Suppiah Dhanabalan
| Suppiah Dhanabalan | |
|---|---|
| Tamil: சு. தனபாலன் | |
| Minister for Trade and Industry | |
|
In office 1992–1993 |
|
| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong |
| Preceded by | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Succeeded by | Yeo Cheow Tong |
| Minister for National Development | |
|
In office 1987–1992 |
|
| Prime Minister |
Lee Kuan Yew Goh Chok Tong |
| Preceded by | Teh Cheang Wan |
| Succeeded by | Richard Hu |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
|
In office 1 June 1980 – 12 September 1988 |
|
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | S. Rajaratnam |
| Succeeded by | Wong Kan Seng |
|
Member of Parliament for Toa Payoh GRC (Kuo Chuan) |
|
|
In office 1991–1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Wong Kan Seng |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of Parliament for Kallang SMC | |
|
In office 1976–1991 |
|
| Preceded by | Abdul Aziz bin Karim |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Majority | 73.9% |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 August 1937 |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
| Spouse(s) | Christine Tan |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Malaya |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Religion | Christianity |
Suppiah Dhanabalan (born 8 August 1937), also known as S. Dhanabalan, DUT(First Class), is a former Singaporean politician. He was a high-profile political leader in Singapore in the 1980s and held several cabinet positions in the 1980s and early 1990s under prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong.
Dhanabalan was born in 1937 to a Singaporean of Tamil descent. He was raised as a Hindu by his father, Arumugam Suppiah, a clerical at a naval base. But later in his life he became a devout Christian (Brethren). His mother is Gunaretnam Suppiah. He went to Victoria School; and later to University of Malaya where he earned his B.A. degree in Economics, earning a Second Class Honours (Upper Division). He was the third child and the eldest son in a Tamil family of three girls and three boys.
He joined (Ministry of Finance) as an Administrative Officer from 1960–68. During his tenure, he helped to form the Economic Development Board and DBS Bank.
He subsequently left the Civil Service and joined DBS as a Vice-President from 1968–1970. He was promoted to the position of Executive Vice-President and continue to serve from 1970–1978.
In the 1976 Singapore general election, Dhanabalan was elected as Member of Parliament for Kallang, as a People's Action Party (PAP) candidate. He was promoted to a Cabinet Minister and served in various portfolios, including Foreign Affairs, Culture, Community Development, National Development and Trade and Industry.
When Lee Kuan Yew was preparing for his successor, he identified a handful of ministers he considered suitable for the job, including Tony Tan, Ong Teng Cheong, Goh Chok Tong and Dhanabalan.
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