Sidek Saniff

{{Infobox officeholder

| office = Senior Minister of State, Ministry of the Environment

| minister3 = Tony Tan

| term_end3 = 1991

| office4 = Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry

| primeminister4 = Lee Kuan Yew

| minister4 = Tony Tan
(1981-1986)
Lee Hsien Loong
(1987-1992)

| term_start4 = 1981

| term_end4 = 1988

| office5 = Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social Affairs

| primeminister5 = Lee Kuan Yew

| minister5 = S. Dhanabalan

| term_start3 = 1988

| term_start5 = 1981

| office6 = Second Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture

| primeminister6 = Lee Kuan Yew

| minister6 = Ong Teng Cheong

| term_start6 = 1980

| term_end6 = 1 May 1981

| office7 = Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information

| primeminister7 = Lee Kuan Yew

| minister7 = Ong Teng Cheong

| term_start7 = 1980

| term_end5 = 1984

| primeminister3 = Lee Kuan Yew

| office1 = Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education

| office3 = Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education

| birth_place = Singapore, Straits Settlements

| name =

| native_name =

| party = People's Action Party

| office2 = Minister of State for Ministry of Education

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1938|04|18}}

| term_start = 1997

| minister = Yeo Cheow Tong
(1997-1999)
Lee Yock Suan
(1999-2000)
Lim Swee Say
(2001-2004)

| term_end = 2001

| primeminister1 = Goh Chok Tong

| minister1 = Lee Yock Suan

| term_start1 = 1996

| term_end1 = 1997

| primeminister = Goh Chok Tong

| primeminister2 = Goh Chok Tong

| term_end2 = 1995

| minister2 = Tony Tan
(1985-1991)
Lee Yock Suan
(1992-1997)

| term_start2 = 1991

| term_end7 = 1 May 1981

| constituency_MP8 = Aljunied GRC
(Eunos)

| term_start8 = 2 January 1997

| term_end8 = 18 October 2001

| predecessor8 = Seat Created

| successor8 = Zainul Abidin (PAP)

| constituency_MP9 = Kolam Ayer SMC

| term_start9 = 23 December 1976

| term_end9 = 17 August 1988

| predecessor9 = Constituency established

| successor9 = Constituency abolished

| profession = Politician, teacher, activist

| nationality = Singapore

}}

Sidek bin Saniff (born 18 April 1938{{Cite web|last=Mokhtar|first=Faris|date=10 July 2018|title=From Malay activist to politician; former PAP MP Sidek Saniff unveils memoir|url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/malay-activist-politician-former-pap-mp-sidek-saniff-unveils-memoir|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-04|website=TODAYonline}}) is a former Singaporean politician and activist. A member of the ruling People's Action Party, he was the Member of Parliament of Aljunied GRC for Eunos ward from 1997 to 2001.

He was Parliamentary Ministry of Communications and Information and Second Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture from 1980 to 1981, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social Affairs from 1981 to 1984 and Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry from 1981 to 1988.

He also served as Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education from 1988 to 1991, Minister of State for Ministry of Education from 1991 to 1995, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education from 1996 to 1997 and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of the Environment from 1997 to 2001.

Sidek was involved in politics for 25 years before retiring in 2001. He was instrumental in the formation of MENDAKI, a self-help group for the Malay community in Singapore.

Sidek is married to Sharifa Binti Mirza Abdul Majid. His wife's youngest brother was Corporal Mirza Abdul Halim bin Mirza Abdul Majid, a police officer who was killed while pursuing a suspected burglar Ong Yeow Tian, who was subsequently sentenced to hang for his murder.{{Cite news |date=16 February 1989|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19890216-1.2.19.22?ST=1&AT=search&k=Mirza%20Abdul%20Halim&QT=mirza,abdul,halim&oref=article|title=PC Mirza's decision to become cop was a 'sudden' one |newspaper=The Straits Times}}{{Cite news |date=26 November 1994|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19941126-1.2.38.2|title=Drug trafficker, cop killer hanged |newspaper=The Straits Times}}

Early life

Sidek was the second child of 13 children. He became a Malay language teacher and an activist for the increased recognition of the Malay language in schools in Singapore. As an activist, Sidek organised a demonstration outside the Ministry of Education for better salaries for Malay language teachers in the 1960s.{{Cite web|last=Zaccheus|first=Melody|date=2018-07-11|title=Sidek Saniff's memoir tells of his path from protester to politician|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sidek-saniffs-memoir-tells-of-his-path-from-protester-to-politician|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-04|website=The Straits Times|language=en}}

Sidek was a teacher at now-defunct Maju Secondary School between 1968 and 1976. He was also the President of the Singapore Malay Teachers' Union between 1970 and 1976.{{Cite web|title=Portrait of Mr. Sidek Saniff, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry, and Social Affairs - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/image.aspx?id=3b1fb86b-10b3-4dce-b1ba-5ec8c02f0f82|access-date=2020-08-04|website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}}

Political career

In 1976, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew invited Sidek to join the People's Action Party and contest as a candidate in the upcoming elections. Sidek stood for election in Kolam Ayer SMC and won against United Front's Chetty Rajah with 72.5% of the votes against Chetty's 27.5%.{{Cite web|title=ELD {{!}} 1976 Parliamentary General Election Results|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1976.html|access-date=2020-08-04|website=www.eld.gov.sg}} In the 1980 General Election, Sidek stood for election against another United Front candidate, Mohamed Monsor Rahman, and won 80.35% of the votes.{{Cite web|title=ELD {{!}} 1980 Parliamentary General Election Results|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1980.html|access-date=2020-08-04|website=www.eld.gov.sg}} In the 1984 General Election, Sidek faced Royston George Scharenguivel from the Workers' Party. Sidek won 57.91% of the votes, a significant drop from his previous two election results.{{Cite web|title=ELD {{!}} 1984 Parliamentary General Election Results|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1984.html|access-date=2020-08-15|website=www.eld.gov.sg}}

In 1988, the GRC system was established, resulting in Kolam Ayer SMC being part of 3-person Jalan Besar GRC. Sidek's team won 62.68% of the vote against candidates from the Workers' Party.{{Cite web|title=ELD {{!}} 1988 Parliamentary General Election Results|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1988.html|access-date=2020-08-04|website=www.eld.gov.sg}} In 1991, Sidek joined the PAP team for Eunos GRC, switching places with Zulkifli Mohammed. The PAP team narrowly won the election with 52.38% of the votes cast against the WP team led by Lee Siew Choh.{{Cite web|title=ELD {{!}} 1991 Parliamentary General Election Results|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1991.html|access-date=2020-08-04|website=www.eld.gov.sg}} Lee's team had narrowly lost in the same GRC during the previous election in 1988. Following the redrawing of boundaries for the 1997 General Election, Sidek was part of the PAP team contesting Aljunied GRC. The PAP team included future Foreign Minister George Yeo and Ker Sin Tze. The team won 67.02% of the votes against the SDP team.{{Cite web|title=ELD {{!}} 1997 Parliamentary General Election Results|url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1997.html|access-date=2020-08-04|website=www.eld.gov.sg}}

Sidek was the Parliamentary Secretary for Communications and Second Parliamentary Secretary for Culture for a short period before the 1980 elections.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=5th Parliament of Singapore|url=https://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/composite-photos/5th-parliament.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=}} He became Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry and Social Affairs in the fifth Lee Kuan Yew cabinet.

Sidek eventually rose to become the Senior Minister of State for Education and the Environment under then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. He retired from politics in 2001.