Veteran Singaporean leader George Yeo to quit politics

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Veteran Singaporean political leader George Yeo, who is a mentor of Nalanda University being re-built in Bihar, on Tuesday announced his retirement from politics after 23 years of public life.

57-year-old foreign minister, who lost his parliamentary seat in the last Saturday elections, said he will not be contesting the next general elections.

Yeo, along with Noble laureate Amartya Sen, is a mentor of Nalanda University and has maintained close relations with Indian ministers.

On his next career move, Yeo told a press conference that he is not rushing to decide and would take a break to think things over.

He said foreign ministers come and go and he do not foresee a major change in bilateral relations between Singapore and other countries.

Though Singapore's ruling People's Action Party swept back to power with 81 of the 87 seats from the Saturday's general elections, it lost Yeo along with Cabinet minister Lim Hwee Hua and senior minister of state Zainul Abidin Rasheed.

The three along with a sitting member of Parliament Cynthia Phua and newcomer Ong Ye Kung lost the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency by a margin of 9.4 per cent to Workers' Party (WP).

Despite having an outright majority in the House, PAP received 60.14 per cent of the total votes from the 2.05 million votes cast.

The WP took 12.82 per cent with the rest of taken by the other smaller parties — National Solidarity Party 12.04 per cent, Reform Party 4.28 per cent, Singapore Democratic Alliance 2.8 per cent, Singapore Democratic Party 4.83 per cent, Singapore People's Party 3.1 per cent.