Baey Yam Keng

The Honourable
Baey Yam Keng
马炎庆
Baey in 2024
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 June 2022
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Lawrence Wong
MinisterGrace Fu
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 2018
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
Lawrence Wong
MinisterKhaw Boon Wan
(2018–2020)
Ong Ye Kung
(2020–2021)
S. Iswaran
(2021–2024)
Chee Hong Tat
(2024–present)
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth
In office
1 May 2018 – 26 July 2020
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
MinisterGrace Fu
Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth
In office
1 October 2015 – 30 April 2018
Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong
MinisterGrace Fu
Member of Parliament
for Tampines GRC
(Tampines North)
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2011
Preceded byOng Kian Min (PAP)
Majority46,742 (32.82%)
Member of Parliament
for Tanjong Pagar GRC
(Queenstown)
In office
27 April 2006 – 18 April 2011
Preceded byChay Wai Chuen (PAP)
Succeeded byChia Shi-Lu (PAP)
Personal details
Born (1970-08-31) 31 August 1970 (age 54)
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Alma materImperial College London (BS)
University College London (MS)
Signature
In this Chinese name, the family name is Baey.

Baey Yam Keng (Chinese: 马炎庆; pinyin: Mǎ Yánqìng; born 31 August 1970) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment since 2022[1] and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport since 2018. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Tampines North division of Tampines GRC since 2011.

Before entering politics, Baey had worked in the public and corporate sectors in various organisations, including the Economic Development Board, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, National Arts Council, CapitaLand and Hill+Knowlton Strategies. He made his political debut in the 2006 general election when he joined a six-member PAP team contesting in Tanjong Pagar GRC, and they won by an uncontested walkover. Baey thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Queenstown ward of Tanjong Pagar GRC. During the 2011 general election, he switched to contesting in Tampines GRC. After the PAP team won with 57.22% of the vote, Baey became the Member of Parliament representing the Tampines North ward of Tampines GRC and had retained his parliamentary seat in the subsequent general elections. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth in 2015 and promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary in 2018.

Education

Baey was the first batch of students at Westlake Primary School (now defunct) from 1977 to 1982. He was educated at Catholic High School and Hwa Chong Junior College before he received a scholarship from the Economic Development Board to study biotechnology at Imperial College London. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (first class honours) in biotechnology, and received a postgraduate scholarship from the Economic Development Board to complete a Master of Science (distinction) in biochemical engineering at University College London.[2][3]

Career

Baey started his career in 1995 in the public sector and had worked at the Economic Development Board, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, and National Arts Council. In 2006, he joined the corporate sector as Vice-President (Corporate Marketing & Corporate Social Responsibility) at CapitaLand and General Manager of CapitaLand Hope Foundation. In 2009, he joined Hill+Knowlton Strategies and was its Singapore Managing Director from 2011 to 2012.[4] In 2013, he received a Lien Fellowship from Nanyang Technological University and was an adjunct lecturer at the university from 2013 to 2015.[3]

Political career

Baey in 2012

Baey entered politics during the 2006 general election when he joined a six-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Tanjong Pagar GRC. The PAP team won by an uncontested walkover and Baey thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Queenstown ward of Tanjong Pagar GRC.[5] In February 2007, Baey was named as one of the members of a 'new media capabilities group' aimed at countering online criticisms of the PAP.[6]

During the 2011 general election, Baey switched to join the five-member PAP team contesting in Tampines GRC and they won with 57.22% of the vote against the National Solidarity Party. Baey thus became the Member of Parliament representing the Tampines North ward of Tampines GRC.[5]

In December 2013, Baey, who is known for sharing his personal life on social media,[7] attracted controversy when he mentioned that he paid below the full price for a meal at a food stall in Tampines North. After the stall owner clarified that he had given Baey an undisclosed discount out of goodwill, Baey publicised that the stall would offer a special discount for up to 100 customers a day from 21 to 22 December 2013, and would donate all proceeds to the Tampines North welfare fund to help needy residents. Baey also shared how an activist showed support by pledging dollar for dollar for the same fund.[8][9]

In June 2014, Baey allegedly called for legal action to be taken against those who had vandalised the PAP's article on Wikipedia, which had been the subject of an edit war between vandals and editors on 12 and 13 June.[10] He clarified later that he did not call on the PAP to consider legal action as Wikipedia page edits are not a priority for legal action.[11]

In January 2015, Baey was co-opted into the PAP's Central Executive Committee.[12] He left the Central Executive Committee in 2017.[13]

During the 2015 general election, Baey contested as part of a five-member PAP team in Tampines GRC again and won with 72.07% of the vote against the National Solidarity Party, thus retaining his parliamentary seat in Tampines North. On 1 October 2015, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. On 1 May 2018, he was promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary and appointed to the Ministry of Transport while concurrently serving at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.[5]

Baey retained his parliamentary seat in Tampines North during the 2020 general election after his five-member PAP team won with 66.41% of the vote against the National Solidarity Party. On 26 July 2020, he relinquished his appointment at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth but continued serving as Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Transport.[5] Baey was appointed Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment on 13 June 2022.[14]

Personal life

Baey is married to Lim Hai Yen, a playwright and director. They have three children.[15] Baey is the founding president and producer of a theatre group, The ETCeteras. In 2014, he had a lead acting role in Like Me. I Like, a play written and directed by his wife.[16] He was diagnosed with stage one nose cancer in 2021, made known on 7 January the following year. On 22 April, Baey was cleared of tumours and other cancer-related virus DNA.[17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ "Changes to Cabinet and Other Appointments (June 2022)". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. 6 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Baey Yam Keng - Up close and Personal". pap.org.sg. Archived from the original on 8 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Baey Yam Keng" (PDF). www.parliament.gov.sg.
  4. ^ "Baey Yam Keng quits job to be full-time MP". AsiaOne. 13 December 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "PARL | MP". www.parliament.gov.sg.
  6. ^ Li Xueying (3 February 2007). "PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace". The Straits Times.
  7. ^ Ong, Yunita (14 August 2013). "MP Baey Yam Keng: I am surprised and flattered by the interest in my "selfies"". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Baey Yam Keng clears the air over $2.50 nasi padang". 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  9. ^ @yamkeng (20 December 2013). "Will be at the nasi padang coffee shop@ Tampines Blk 475 tomorrow 1pm. Join me to support this charity drive" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "MP calls on ruling party to consider legal action". The Straits Times. Singapore. 13 June 2014.
  11. ^ "Advocating legal action over PAP's wiki page edits not a priority: Baey". Today Online. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Baey Yam Keng co-opted into PAP Central Executive Committee". AsiaOne. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  13. ^ "PAP co-opts four more members into Central ExCo". Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  14. ^ Lim, Min Zhang (6 June 2022). "Tan Kiat How, Eric Chua and Rahayu Mahzam to be promoted in latest Cabinet changes". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  15. ^ Tan, Felicia (17 December 2014). "Partners for Life". Her World Brides. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  16. ^ "MP Baey Yam Keng to act in play". TODAYonline. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  17. ^ Chew, Hui Min (7 January 2022). "MP Baey Yam Keng diagnosed with nose cancer, undergoing radiation therapy". CNA. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  18. ^ Lim, Min Zhang (7 January 2022). "Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng diagnosed with nose cancer, receiving treatment". The Straits Times. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  19. ^ Andres, Gabrielle (22 April 2022). "MP Baey Yam Keng's nose tumour 'gone', blood clear of cancer-related virus DNA". CNA. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baey Yam Keng.
Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Member of Parliament for
Tanjong Pagar GRC (Queenstown)
2006 – 2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ong Kian Min
 Member of Parliament for
Tampines GRC (Tampines North)
2011 – present 		Incumbent