Abdullah Tarmugi

Abdullah bin Tarmugi (born 25 August 1944) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs from 1993 to 2002 and Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2002 and 2011. A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), Abdullah was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Siglap from 1984 to 2011.

Early life Abdullah was born in Singapore in 1944 to a Javanese father and a Chinese mother during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. He identifies with the Malay community and is a Muslim. Abdullah's father was a low-salaried surveyor's assistant and Abdullah's grandfather ran a provision shop.

Abdullah studied at Raffles Institution and obtained a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Singapore, followed by a post-graduate diploma in urban studies from the University of London in 1972 under a Commonwealth Scholarship.

Political career Abdullah was a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 2011, starting out at Siglap constituency and later Bedok Group Representation Constituency (Bedok GRC) from 1991 to 1996. In January 2012, Abdullah was appointed to the Presidential Council for Minority Rights by Singapore President Tony Tan and a permanent member by President Halimah Yacob in 2018.

Personal life Abdullah is married to Shirley Abdullah, a retired teacher and former principal of Monk's Hill Secondary School. She was his pre-university schoolmate at Raffles Institution. She is Chinese and had converted to Islam prior to their marriage. The couple have two children.