Kevin Tan (academic)
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Kevin Tan Yew Lee (born 1962)[1] is a Singaporean legal academic. A scholar of Singaporean constitutional law and history, Tan teaches at the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.
Early life and education
[edit]Tan studied at Farrer Primary School and then Raffles Institution.[2] He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws and Yale Law School with masters and doctoral degrees in law.[3]
Career
[edit]In 1986, Tan joined the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law.[4]
In March 1999, he was elected the president of the non-partisan policy discussion group, The Roundtable.[1]
In July, on the issue of elected elected presidency of Singapore, Tan said to The Straits Times "The trouble is: either the President should be a figurehead President, or an executive President. To do a little bit of both is terribly confusing."[5] It was rebutted by Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong that the elected president is a custodial role and has no executive powers.[6] Senior Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew also criticised Tan's comments.[7]
In 2000, Tan resigned his university post, among five others, after 14 years with NUS to join a private investment company.[4]
In March 2025, Tan proposed for independent elections within the commission to advocate fairness in the elections in Singapore.[8]
As of March 2026, Tan is currently Adjunct Professor at the NUS Faculty of Law, and Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.[3]
Select publications
[edit]- Kevin Y. L. Tan (2019). International Law, History & Policy: Singapore in the Early Years (PDF). NUS Centre for International Law. ISBN 9789811416163.
- Tan, Kevin Yew Lee; Thio, Li-ann (2010), Constitutional Law in Malaysia and Singapore (3rd ed.), Singapore: LexisNexis, ISBN 978-981-236-795-2
- Thio, Li-ann; Tan, Kevin Y L, eds. (2009), Evolution of a Revolution: Forty Years of the Singapore Constitution, Singapore: Routledge-Cavendish, ISBN 978-0-415-43862-9
- Kevin Y[ew] L[ee] Tan, ed. (1999), The Singapore Legal System (2nd ed.), Singapore: Singapore University Press, ISBN 978-9971-69-212-4
References
[edit]- 1 2 "NUS don to head Roundtable". The Straits Times. 3 March 1999. p. 39. Retrieved 1 April 2026 – via NewspaperSG.
- ↑ Chua, Mui Hoong (30 July 1999). "He is the latter-day Renaissance man..." The Straits Times. p. 46. Retrieved 1 April 2026 – via NewspaperSG.
- 1 2 "Kevin Y L TAN - NUS Law". NUS Law. Archived from the original on 3 July 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- 1 2 Kang, Julyn (18 May 2000). "6 resign from NUS law faculty". The Straits Times. p. 4. Retrieved 1 April 2026 – via NewspaperSG.
- ↑ Chua, Mui Hoong (30 July 1999). "Presidency 'a confusing institution'". The Straits Times. p. 46. Retrieved 1 April 2026 – via NewspaperSG.
- ↑ "PM GOH ON COMMENTS ABOUT THE ELECTED PRESIDENCY". The Straits Times. 18 August 1999. p. 24. Retrieved 1 April 2026 – via NewspaperSG.
- ↑ "#47: A shift in the wind, Tan Tarn How and Kevin Tan". Jom. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ↑ "Prof Kevin YL Tan calls for independent elections commission to address electoral fairness in Singapore". The Online Citizen. 22 March 2025. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
