Veteran lawyer and former Workers’ Party (WP) politician, Tang Liang Hong, has passed away. He died on September 15, at the age of 90.
The details about his funeral arrangements have been shared in an obituary. His wake is being held at the Woodlands Memorial Funeral Parlour, running from October 2 to October 4. Following that, a private farewell service for his family is scheduled for October 5.
The Infamous 1997 Political Fight
Mr. Tang is probably best known for his involvement in the heated 1997 General Election. He was a member of the WP team—a five-person group led by opposition heavyweight JB Jeyaretnam—that decided to contest the Cheng San Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
This wasn’t an easy battle. They were up against a strong People’s Action Party (PAP) lineup that included two big names: the then-Minister for Education, Lee Yock Suan, and Zainul Abidin Rasheed, who would later become the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
The election campaign became intensely controversial. The PAP made a serious claim against him, accusing Mr. Tang of being an “anti-Christian Chinese chauvinist.”
Mr. Tang strongly disagreed with the accusation. He did not take the claims lightly and took action by filing police reports against several PAP members. In these reports, he accused them of spreading false statements and actively stirring up religious groups to generate hatred against him.
In the end, the WP team in Cheng San GRC lost the contest, securing 45.18 per cent of the total votes.
The Legal Aftermath and Departure
The end of the election was not the end of the drama for Mr. Tang. After he filed those police reports, he was slapped with multiple lawsuits. These suits alleged that he had defamed the PAP members through the statements he made in his police reports.
Facing this legal pressure, Mr. Tang eventually decided to leave the country. Later on, a judge ruled against him, finding him liable for defamation regarding the claims made in the reports.
His Community Work
Before he became deeply involved in the spotlight of national politics, Mr. Tang was very active in community and education circles for many years.
- From 1992 to 1994, he served as a vice-president for the Hwa Chong Alumni Association.
- He spent over a decade—from 1979 to 1991—as the chairman of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Management Committee.
- He was also a member of the Chinese High School Board of Directors for a long stretch, from 1974 right up until 1996.
