Yong Nyuk Lin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yong Nyuk Lin
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杨玉麟
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Yong in 1965
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| Minister for Communications | |
| In office 16 April 1968 – 31 July 1975 |
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| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Lim Kim San |
| Minister for Health | |
| In office 18 October 1963 – 15 April 1968 |
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| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Michael Byrne |
| Succeeded by | Chua Sian Chin |
| Minister for Education | |
| In office 5 June 1959 – 18 October 1963 |
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| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Lim Yew Hock |
| Succeeded by | Ong Pang Boon |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Singapore |
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| In office 2 November 1963 – 9 August 1965 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for Geylang West SMC |
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| In office 30 May 1959 – 22 January 1979 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Teh Cheang Wan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 June 1918 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Died | 29 June 2012 (aged 94) Singapore |
| Political party | People's Action Party (1959–1980) |
| Spouse |
Kwa Geok Lan
(m. 1939) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Raffles College |
| Occupation | Politician |
Yong Nyuk Lin (Chinese: 杨玉麟; pinyin: Yáng Yùlín) was an important politician in Singapore. He was born on 24 June 1918 and passed away on 29 June 2012.
Mr. Yong served as a government minister for many years. He was the Minister for Communications from 1968 to 1975. Before that, he was the Minister for Health from 1963 to 1968. His first big role was as the Minister for Education from 1959 to 1963.
He was a member of the People's Action Party (PAP), which is Singapore's ruling party. He also represented the Geylang West area in Parliament from 1959 to 1979. After his time as a minister, he worked as Singapore's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1975 to 1977.
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Early Life and Education
Yong Nyuk Lin was born in Seremban, which is now part of Malaysia, on 24 June 1918. He moved to Singapore to study at Raffles College. He earned a degree in Science from there.
After finishing his studies, he first worked as a science teacher. Later, he changed careers and joined an insurance company called Overseas Assurance Company in 1941. He became the general manager of this company and worked there for 18 years. He left his job to join politics and run in the 1959 general election.
Political Career
Serving as a Member of Parliament
Yong Nyuk Lin became a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Geylang West Single Member Constituency (SMC) in the 1959 general election. He won against Kwek Sam Hock.
He continued to represent Geylang West SMC in several more elections. He won again in 1963, facing a few other candidates. In the 1968 election, he won without anyone running against him. He also won the elections in 1972 and 1976. He served as the MP for Geylang West until 1979.
Minister for Education
From 1959 to 1963, Yong Nyuk Lin was the Minister for Education. He had big plans to improve Singapore's school system. He wanted to create a single, unified education program for all students. He also worked to make the Malay language the national language.
In 1959, he suggested building bigger indoor sports halls. He wanted them to have higher ceilings, especially for games like badminton. He believed that everyone should have access to education. He famously said that "Education is a key to that treasury."
In 1960, he came up with an idea called "post-primary" education. This was for students who did not pass their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). They would get two more years of primary school before going to secondary school. He also imagined future schools having four levels as a standard design.
Minister for Health
In 1963, Mr. Yong became the Minister for Health. He worked to improve healthcare for everyone. In 1964, he announced a large expansion for Thomson Road Hospital. This expansion cost S$1.5 million. He also planned to hire more doctors to help reduce long waits in hospitals.
He officially opened the new part of Thomson Road Hospital in 1965. In 1966, he started a program to help people who were injured in factory or traffic accidents. This program helped them pay for most of their hospital costs. In 1967, he set a goal to lower Singapore's birthrate by half by 1970. This was part of a five-year family planning program.
Minister for Communications
In 1968, Yong Nyuk Lin became the Minister for Communications. In this role, he had many new ideas. He suggested turning old military bases into places for businesses to use. In 1970, he announced a huge plan to expand Singapore Airport. This project was planned to cost S$80 million over ten years.
He also introduced the Area Licensing Scheme. This scheme charged drivers a fee to enter certain busy areas. This helped to reduce traffic jams. In 1975, he stepped down from his role as Minister for Communications. He retired from politics in 1979. After retiring, he worked as a director at Singapore Land Ltd.
Personal Life
In 1990, Yong Nyuk Lin received a very high award called the Order of Nila Utama. He received this award on National Day. His wife, Kwa Geok Lan, was the sister of Kwa Geok Choo. This meant that Yong Nyuk Lin was the brother-in-law of Singapore's first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.
Passing Away
Yong Nyuk Lin passed away on 29 June 2012. He was 94 years old.
