Josephine Teo
| Josephine Yong Li Min | |
|---|---|
| Other names | 杨莉明 |
.jpg)
| |
| Born | 8 July 1968 Singapore |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
Josephine Teo is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Minister for Communications and Information, Minister-in-charge of the Cyber Security Agency and Smart Nation Initiative since 2021. Teo is currently also Second Minister for Home Affairs, a position which she had held since 2017. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Kreta Ayer–Kim Seng division of Jalan Besar GRC since 2020.
Controversy
Inappropriate remarks
In a media interview in October 2016, Teo responded to questions of whether Singaporeans were getting their HDB flats early enough in order to start a family, stating that one "does not need much space to have sex". Teo further added that "in France, in the U.K., in Nordic countries, man meets woman [and] they can make a baby already. They love each other."[1] Teo's words drew flak from on social media, with netizens criticising her for lacking empathy towards couples and being insensitive towards couples' practical considerations such as being able to secure a HDB flat before starting a family, as well as accusing her of promoting premarital sex in conservative Singapore.[2]
Controversial remarks on living cost
In May 2017, Teo commented on her Facebook page about the high cost of milk powder in Singapore, saying that "milk is milk, however fancy the marketing". She further claimed that she would buy whichever brand of milk powder approved for sale by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority that was cheapest for her own children.[3] She was criticised for being ignorant to the fact that even the cheapest milk powder in Singapore is still much more expensive compared to that in other countries in the region.[4]
On 26 October 2018, during a conference held by the Institute of Policy Studies, Teo commented that implementing a minimum wage in Singapore may instead lead to higher unemployment and that Singapore's income inequality gap is "a problem of success" that is "difficult to overcome".[5]
Footnotes
- ↑ You don't need much space to have sex: Josephine Teo on 'no flat, no child' belief, The Straits Times.
- ↑ What should come first, a baby or a flat?, BBC News, 13 October 2016.
- ↑ 'Milk is milk, however fancy the marketing': Josephine Teo, CNA.
- ↑ Josephine Teo's comment, "milk is milk, however fancy the marketing" irks parents, TOC.
- ↑ 'Implmenting minimum wage may lead to lower employment': Josephine Teo.