Ahmad bin Mohamed Mattar (born 13 August 1940)[1] is a former Singaporean politician and member of the Cabinet.[2]

Ahmad Mattar
Minister for the Environment
In office
1985–1993
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Goh Chok Tong
Preceded byOng Pang Boon
Succeeded byMah Bow Tan
Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs
In office
5 September 1977 – 30 June 1993
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Goh Chok Tong
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAbdullah Tarmugi
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Leng Kee SMC
In office
2 September 1972 – 6 December 1976
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byOw Chin Hock
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Brickworks SMC
In office
23 December 1976 – 17 August 1988
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Brickworks GRC
(Brickworks)
In office
3 September 1988 – 16 December 1996
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born
Ahmad bin Mohamed Mattar

(1940-08-13) 13 August 1940 (age 84)
Singapore, Straits Settlements
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Alma materUniversity of Singapore
University of Sheffield
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLecturer, academic

Education

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An alumnus of Raffles Institution, Ahmad graduated from the University of Singapore with a degree in physics in 1963.[3] He completed his master's degree at the University of Sheffield on a Colombo Plan scholarship and then his doctorate at the University of Singapore.

Career

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He was a lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic and conducted the first large-scale study on the effects of traffic noise on housing estates; the study would later inform future legislations and studies on traffic noise.[3]

Ahmad was also the founding president of Mendaki (1982–1989), which was established to look into the educational and welfare needs of the Malay/Muslim community.[4]

Political career

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In 1972, he ran for the Leng Kee Single Member Constituency at the recommendation of Abdul Rahim Ishak, then the MP for Siglap SMC. From 1985 to 1995, he was appointed as the Minister for the Environment.[5] During his tenure as the Minister for the Environment, he was known for tightening restrictions on the sale of aerosols containing CFCs and introducing the Corrective work order (CWO) to combat littering. He had intended to resign from Cabinet in 1991 but was persuaded to remain by newly elected Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. In 1996 he retired from politics and has largely kept a low profile.

References

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  1. ^ National Library Board, Singapore. "Ahmad Mattar". Eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  2. ^ "Welcome to Raffles Alumni, your connection to the Raffles network and beyond". alumni.ri.edu.sg. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Distinguished Science Alumni Awards 2004: Ahmad MATTAR". National University of Singapore. 2004.
  4. ^ "Annual Report – Aspiring Beyond Limits" (PDF). Yayasan MENDAKI. 2014. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  5. ^ Kong, Lily (1994). "'Environment' as a Social Concern: Democratizing Public Arenas in Singapore?". Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia. 9 (2): 277–287. doi:10.1355/SJ9-2H. JSTOR 41056891.
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Parliament of Singapore
New constituency Member of Parliament for Leng Kee SMC
1972 – 1976
Succeeded by
Ow Chin Hock
New constituency Member of Parliament for Brickworks SMC
1976 – 1988
abolished
Political offices
New office Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs
1977 – 1993
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for the Environment
1985 – 1993
Succeeded by