Aceh, Indonesia. He witnessed the impact created when the team outreached in the midst of this tragic crisis. He was also in charge of organising the National Day Parade in 2009 where they sought to involve the less privileged in society as well as to engage more Singaporeans. In both instances, Chuan-Jin realised that the key to building a better society was through the process of reaching out, giving and caring.

Chuan-Jin attended the Master in Public Management at LKYSPP in 2007. “I felt that LKYSPP provided me with a better understanding of public policy and how that could impact the lives of our citizens. The diversity of the class, with students who held relatively important appointments in their respective administrations, facilitated useful learning from each other”.