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Chua Kim Yeow

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Chua.
Chua Kim Yeow
Chua in 2012
Born28 January 1926
Straits Settlements (present-day Chinatown, Singapore)
Died21 August 2016(2016-08-21) (aged 90)
Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
OccupationBanker
SpouseSeah Sok Meng (m. 1954)
Children4
AwardsPublic Administration Silver Medal, 1964
Public Administration Gold Medal, 1975

Chua Kim Yeow (28 January 1926 – 21 August 2016) was a Singaporean banker and presidential candidate at the 1993 presidential election, the first election in Singapore to have a president elected by citizens instead of Parliament. Chua was unsuccessful, only garnering 41.31% of the vote as compared to Ong Teng Cheong's 58.69%, who became the fifth president.

A civil servant, Chua also served multiple roles at many companies along with becoming the first local accountant-general, serving in that role for 18 years.

Early life and education

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Chua was born on 28 January 1926 in the Straits Settlements (present-day Chinatown, Singapore). His father was a stevedore subcontractor who worked for the Singapore Harbour Board. In 1943, following his father's death, Chua became an odd job worker to support his mother and three siblings.[1]

He was a top student in Gan Eng Seng School and attended Raffles Institution for two years before ending his studies due to the Japanese occupation.[2] In 1947, Chua passed the London Matriculation External Examination and later the UK Association of Certified Accountants in 1953. In 1954, Chua worked at the Income Tax Service. In 1956, he was transferred to the accountant-general's department, reaching the top position in five years.[1][3]

Career

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Civil service career

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In 1961, Chua succeeded a British accountant as accountant-general, becoming the first local accountant-general. He served as accountant-general for 18 years. In 1979, he retired from civil service and became executive chairman of the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS Bank), leaving in 1986 and becoming executive chairman of POSB Bank, leaving in February 1993.[4] In 1981, he became the head of the Securities Industry Council.[5] Chua was also director of several companies such as Singapore Press Holdings and City Developments Limited.[4]

Chua was also involved in launching the Singapore dollar, having served as deputy chairman on the Board of Commissioners of Currency from 1967 to 1979.[5] In 1985, serving as chairman, Chua announced the dissolution of The Singapore Monitor.[5] In 1990, Chua was appointed director of Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd.[6] In December 1993, Chua was appointed chairman of Stock Exchange of Singapore.[7]

1993 presidential election

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See also: 1993 Singaporean presidential election
Chua used a flower as his campaign's symbol.[8]

In the 1993 presidential election, presidents were to be elected by citizens instead of by Parliament. To prevent an uncontested walkover, former Minister Goh Keng Swee and then-Finance Minister Richard Hu persuaded Chua to stand in the election against Ong Teng Cheong. Chua initially refused, stating that he considered Ong to be a "far superior candidate."[9] However, he later decided to stand as a candidate, stating that it was "an act of public duty".[10]

Chua submitted his Certification of Eligibility on 18 August.[11] His nomination was proposed by Wee Kok Wah and seconded by Lam Fong Loi. Chua's assenters included Tan Boon Teik, Mah Kah Eng, Frances Wong Lai Yong, and V. T. Arasu.[8] Chua was supported by opposition parties such as the Workers' Party and the Singapore Democratic Party as Ong had a background in the People's Action Party, the ruling party of the Government at that time.[12]

Chua decided not to campaign at all, only having two public appearances on television.[9][13] In his first television appearance, Chua stated that the reason he did not campaign was due to a lack of funds and that he wasn't politically affiliated.[14] Due to his lack of campaigning, his supporters campaigned for him.[15] One supporter made flyers out of The Straits Times pages and distributed them using fax.[16] Supporters also made "Vote Chua" car stickers but had to stop due to rules that the stickers did not bear the Returning Officer stamp.[17]

On 28 August, results for the presidential election were announced with Chua losing the election with 41.31% of the vote as compared to Ong's 58.69%. Chua stated that he was surprised by the number of votes he had received,[18] with Ong stating about Chua that he was a "very credible candidate".[19]

Post-election career

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In 1994, Chua quit as director to Singapore Press Holdings,[20] Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd,[21] and Times Publishing Ltd.[22] He was briefly re-elected director of Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd but only temporarily till a replacement was found.[23] This was reportedly done to avoid conflict of interests between the companies and his role as chairman of Stock Exchange of Singapore.[24] Chua also served as chairman of Stamford Tyres from 2000 to 2013.[25]

Personal life

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In 1964, Chua was awarded the Public Administration Silver Medal and, in 1975, was awarded the Public Administration Gold Medal. He married his wife Seah Sok Meng, a school teacher, in 1954 and had four daughters.[26][5] Seah died in 2012.[2]

Death

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On 21 August 2016, Chua died at the Singapore General Hospital of pneumonia. He had been hospitalized there since early August. He was survived by four children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b "A man who overcame great odds to succeed in life". The Business Times. 27 August 1993. p. 2. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  2. ^ a b Chong, Zi Liang; Seow, Bei Yi (21 August 2016). "Chua Kim Yeow, Singapore's first local accountant-general, dies at age of 90". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Near-reject who rose rapidly to the top". The Straits Times. 26 August 1993. p. 27. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  4. ^ a b "CHUA FOR PRESIDENT?". The New Paper. 5 August 1993. p. 12. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ^ a b c d George, Cherian (12 August 1993). "Man who has spent a lifetime looking after public funds". The Straits Times. p. 27. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ "Chua Kim Yeow joins Asia Pac Breweries board". The Business Times. 21 July 1990. p. 3. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  7. ^ "Chua Kim Yeow appointed SES chairman". The Business Times. 14 December 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ a b Teo, Anna; Chuang, Peck Ming (19 August 1993). "Contest between two candidates gets off to eventful start". The Business Times. p. 2. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  9. ^ a b Teo, Anna (7 August 1993). "Chua Kim Yeow to take on DPM". The Business Times. p. 2. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ "Banker to run for EP". The New Paper. 7 August 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  11. ^ "Nomination Day for President". The Straits Times. 18 August 1993. p. 1. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  12. ^ M., Marimuthu (27 August 1993). "Who will win the election?". The New Paper. p. 9. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ^ "OWN MONEY FOR CAMPAIGN". The Straits Times. 16 August 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  14. ^ Wong, Sylvia (23 August 1993). "Chua tells S'poreans he's not taking them for granted". The Business Times. p. 2. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ Yee, Jenn Jong (14 August 1993). "'Campaign, Mr Chua'". The New Paper. p. 4. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  16. ^ "The kindest cut on Chua Kim Yeow". The Straits Times. 28 August 1993. p. 32. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  17. ^ "Chua's supporters make unofficial pitches to voters". The Straits Times. 25 August 1993. p. 25. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  18. ^ Ng, Irene (30 August 1993). "Chua didn't bargain for this". The New Paper. p. 12. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  19. ^ Teo, Anna (30 August 1993). "Teng Cheong's victory reflects Singaporeans' voting pattern". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  20. ^ "Chua Kim Yeow to quit as SPH director". The Business Times. 29 March 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  21. ^ "Chua Kim Yeow quits APB board". The Business Times. 18 March 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  22. ^ "Chua Kim Yeow quits Times Pub board". The Business Times. 1 April 1994. p. 14. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  23. ^ Dhoraisingam, Anasuya (23 February 1994). "Chua Kim Yeow re-elected APB director". The Straits Times. p. 40. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  24. ^ Raj, Conrad (24 February 1994). "SES chairman to quit boards of all listed companies". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  25. ^ a b "Chua Kim Yeow, Singapore's first local accountant-general, dies". The Business Times. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  26. ^ "Bio-data". The Straits Times. 7 August 1993. p. 30. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
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