Desmond Tan (politician)


Desmond Tan Kok Ming is a Singaporean politician and member of the People's Action Party. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2020, representing Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC.
Prior to entering politics, he was the Chief Executive Director at People's Association from 2017 to 2020, and had served as a Brigadier-General with the Singapore Armed Forces from 1988 to 2016.

Background

Tan joined the People's Association in 2017 and stepped down in early June 2020. He previously worked with the Singapore Armed Forces for 28 years, having held numerous appointments in the Ministry of Defence and SAF.

Early life & family

Tan was born in 1970 to a father who worked as a taxi driver and mother who was an odd-job worker. He has three siblings and grew up in a three-room flat in Bukit Ho Swee. As of 2020, he is married with three children.

Education

Tan was a student at Queenstown Secondary Technical School before joining Raffles Junior College. He furthered his studies at Victoria University of Manchester with the support of the Singapore Armed Forces Merit Scholarship. Desmond Tan graduated in 1994 with a first-class honours degree in aeronautical engineering.

Post-graduate studies

In 2000, Tan received a masters degree in Defence Strategic Studies from King's College London. Eight years later, he attained a Master of Business Administration from Nanyang Technological University.