K Shanmugam

K Shanmugam (b. 1959) is a senior member of the cabinet and currently serves as  Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs. He began his political career as a member of parliament in 1988 and has served as a Minister since 2008. 

Shanmugam was born in Singapore and educated in Newton Boys' School and later at Raffles Institution. He then studied law at the National University of Singapore, where he graduated top of his class with a First-Class Honours degree in 1984. He was called to the Singapore Bar in 1985, entered private practice and eventually became a Senior Partner and Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution at Allen & Gledhill. He had a successful legal practice and was consistently recognised in various international legal journals as one of the top litigation, arbitration, and insolvency counsels in Asia. More than 100 of the cases he handled have been reported in the Law Reports. In 1998, at the age of 38, Shanmugam became one of the youngest lawyers to be appointed Senior Counsel of the Supreme Court.

His career in politics began when he was still practising law. He was part of the People’s Action Party team that won the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the 1988 General Elections and became the Member of Parliament for the Chong Pang ward. He stopped practising law when he joined the cabinet as Minister for Law and the Second Minister for Home Affairs in 2008. Since then, he has spent most of his time as the Minister of Law and Home Affairs, except for the period when he served as Foreign Minister from 2011 to 2015. After the General Election in 20205, he was appointed Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs.

During his long tenure in the Cabinet, Shanmugam has been instrumental in numerous policy changes and innovations within the ministries he has served.  He is internationally known for his tough stand against drug trafficking in Singapore. He is also known for policy initiatives to strengthen protection for vulnerable groups such as women and children. Another aspect of his concerns is animal welfare. He has introduced changes to legislation against animal abusers and has been an active supporter of animal welfare groups.

In 2023, Shanmugam was appointed as Chairman of the SINDA Board of Trustees, succeeding Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was elected President of Singapore. From 1991 to 2002, he had served as an advisor to the organisation. He was then appointed as President of the Executive Committee (EXCO) from 2002 to 2009 and has been a Life Trustee since 2010. Shanmugam helmed SINDA’s EXCO during challenging times, such as the economic slowdown and the SARS outbreak in 2003. He is credited with several key initiatives, such as career placements and training, which benefited over 2,000 Indian Singaporeans at the time. Another initiative inaugurated under his leadership was the Back to School Festival in 2008, which provided financial support to disadvantaged students. This initiative is part of SINDA’s holistic support to students and their families. 



For more information
“Mr K Shanmugam.” Parliament of Singapore. Accessed on 1 August 2025. https://www.parliament.gov.sg/mps/list-of-current-mps/mp/details/k-shanmugam
“Mr K Shanmugam.” Prime Minister’s Office Singapore. Accessed on 1 August 2025. https://www.pmo.gov.sg/cabinet/mr-k-shanmugam
Sumiko Tan. “Lunch With Sumiko: I do it as long as it's the right thing to do, says Shanmugam.” The Straits Times, 16 June 2019. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/i-do-it-as-long-as-its-the-right-thing-to-do

தமிழில் வாசிக்க

Return to home page

About the Encyclopedia

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.