Wan Soon Bee
{{Short description|Singaporean politician}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Wan Soon Bee
| native_name = {{nobold|{{lang|zh-hans|阮顺美}}}}
|image =
|alt =
|caption =
|office = Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office
|term_start = September 1983
|term_end = September 1985
|primeminister = Lee Kuan Yew
|constituency_MP1 = West Coast GRC
(West Coast)
|term_start1 = 2 January 1997
|term_end1 = 18 October 2001
| predecessor1 = Constituency established
| successor1 = S. Iswaran (PAP)
|constituency_MP2 = Brickworks GRC
(West Coast)
|term_start2 = 21 August 1991
|term_end2 = 16 December 1996
| predecessor2 = Constituency established
| successor2 = Constituency abolished
|constituency_MP3 = Pasir Panjang GRC
(West Coast)
|term_start3 = 3 September 1988
|term_end3 = 14 August 1991
| predecessor3 = Constituency established
| successor3 = Constituency abolished
|constituency_MP4 = West Coast SMC
|term_start4 = 22 December 1980
|term_end4 = 17 August 1988
| predecessor4 = Constituency established
| successor4 = Constituency abolished
| birth_date = {{bya|1939}}
| birth_place = Singapore, Straits Settlements
| party = People's Action Party
| parents = Wan Hong Cheong (father)
| alma_mater = University of Pisa
}}
{{Family name hatnote|Wan|lang=Chinese}}
Wan Soon Bee ({{lang-zh|s=阮顺美|p=Ruǎn Shùnměi}}){{Cite web|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/image.aspx?id=5778035b-3bb3-427b-9fa9-ca0fe760a868|title=Portrait of Dr. Wan Soon Bee, Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore|website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}} is a Singaporean former politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Coast Constituency, Pasir Panjang Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Brickworks GRC and West Coast GRC.
Early life and education
Born in 1939, Wan completed his pre-tertiary education at Raffles Institution{{Cite web |title=Members of Parliament and notable alumni of Raffles Institution, circa 1992 - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/image.aspx?id=14b4de51-ea89-4567-86e1-b290b004e6cf |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}} and later graduated with a doctorate electronics engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy.{{Cite news |date=27 September 1987 |title=Dr Wan to head Straits Steamship's IT Division |pages=15 |work=The Straits Times |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19870927-1.2.29.3 |access-date=4 August 2023 |via=NewspaperSG}}
Political career
As he entered politics, Wan eventually became promoted to become political secretary of the People's Action Party from October 1982 to September 1983 and later became the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office from September 1983 to 1985.
In the 1988 general election, Wan and his team contested in Pasir Panjang GRC gaining 61.57% of the cast votes in his first contested election and thereby defeating the only other fielded opposing party.
He has since retired from politics as of 2001.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
Other office positions held
Wan joined the National Trades Union Congress as deputy director for industrial relations in May 1981 and became deputy secretary general in August.{{Cite news |date=16 September 1987 |title=Dr Wan 'to quit NTUC post' |pages=1 |work=The Straits Times |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19870916-1.2.4 |access-date=4 August 2023 |via=NewspaperSG}} He would serve till 1987.{{Cite news |date=16 April 1985 |title=WHO'S WHO... |edition=Afternoon |pages=10 |work=Singapore Monitor |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/singmonitor19850416-2.2.16.2 |access-date=4 August 2023 |via=NewspaperSG}}
Wan served as chairman of NTUC Comfort, and later the Comfort Group (1986-1998); was the first advisor to Union of Telecoms Employees of Singapore (1985-1992); the manager at Olivetti (Singapore) Private Limited (Apr 1970-Feb 1981); and the independent director of the Lian Beng Group till 2015.{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Jamie |date=10 July 2015 |title=Two Lian Beng independent directors resign over differences with board |work=Business Times |url=https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/two-lian-beng-independent-directors-resign-over-differences-board |access-date=4 August 2023}}