Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
Desmond Tan | |
Native Name Lang: | zh-sg |
Office1: | Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office |
Primeminister1: | Lawrence Wong |
Term Start1: | 15 May 2024 |
Office2: | Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress |
Term Start2: | 30 June 2022 |
Predecessor2: | Chee Hong Tat |
1Blankname2: | Secretary-General |
1Namedata2: | Ng Chee Meng |
Alongside2: | Heng Chee How |
Office3: | Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office |
Primeminister2: | Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong |
Term Start3: | 13 June 2022 |
Term End3: | 14 May 2024 |
Office4: | Minister of State for Home Affairs |
Alongside4: | Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim |
Primeminister4: | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister4: | K. Shanmugam |
Successor4: | Sun Xueling |
Term Start4: | 27 July 2020 |
Term End4: | 12 June 2022 |
Office5: | Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment |
Primeminister5: | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister5: | Grace Fu |
Term Start5: | 27 July 2020 |
Term End5: | 12 June 2022 |
Constituency Mp6: | Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC (Pasir Ris Central) |
Majority6: | 44,466 (28.30%) |
Predecessor6: | Constituency established |
Term Start6: | 10 July 2020 |
Birth Date: | 1970 9, df=y[1] |
Birth Place: | Singapore |
Children: | 3 |
Party: | People's Action Party |
Alma Mater: | University of Manchester (BEng) King's College London (MA) Nanyang Technological University (MBA) |
Branch: | Singapore Army |
Serviceyears: | 1988–2016 |
Rank: | Brigadier-General |
Commands: | Chief of Staff – General Staff Director of Joint Operations National Contingent Commander Chief Guards Officer Director of Public Affairs |
Battles: | |
Awards: | SAF Overseas Medal (Enhanced) NATO (ISAF) Medal |
Desmond Tan Kok Ming (Chinese: s=陈国明|p=Chén Guómíng; born 13 September 1970) is a Singaporean politician, union leader and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office since 2024 and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress since 2022.[2]
He previously served as Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment concurrently between 2020 and 2022.
A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Pasir Ris Central division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC since 2020.
Prior to entering politics, Tan had served 28 years in the Singapore Army under the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and attained the rank Brigadier-General. He left the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 2017.
He served as chief executive director of the People's Association between 2017 and 2020.[3]
He made his political debut in the 2020 general election when he joined a five-member PAP team contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC and they won with 64.15% of the vote.
Tan grew up with his three siblings living in a three-room HDB flat in Bukit Ho Swee where his father worked as a taxi driver while his mother takes up odd jobs.[4]
He attended Queenstown Secondary Technical School and Raffles Junior College before graduating from the University of Manchester with a Bachelor of Engineering degree with honours in aeronautical engineering in 1994 under the Singapore Armed Forces Merit Scholarship. He also completed a master's degree in defence strategic studies at King's College London in 2000 and a Master of Business Administration at Nanyang Technological University.
Tan started his career in the Singapore Armed Forces and spent 28 years in the military before rising to the rank of Brigadier-General. During his service, he held various appointments, including Chief of Staff – General Staff, Director of Joint Operations, Chief Guards Officer, and Director of Public Affairs. He was also Chairman of the NDP 2012 Executive Committee, and had participated in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan as Singapore's contingent commander. He received the SAF Overseas Medal (Enhanced) and NATO (ISAF) Medal.
After retiring from the Singapore Armed Forces in 2017, Tan joined the People's Association as its chief executive director before stepping down in June 2020 to run for election in the 2020 general election.[5]
Tan made his political debut in the 2020 general election when he joined a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. The PAP team won with 64.15% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Alliance and Peoples Voice, and Tan was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Pasir Ris Central ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC.
On 27 July 2020, he was appointed Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment.
On 6 June 2022, a Cabinet reshuffle was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Tan would relinquish his positions of Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment and assume the position of Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.
The move was to allow Tan to take less responsibilities and devote less attention in the government which he would be in part-time basis after joining the labour movement National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) after the departure of its Deputy Secretary-General Chee Hong Tat from NTUC to return to the government on full-time basis. These changes took effect a week later on 13 June 2022.[6] [7] [8]
Tan is married with three children.[9] [10]