Halimah Yacob facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Her Excellency Madame
Halimah Yacob
DUT
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
Halimah in 2019
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th President of Singapore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 14 September 2017 – 14 September 2023 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Tony Tan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tharman Shanmugaratnam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 August 1954 Colony of Singapore (present-day Singapore) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Independent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations |
People's Action Party (2001–2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee
(m. 1980) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Singapore (LLB) National University of Singapore (LLM) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Halimah binti Yacob (born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who held the office of the eighth president of Singapore from 2017 to 2023, making history as the first woman to serve in this role.
A former member of Singapore's long-dominant People's Action Party (PAP), Halimah served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bukit Batok East division of the Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 2001 to 2015 and then for the Marsiling division of the Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC from 2015 to 2017. She made history as Singapore's first female speaker of parliament, a position she held from 2013 to 2017.
Following a constitutional amendment in 2017, the presidential election that year was specifically reserved for candidates from the Malay community. Halimah resigned from the PAP and became an independent candidate—one of the eligibility requirements for running for the presidency—and subsequently won in an uncontested election, as her rivals did not meet the necessary qualifications. During her presidency, Halimah utilised her discretionary powers to approve emergency funding for Singapore's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for women's rights. She chose not to seek re-election in the 2023 presidential election, concluding her term on 13 September 2023, after which she was succeeded by Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Contents
Early life and education
Halimah was born on 23 August 1954 at her family home on Queen Street in Singapore, to an Indian father and Malay mother. Her father was a watchman who died due to a heart attack when she was eight years old, leaving her and four siblings to be brought up by her mother. Her family was in poverty at the time of her father's death, and she helped her mother to sell nasi padang outside the former Singapore Polytechnic (now Bestway Building) along Prince Edward Road.
She attended Singapore Chinese Girls' School and Tanjong Katong Girls' School before graduating from the University of Singapore (now National University of Singapore) in 1978 with a Bachelor of Laws degree and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1981. She subsequently went on to complete a Master of Laws degree at the National University of Singapore in 2001.
Trade unionist
Halimah began her career in 1978 as a legal officer at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and was appointed director of its legal services department in 1992. She advanced within NTUC, holding roles such as Assistant Director of the Research Unit, Director of the Women's Development Secretariat, and Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries. She also served as Assistant Secretary-General from 1999 to 2007 and Deputy Secretary-General from 2007 to 2011. In 1999, Halimah became the director of the Singapore Institute of Labour Studies (now Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute). She was elected as the Workers' Vice-chairperson of the Standards Committee of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, serving from 2000 to 2002 and in 2005. Between 2003 and 2004, she was the Workers' Spokesperson for the ILC Committee on Human Resources Development and Training.
Early political career
In 1993, Halimah served as one of the six assentors in Singapore's presidential election, supporting the successful candidate, Ong Teng Cheong. Her first political candidacy began in the 2001 general election, where she joined a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team running for Jurong GRC, led by Minister Lim Boon Heng. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who would later succeed her as president, also made his political debut alongside her in this election. Halimah represented Bukit Batok East as a MP until 2015, after which she was elected to represent the newly-formed Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC from 2015 to 2017.
During her first term, Halimah was appointed Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports. After a cabinet reshuffle in November 2012, she transitioned to serve as Minister of State for Social and Family Development. In addition to her ministerial roles, Halimah was also the chairperson of the Jurong Town Council.
..... She was elected to the position on 14 January 2013, becoming the first woman in Singapore's history to hold this role. During her tenure, she also led a legislative delegation to Mexico. In January 2015, she was co-opted into the PAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party's highest decision-making body.
In a strong response to ISIS-linked beliefs, Singapore detained 26 members of a foreign jihadist cell involved in extremist teachings and intervened in several cases of self-radicalised Singaporeans attempting to join ISIS in Syria in 2015. During her time as an MP, Halimah condemned ISIS's acts as un-Islamic and harmful to the image of Islam, stressing that countering its ideology is more essential than military action. She urges young people to resist extremism online and supports community gatherings to build resilience, highlighting the shared responsibility to prevent self-radicalisation. Halimah also encourages Muslim parents to stay vigilant and promote open communication within families and communities.
2017 presidential election
Speculation and announcement
While speaking during the debate on the Presidential Elections Amendment Bill on 6 February 2017, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing addressed Halimah as "Madam President" twice instead of "Madam Speaker", drawing laughter from the PAP MPs and leading to widespread speculation that Halimah would be the party's preferred candidate for the reserved presidential elections.
On 6 August 2017, Halimah announced that she would be stepping down as Speaker of Parliament and MP of Marsiling–Yew Tee the next day to run for the presidency in the 2017 presidential election, which was reserved for members of the Malay community. She was widely viewed as the PAP's candidate for the election, and was endorsed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
In an interview published on 11 August 2017, Halimah gave her views on the reserved presidential election. She said that it "shows we don't only talk about multiracialism, but we talk about it in the context of meritocracy or opportunities for everyone, and we actually practise it". Although some commentators have felt that the reserved election did not promote meritocracy, Halimah rejected that view, as she described, "All candidates have to qualify ... If we weaken eligibility criteria for those taking part in a reserved election, yes, then we are compromising meritocracy for representation. We are not - the same criteria apply to everybody". Regarding commentators who have questioned the lower qualifying bar for public sector candidates like herself, Halimah said, "It is an open, transparent system ... has been in place since 1991".
Campaign
On 25 August 2017, Halimah launched her official campaign website, including her campaign slogan "Do Good Do Together", which was criticised by many for being ungrammatical. She defended her slogan, explaining that it is meant to be catchy. In response to public queries whether Halimah broke election rules by campaigning ahead of the nomination day, the Elections Department clarified that its rule which forbids candidates from campaigning before close of nomination only applies to candidates who are nominated.
Halimah's campaign expenses reached only $220,875 out of the $754,982.40 legal limit. Her expenses were used for promotional material, room rental, office supplies, food, transport and phone bills. Queries were also raised regarding Halimah's long affiliation with the PAP and perceived lack of political independence as she quit the party just one month ago to campaign in the election. Halimah responded by comparing herself to former President Ong Teng Cheong, who was also a PAP member before being elected. She also cited that she had abstained from voting in an amendment for the Human Organ Transplant Act in 2007.
Former NMP Calvin Cheng suggested that Halimah does not appear to have the professional experience needed to manage the financial reserves. According to Publichouse.sg's estimate, her financial management involvement is only about $40 million, much less than the stringent $500 million shareholders’ equity requirement for private sector candidates.
Election
Being the only candidate to be issued a Certificate of Eligibility, Halimah became the eighth President of Singapore. Tan Cheng Bock, a former presidential candidate, wrote that Halimah "will occupy the most controversial presidency in the history of Singapore." The Economist described her as "popular and able". She is also the nation's first female President and Southeast Asia's fourth female Head of State after Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines and Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia.
Reactions
Halimah's sudden resignation as sole minority MP in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC has sparked calls among the opposition for a by-election as the purpose of GRC is to ensure minority representation. The PAP government refused to hold a by-election, culminating in the filing of a lawsuit by Wong Souk Yee, a resident in the GRC. A hearing was set for 15 January 2018.
On 13 September 2017, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) filed a lawsuit in the High Court against the PAP government for refusing to call a by-election in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC following Halimah's resignation from her post as the sole minority MP in her constituency.
In a High Court hearing conducted on 23 January 2018, Wong's lawyer, Peter Low, argued that the Parliamentary Elections Act should be interpreted such that all MPs of the group representation constituency have to leave their spots when one or more seats are left empty, or when only one remaining MP is a minority candidate. He cited Article 49 (1) of the Constitution, which states that when "the seat of a Member… has become vacant for any reason other than a dissolution of Parliament, the vacancy shall be filled by election" to support his argument.
After the Elections Department announced that Halimah was the only possible candidate for the presidency, global media monitoring house Meltwater observed a significant increase in negative sentiment on social media surrounding the Presidential Elections from 11 to 12 September 2017. The data shows 83% of negative sentiment and 17% of positive sentiment. Following the announcement, a number of Singaporeans began using the hashtag #NotMyPresident on Facebook and Twitter to voice their disappointment. In response, The Straits Times reported that there was the use of #halimahismypresident by an "equally vocal group", urging "Singaporeans to rally round their next president".
Halimah's decision to remain staying in her public housing HDB flat at Yishun raised security concerns. On 2 October 2017, Halimah accepted the government's decision to move her out of her Yishun flat to a more secure location. The government keeps track on the residence and security arrangements for her as well.
Presidency (2017–2023)
.jpg)
Halimah was sworn on 14 September 2017 as the president of Singapore at The Istana. She was ex officio appointed Chancellor of the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University.
Halimah made her first state visit as president to Brunei on 11 May 2018, where she witnessed the signing of a financial technology agreement and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to exchange information related to money laundering and terrorist financing between Singapore and Brunei. At the invitation of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Halimah was the first president of Singapore to visit the Netherlands since the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries on 7 December 1965. The visit took place from 20 to 24 November 2018.
In September 2019, Halimah oversaw the signing of eight memorandums with the Philippines, allowing Singaporean companies and small and medium-sized enterprises to expand in the areas of data protection, science and technology and skills training and development of human resources.
Advocate for gender equality
In 2019, Halimah advocated for companies to embrace gender equality, noting that it will increase innovation and business profitability during her speech at the Women's Forum Asia. She had also publicly voiced her views about a local podcast, Okletsgo, for their offensive remarks against women and asked the hosts of the show for an apology for their remarks.
Post-presidency (2023–present)
After her presidency, Halimah became the chancellor of the Singapore University of Social Sciences from 1 October 2023. She became Stephen Lee's successor and was notable for being a SUSS patron.
On 30 August 2024, Tony Tan has been replaced by Halimah as the Securities Investors Association (Singapore)'s new chief patron. She was chosen for this esteemed position by the association because of her outstanding services to Singapore, which include her influential career as a politician and unionist and her representation of the country abroad throughout her 2023-ending president. According to David Gerald, the association's founder, Halimah's values complement the organization's objectives of defending individual investors' rights and encouraging moral business practices.
Personal life
Halimah is married to Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee, of Arab descent, and they have five children. Mohammed graduated from NUS with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. It was also where he first met Halimah.
Although Halimah is categorised as an Indian Muslim due to her father's descent, she ran for the 2017 presidential election as a Malay candidate and identifies herself as a Malay Muslim.
Awards and honours
Honours
On 22 May 2023, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev awarded Halimah the Order of Friendship 1st class. Later on 29 October 2023, she was awarded the Order of Temasek (with high distinction) for serving Singapore with distinction over four decades and for her lifetime of devoted and distinguished service.
National
Singapore
Order of Temasek with High Distinction (29 October 2023)
.svg){kind=small}
Foreign
Saudi Arabia
Collar of the Order of King Abdulaziz (6 November 2019)
Kazakhstan
Order of Friendship 1st class (22 May 2023)
.png){kind=small}
Awards
In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year Award in 2001, the Her World Woman of the Year Award in 2003, and the AWARE Heroine Award 2011.
She was also inducted into the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations' Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014. She also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the National University of Singapore in 2016.
See also
In Spanish: Halimah Yacob para niños
 | Chris Smalls |
 | Fred Hampton |
 | Ralph Abernathy |
