Jayakumar, S

S. Jayakumar (Shanmugam Jayakumar) (1939--) contributed to Singapore as minister for law, labour, home affairs, foreign affairs, and also in three of the most senior positions in the cabinet -- as deputy prime minister, coordinating minister for national security and senior minister. In addition, he served as the first chairman of the board of trustees in the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA).

Born in Singapore, Jayakumar completed his secondary education at Raffles Institution. He read law at the University of Singapore, graduating as top student in 1963, and worked in the faculty as lecturer, and later as sub-dean, for seven years (1964-71). During this period he also obtained a master's degree in law from Yale Law School (1966). In 1971, he was invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve as Singapore's permanent representative to the United Nations for three years. He then returned to Singapore and served as the dean of the law faculty from 1974 till 1980, when he entered politics. He won the Bedok constituency as a People's Action Party candidate. In 1981, he was appointed minister of state for law and home affairs and, in 1983, acting minister for labour and, a year later, minister for labour.

As labour minister, he made major changes to Central Provident Fund (CPF) rules, pertaining to CPF withdrawal age and withdrawal amounts. This proposal became known as the “Jaya formula”.  When he served as home minister for about ten years (1985-94), he dealt with crises such as Hotel New World collapse (1986), “Marxist Conspiracy” (1987) and Singapore Airlines hijacking (1991). As law minister (1988-2008), Jayakumar oversaw several constitutional and legislative changes such as the Nominated Member of Parliament scheme, the Group Representation Constituency scheme, the Elected Presidency scheme and the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. During his tenure as foreign minister (1994-2004), he was widely praised for skillfully managing high-profile issues with Malaysia such as Malayan Railways land acquisition, water agreement and the Pedra Branca dispute. He also handled the haze issue with Indonesia, and, with the Philippines, the issue of the hanging of a Filipino domestic worker.

Jayakumar’s contributions to the Indian community are manifold. He served as the first chairman of the Board of Trustees of SINDA for 17 years (1991-2008) and as a permanent member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights for 13 years (1998-2011). While serving as advisor-in-chief of the Tamil Language Council, Jayakumar also played a significant role in promoting the Tamil language by launching a month-long festival.

Jayakumar retired from politics in 2011 and returned to academia where he is currently an emeritus professor and an advisor in the law faculty of the National University of Singapore.

He has received much recognition for his contributions, including the Public Service Star Award (1980) and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2012) for the promotion of Singapore-Japan relations. When he retired after more than 30 years of public service, during which time he served Singapore's first three prime ministers, he was hailed by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong as “a calm, decisive leader” in facing crises and “a mentor” to his cabinet colleagues.

இப்பதிவை தமிழில் இங்கே வாசிக்கலாம்.



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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.