Former WP politician Tang Liang Hong dies at 90 of heart failure

He left S’pore after 1997 General Election, lived in HK with older daughter since 2018

- Anjali Raguraman Correspondent

Former Workers’ Party (WP) politician Tang Liang Hong, a lawyer who contested Cheng San GRC in 1997, died on Sept 15 at the age of 90.

He died of heart failure in Hong Kong, where he had been living with his older daughter and her family since 2018.

Mr Tang’s wake is being held at the Woodlands Memorial Funeral Parlour from Oct 2 to 4, with a private family farewell service to be held on Oct 5.

He is survived by his children Megan Tang, 52, Kelly Tang, 51, and Brendan Tang, 45, as well as their spouses, and four grandchildren.

Among those at the wake on Oct 2 were Leader of the Opposition and WP chief Pritam Singh, as well as WP organising secretary Dennis Tan and head of policy research Gerald Giam.

“He’s our senior in the party and we came to pay our respects,” said Mr Tan, who is MP for Hougang.

Singapore Democratic Party chairman Paul Tambyah also attended the wake.

During the 1997 General Election, Mr Tang was part of a five-member WP team in the now-defunct Cheng San GRC, which comprised Jalan Kayu, parts of Ang Mo Kio and Serangoon North, as well as Punggol and Sengkang.

He was then a first-time candidate.

The WP team, anchored by then party chief J.B. Jeyaretnam, went up against a PAP team which was led by then Education Minister Lee Yock Suan and also included Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, who later became Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.