Chew Swee Kee

Chew was born 15 May 1918, in Gopeng, Perak, Malaya. He attended Chung Wah Chinese School and Anglo-Chinese School.^[3]

Chew was a member of the Labour Front, a Singapore-based political party.^[3] He was given the role of Minister of Education following the victory of the Labour Front in the 1955 Legislative Elections.^[3] He was also acting Chief Minister^[4] and chairman of the All-Party Committee of the Singapore Legislative Assembly.^[5]

He became the Labour Front's president in around 1957.^[3] In 1958, the Labour Front joined with the Liberal Socialist Party to form the Singapore People's Alliance.^[6]

Early in 1959, Organizing Secretary of the Labour Front, Gerald de Cruz, was told that Chew Swee Kee had bought a tin mine in Ipoh, Malaya, for $350,000. de Cruz alerted Communications and Works Minister and Secretary General of the Labour Front, Francis Thomas. de Cruz described Thomas as "the only honest man as far as I knew in the Labour Front".^[7]

Thomas consulted Arthur Lim, Assistant Secretary General, and then reported Chew's sudden wealth to Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock.^[8] Lim dismissed the issue, saying that he personally had received only $15,000.^[7] Disgruntled, Thomas passed the information to Lee Kuan Yew, Secretary General of the opposition People's Action Party (PAP).^[7][8] On 15 February 1959, at a pre-election rally, PAP Chairman, Toh Chin Chye, said that "the Americans" had given $500,000 to the Singapore's People's Alliance.^[9][10]

Two days later, on 17 February, Lee tabled a motion in the Legislative Assembly naming Chew as receiving foreign money and calling for a Commission of Inquiry.^[10] Chew resigned on 4 March.^[11][12] Chief Minister Lim appointed Justice Murray Buttrose as Commissioner to investigate. Buttrose held hearings from 6 April to 18 May,^[10] and concluded that Chew had received $519,000 in October 1957 and $182,000 in April 1958 from the main office of First National City Bank of New York. Chew spent $280,000 on investments in Malayan mines and $51,000 to buy a house in Ipoh. Buttrose cleared Chew of violating income tax laws.^[13] At the inquiry, Lee said that he had received the information about Chew's receipt of foreign funds from K. M. Byrne, formerly Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.^[14] In turn, Byrne testified that he had received the information from an official of the Income Tax Department.^[13]

The incident is credited with causing the downfall of the Singapore People's Alliance, and paving the way for the PAP to dominate Singapore politics.^[10][11] Subsequent research revealed that the funds were from Taiwan (Chew had met Republic of China Foreign Minister George Yeh in September 1957 to solicit funds).^[10]

Chew became a Singapore citizen in November 1957.^[15] He was married^[16] and had four daughters and one son. He headed the Ipoh ACS Alumni Association from 1962 to 1964.^[17]

Chew died of myocardial infarction on 15 December 1985.^[3]