>Tom.Reding: +{{Authority control}} (2 IDs from Wikidata), WP:GenFixes on

2021-04-13T21:20:09Z

+{{Authority control}} (2 IDs from Wikidata), WP:GenFixes on

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{{Short description|Singaporean politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2011}}
{{Indian name|Dhanabalan|Suppiah}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable|Honourable Minister]]
| name = Suppiah Dhanabalan
| native_name = சு. தனபாலன்
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|list=[[Order of Temasek|DUT (First Class)]]}}
| office = [[Minister for Trade and Industry (Singapore)|Minister for Trade and Industry]]
| term_start = 7 December 1992
| term_end = 1 January 1993
| primeminister = [[Goh Chok Tong]]
| predecessor = [[Lee Hsien Loong]]
| successor = [[Yeo Cheow Tong]]
| office2 = [[Minister for National Development (Singapore)|Minister for National Development]]
| term_start2 = 1 January 1987
| term_end2 = 31 August 1992
| primeminister2 = [[Lee Kuan Yew]] [[Goh Chok Tong]]
| predecessor2 = [[Teh Cheang Wan]]
| successor2 = [[Richard Hu]]
| office3 = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Singapore)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| term_start3 = 1 June 1980
| term_end3 = 12 September 1988
| primeminister3 = [[Lee Kuan Yew]]
| predecessor3 = [[S. Rajaratnam]]
| successor3 = [[Wong Kan Seng]]
| office4 = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency|Toa Payoh GRC]] (Kuo Chuan)
| term_start4 = 21 August 1991
| term_end4 = 16 December 1996
| primeminister4 =
| majority4 =
| predecessor4 = [[Wong Kan Seng]]
| successor4 = Constituency abolished
| office5 = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Kallang Single Member Constituency|Kallang SMC]]
| term_start5 = 23 December 1976
| term_end5 = 14 August 1991
| primeminister5 =
| majority5 = 73.9%<ref>{{cite web|title=Singapore Parliamentary General Election 1976|url=http://www.singapore-elections.com/general-election/1976/kallang.html|publisher=singapore-elections.com}}</ref>
| predecessor5 = Abdul Aziz bin Karim
| successor5 = [[Choo Wee Khiang]] (Jalan Besar GRC)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1937|8|8}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = 
| death_place =
| resting_place =
| party = [[People's Action Party]]
| spouse = Christine Tan<ref>{{cite news|title=Up, up and up|date=27 March 1999|work=[[The New Paper]]|page=4}}</ref>
| children = 2<ref>{{cite news|title=From village boy to bank chairman|work=[[The New Paper]]|page=20|first=S|last=Doraisamy|date=6 July 1999}}</ref>
| alma_mater = [[Victoria School]] [[University of Malaya]]
| occupation = Business executive
}}

'''Suppiah Dhanabalan''' {{post-nominals|list=[[Order of Temasek|DUT (First Class)]]}}, born 8 August 1937),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vhBMmG9yXgYC&q=Suppiah+Dhanabalan+1937&pg=PA76|title=Historical Dictionary of Singapore|first=Justin|last=Corfield|date=2 December 2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9780810873872}}</ref> also known as '''S. Dhanabalan''', 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]]. He also served as [[Leader of the House (Singapore)|Leader of the House]] from 2 January 1985 to 24 February 1987.

==Early life and education==
Dhanabalan was born in 1937 to a [[Singaporean Indian]] family of [[Tamil people|Tamil]] descent. He was raised as a Hindu by his father, Arumugam Suppiah, a clerk at a naval base. But later in his life he became a devout Christian ([[Plymouth Brethren|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.

==Early career==
He joined ([[Ministry of Finance (Singapore)|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.<ref name="TODAY">{{cite news | url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/illustrious-career | title=Dhanabalan's illustrious career | date=23 July 2013 | author=Teo XuanWei | newspaper=TODAY | location=Singapore | page=2}}</ref>

==Political career==
In the [[1976 Singapore general election]], Dhanabalan was elected as Member of Parliament for [[Kallang Single Member Constituency|Kallang SMC]], 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.<ref name=TODAY />

When Lee Kuan Yew was preparing for his successor, he identified a handful of ministers he considered suitable for the job, including [[Tony Tan Keng Yam|Tony Tan]], [[Ong Teng Cheong]], Goh Chok Tong and Dhanabalan.

In his public account of why he chose them and what he felt were their strengths and weaknesses, Lee said his preferred successor was Tony Tan, who went on to become the 7th [[President of the Republic of Singapore]]. He felt that while the other three were all of prime ministerial calibre, each had a particular weakness: Goh was too stiff, lacking eloquence in [[public speaking]], and Ong was too closely aligned with the Chinese-speaking masses, lacking appeal to other communities. In the case of Dhanabalan, Lee felt the 76% ethnic Chinese electorate was not yet ready for a prime minister of Indian ethnicity. Lee left the ultimate decision to the second generation ministers themselves, who went on to choose Goh.

Dhanabalan retired from Parliament in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1727_2011-09-26.html|title= S. Dhanabalan|last= Joanna HS|first= Tan|date= |website= Singapore Infopedia|publisher= Singapore Government Agency|access-date= 5 April 2021|quote=}}</ref>

==Timeline==
*1960 : Graduated from university and joined the civil service.
*1961–1968 : Economist with Economic Development Board.
*1968–1978 : Helped to establish the Development Bank of Singapore.
*1976–1991 : Member of Parliament for Kallang.
*1980–1988 : Minister for Foreign Affairs.
*1981–1984 : Minister for Culture.
*1981–2005 : Director of Government Investment Corporation.
*1984–1986 : Minister for Community Development.
*1986–1991 : Minister for National Development.
*1991 : Retired from politics.
*1991–1993 : Returned to government as Minister for Trade and Industry.
*1993–1996 : Chairman of Singapore Labour Foundation.
*1996–1998 : Chairman of Singapore Airlines.
*1996–2013 : Chairman of Temasek Holdings.
*1998 : Appointed a permanent member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights.
*1999–2005 : Chairman of DBS Group Holdings.
*2004–present : Member of the Council of Presidential Advisors.
*2007 : Received the Order of Temasek (Second Class).<ref name="eresources.nlb.gov.sg">{{cite web|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1727_2011-09-26.html|title=S. Dhanabalan - Infopedia|first=National Library Board|last=Singapore|website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}}</ref>
*2015 : Received the Order of Temasek (First Class)

==Career after politics==
* Senior Advisor, Nuri Holdings – 1994–1999
* Chairman, [[Singapore Airlines]] – 1996–1998
* Chairman, [[Temasek Holdings]] – 1996–2013
* Chairman, [[DBS Bank]] – 1999–2005
* Chairman, Parameswara Holdings Ltd – Current
* Director, [[Government of Singapore Investment Corporation]] – Current

===Other contributions===
* Member, [[Presidential Council for Minority Rights]] – Current
* Member, [[Powers of the President of Singapore|Council of Presidential Advisers]] – 2004–Current
* Member and Council chairman Emeritus, [[Asia Business Council]] – Current
* Founder Member, [[Singapore International Foundation]]
* President, [[Singapore Indian Development Association]] (SINDA) – 1996–2002

==Personal life==
Dhanabalan is a devout Christian ([[Plymouth Brethren|Brethren]]) and attends a small church in Bukit Panjang – Bukit Panjang Gospel Chapel.<ref>{{cite web|title=Graduates' Christian Fellowship via WaybackMachine |url=http://www.gcf.org.sg/resource2.htm#The%20Church%20in%20Singapore%E2%80%93%20Time%20to%20Distance%20from%20the%20West? |access-date=24 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209083841/http://www.gcf.org.sg/resource2.htm#The%20Church%20in%20Singapore%E2%80%93%20Time%20to%20Distance%20from%20the%20West? |archive-date=9 December 2004 }}</ref> He is married to Christine Tan Khoon Hiap, a [[Chinese Singaporean]] of [[Hoklo people|Hokkien]] ancestry and they have one son, Ramesh Dhanabalan, and one daughter, Shandini Dhanabalan.<ref name="eresources.nlb.gov.sg"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020524af.htm Australian Financial Review article]

{{S-start}}
{{S-off}}
{{S-bef| before = [[S. Rajaratnam]] }}
{{S-ttl| title = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Singapore)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| years = 1 June 1980 – 12 September 1988 }}
{{S-aft| after = [[Wong Kan Seng]] }}
{{S-bef| before = [[Ong Teng Cheong]] }}
{{S-ttl| title = [[Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports|Minister for Culture]]
| years = 1981–1984 }}
{{S-aft| after = [[Yeo Ning Hong]] }}
{{S-bef| before = ? }}
{{S-ttl| title = [[Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports|Minister for Community Development]]
| years = 1984–1986 }}
{{S-aft| after = [[Wong Kan Seng]] }}
{{S-bef| before = [[Teh Cheang Wan]] }}
{{S-ttl| title = [[Ministry of National Development (Singapore)|Minister for National Development]]
| years = 1986–1991 }}
{{S-aft| after = [[Richard Hu Tsu Tau]] }}
{{S-bef| before = [[Lee Hsien Loong]] }}
{{S-ttl| title = [[Ministry of Trade and Industry (Singapore)|Minister for Trade and Industry]]
| years = 1991–1993 }}
{{S-aft| after = ? }}
{{S-end}}

{{Cabinet of Singapore}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhanabalan, S}}
[[Category:Members of the Cabinet of Singapore]]
[[Category:Singaporean Protestants]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Singapore]]
[[Category:Singaporean Baptists]]
[[Category:Temasek Holdings]]
[[Category:People's Action Party politicians]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Tamil descent]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Victoria School, Singapore alumni]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Darjah Utama Temasek]]
[[Category:Singaporean politicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Singapore]]
[[Category:Ministers for Trade and Industry of Singapore]]

S. Dhanabalan - Revision history

>Tom.Reding: +{{Authority control}} (2 IDs from Wikidata), WP:GenFixes on