Backgrounder: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

    SINGAPORE, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Lee Hsien Loong, born on Feb. 10, 1952, is Singapore's Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and secretary general of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).

    He entered politics in 1984 when he was first elected Member of Parliament as a PAP candidate. He was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defense in the same year.

    Being re-elected in the following four general elections in 1988, 1991, 1997 and 2001, Lee served as Acting Minister and then Minister for Trade and Industry, Second Minister for Defense, Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Minister for Finance.

    He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic and civil service matters in 1990.

    Within the PAP, Lee became a member of the Central Executive Committee in 1986 and was elected second assistant secretary general and first assistant secretary general in 1989 and 1992 respectively.

    He took over office as Prime Minister from Goh Chok Tong in August 2004 and became PAP's secretary general in December of the same year.

    Graduated from the University of Cambridge with a diploma in Computer Science in 1974, Lee became a Mason Fellow at the KennedySchool of Government, Harvard University, five years later and graduated with a Master's degree in Public Administration in 1980.

    Before entering politics, Lee had served in the Singapore Armed Forces for about 13 years, holding several posts such as the first Director of the Joint Operations and Plans Directorate and Chief of Staff of the General Staff. He left the army as a Brigadier-General in 1984.

    Lee married Ho Ching in 1985 and has one daughter and three sons. Enditem

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