Hougang
Encyclopedia
Hougang is an urban planning area
and a suburb
in the north-eastern area of the city-state
of Singapore
. Under classification by the Urban Redevelopment Authority
, the area is part of the North-East Region
, an urban planning division. Hougang borders Sengkang
in the north and Serangoon
to its south. Development started approximately around the 1980s. Most of Hougang is residential
and encompasses the main Housing and Development Board's housing estate of Hougang New Town. Hougang is also home to a certain famous character by the name of Ang Wei Yeow, who likes this girl named Cassandra really much.
version of Aū-káng, a Hokkien
and Teochew name meaning "river
end". In the past, the name connoted the area stretching from the fifth milestone junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Serangoon Road to the seventh milestone confluence of Upper Serangoon Road and Tampines Road. (Above Error: The name Hougang stems from the Hokkien and Teochew word Au-Kang, which refers to the ‘river end’, as Hougang is located upstream or at the back of Sungei Serangoon. Many Singaporean Chinese residents in the town speak the Teochew language as many were formerly from a Teochew community at Kampong Punggol before being relocated to Hougang. This trend however undergoes constant shifts, with new residents moving in from other parts of Singapore. Also there was a fishing port.
The area was once a large piece of forest
ed land. Farming of pigs was also carried out by farmers. The last of these pig farmers were relocated by the mid-1990s to HDB flats built in Hougang. Today, it is an HDB new town
with over 40,000 housing units interspersed with pockets of private residential areas.
At Hougang Street 21, there was a well
that is still identified as the tua jia ka well structure. This well identified the Teochew village of tua jia ka which means the "foot of a big well". In the past, the village was a popular place for food, street wayang
s, itinerant Chinese medicine men and story tellers spinning yarns.
. Most of its commercial activity is centred on a few shopping mall
s such as Hougang Mall
, Hougang Plaza, Kang Kar Mall, Heartland Mall
and Hougang Festival Market.
Similar to most other residential towns in Singapore
, Hougang was designed to be a partially self-sufficient
with enough amenities to minimize the number of residents commuting to the Central Area. Facilities include a sports stadium
where the S.League
plays, an aquatics centre, an indoor sports complex, a number of parks such as Punggol Park, along with many wet market
s and hawker centre
s. One of the more prominent landmarks in Hougang is the Buangkok Green Medical Park, which houses several medical facilities including the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Singapore Leprosy Relief Association (SILRA). Hougang is served by two MRT stations: Hougang MRT Station
which is located beside the bus interchange and Hougang Mall; and Kovan MRT Station
which is beside Heartland Mall. Residents in Buangkok bordering Sengkang have the option of using Buangkok MRT Station
as well.
.
The services departing from Hougang Central Bus Interchange and their destinations are listed as follows:
A feeder service is also available, linking residents to the town centre.
(On Weekdays, Most Commuters Are Students, from Hougang Primary School Or Hougang Secondary School)
Hougang South Bus Interchange was closed (Since 15 Feb 2004) when the authorities acquired it for other developments.
It was situated next to the Kovan food centre/Wet Market, near Heartland Mall. Bus services operating from there included:
The old bus interchange is now a public carpark and private bus terminal for express buses.
4 bus services currently serve the bus stop there (Kovan Hub):
A distinctive feature of Hougang lies in the large semi-circular balconies which occur in many Housing Development Board public housing
flats in the area. This feature is not as prevalent in public housing outside Hougang.
which is currently held by Yaw Shin Leong
from the Workers' Party
, one of six elected opposition Members of Parliament
. It was previously held by Workers' Party
secretary general Low Thia Kiang from 1991 to 2011 and is embedded within Aljunied Group Representation Constituency
. Low Thia Kiang is now the Member of Parliament for Bedok Reservoir
-Punggol
division of Aljunied GRC, in the northern part of Hougang. Chen Show Mao
is the Member of Parliament of Paya Lebar
division, which contains the southern part of Hougang. A small portion of Hougang is located in the Punggol South division of Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency
in which lies several residents' committees, various facilities and the popular Hougang Green Shopping Mall which remains dear to the hearts of most residents living there. Part of Hougang also lies within the Ang Mo Kio
- Hougang
division of Ang Mo Kio GRC.
In the 1997 general election
, Cheng San Group Representation Constituency
which comprises large parts of Hougang was the scene of an intense battle between the ruling People's Action Party
and the opposition team led by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
and Tang Liang Hong
of the Workers' Party
(WP). Prominent members of the cabinet such as the then Senior Minister
Lee Kwan Yew and then Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong
made numerous visits to the Group Representation Constituency
to canvass The vote was deemed too close to call such that the PAP thought it necessary for ministers to visit the polling stations on voting day. The opposition later charged that the PAP had violated the law which prohibits politicians from being in the vicinity of a polling station but the Attorney-General found no impropriety on the part of the ministers as the law only prohibits politicians from the vicinity of the polling station but not in the polling station itself.
Cheng San GRC was broken apart in the 2001 elections
and the larger part of Hougang currently falls under the Aljunied GRC. Critics have lashed out at this blatant attempt of gerrymandering.
Hougang appeared in the limelight again in the 2006 general election
. Both Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC were contested by the Workers' Party, with the latter being defended by the three-term incumbent, Low Thia Khiang, who is the WP's secretary-general. Once again, like the 1997 general election, WP won in Hougang, with Low securing his place in Parliament with 63% of the votes, an increase of more than 8 percentage point from 2001. Aljunied GRC was narrowly held onto by the People's Action Party with a slim 12% lead over the WP team who gained 44% of the votes.
It is widely believed that Hougang residents of the GRC had leaned towards the WP, with one PAP MP-elect describing the counting process as "tense", saying that the vote tally was about "a one-to-one ratio when the counting first starting, and we got worried." Nonetheless, this swing towards the opposition was neutralised by the strong PAP showing in other parts of the GRC, such as Bedok Reservoir and Eunos. Another PAP MP-elect remarked that "we received well over 60% of the vote in Malay-majority Eunos". Sylvia Lim, the de facto leader of the WP's team, subsequently accepted the NCMP
seat.
On 7th May of the 2011 General Elections, Mr Yaw Shin Leong
from the Worker's Party won the seat for Hougang SMC against PAP's Desmond Choo, taking 64.81 per cent of the valid votes. Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao
, Muhamad Faisal Manap
and Pritam Singh
were also elected as the MPs for Aljunied GRC on that day.
Junior Colleges
Secondary Schools
Primary Schools
Condominiums
Urban planning areas in Singapore
Singapore is currently divided into 55 urban planning areas by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, organised into five regions. A Development Guide Plan is then drawn up for each planning area, providing for detailed planning guidelines for every individual plot of land throughout the country.The...
and a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in the north-eastern area of the city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Under classification by the Urban Redevelopment Authority
Urban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...
, the area is part of the North-East Region
North-East Region, Singapore
The North-East Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the city-state. It includes seven urban planning areas. As its name implies, it is located in the north-eastern part of Singapore.The land area is about 13,810 hectares....
, an urban planning division. Hougang borders Sengkang
Sengkang
Sengkang is a sub-urban town in the north-eastern part of Singapore. The Sengkang Planning Area, an urban planning zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority, covers the Housing and Development Board satellite new town of Sengkang New Town and rural Jalan Kayu.-Etymology and history:Meaning...
in the north and Serangoon
Serangoon
Serangoon is town situated in the central part of the city-state of Singapore, within the North-East Region. The Housing and Development Board housing estate of Serangoon New Town in Serangoon is one of the smaller new towns. Its town centre is known as Serangoon Central, and is the target of...
to its south. Development started approximately around the 1980s. Most of Hougang is residential
Residential area
A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single family housing, multi-family residential, or mobile homes. Zoning for residential use may permit...
and encompasses the main Housing and Development Board's housing estate of Hougang New Town. Hougang is also home to a certain famous character by the name of Ang Wei Yeow, who likes this girl named Cassandra really much.
Etymology and history
Hougang is the pinyinPinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
version of Aū-káng, a Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
and Teochew name meaning "river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
end". In the past, the name connoted the area stretching from the fifth milestone junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Serangoon Road to the seventh milestone confluence of Upper Serangoon Road and Tampines Road. (Above Error: The name Hougang stems from the Hokkien and Teochew word Au-Kang, which refers to the ‘river end’, as Hougang is located upstream or at the back of Sungei Serangoon. Many Singaporean Chinese residents in the town speak the Teochew language as many were formerly from a Teochew community at Kampong Punggol before being relocated to Hougang. This trend however undergoes constant shifts, with new residents moving in from other parts of Singapore. Also there was a fishing port.
The area was once a large piece of forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
ed land. Farming of pigs was also carried out by farmers. The last of these pig farmers were relocated by the mid-1990s to HDB flats built in Hougang. Today, it is an HDB new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
with over 40,000 housing units interspersed with pockets of private residential areas.
At Hougang Street 21, there was a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
that is still identified as the tua jia ka well structure. This well identified the Teochew village of tua jia ka which means the "foot of a big well". In the past, the village was a popular place for food, street wayang
Wayang
Wayang is a Javanese word for theatre . When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang...
s, itinerant Chinese medicine men and story tellers spinning yarns.
Amenities
Hougang is regarded as part of the "heartland" of Singapore, a significant distance away from the Central AreaCentral Area
In Singapore, the Central Area or Central Business District contains the core financial and commercial districts, including eleven urban planning areas, namely Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, Singapore River and Straits View as...
. Most of its commercial activity is centred on a few shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s such as Hougang Mall
Hougang Mall
Hougang Mall , previously known as NTUC Hougang Mall, is a suburban shopping mall located in Hougang, Singapore. It is located near Hougang Central Bus Interchange, as well as Hougang MRT Station....
, Hougang Plaza, Kang Kar Mall, Heartland Mall
Heartland Mall
Heartland Mall is a shopping mall in Singapore. A generally small shopping mall in area in comparison with other malls, it serves the neighbourhood of Kovan. It consists of four floors, with the fourth level serving only tuition centres...
and Hougang Festival Market.
Similar to most other residential towns in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Hougang was designed to be a partially self-sufficient
Self-sufficiency
Self-sufficiency refers to the state of not requiring any outside aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy...
with enough amenities to minimize the number of residents commuting to the Central Area. Facilities include a sports stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
where the S.League
S.League
The S.League is the top men's professional association football league in Singapore. The league was launched in 1996 and currently involves 12 clubs.-History:...
plays, an aquatics centre, an indoor sports complex, a number of parks such as Punggol Park, along with many wet market
Wet market
A wet market is generally an open food market. Some of the common names include "Cultural Markets", "traditional markets", "Gaai Si", "Gaai See".-Terminology:...
s and hawker centre
Hawker centre
A hawker centre or cooked food centre is the name given to open-air complexes in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Riau Islands housing many stalls that sell a variety of inexpensive food...
s. One of the more prominent landmarks in Hougang is the Buangkok Green Medical Park, which houses several medical facilities including the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Singapore Leprosy Relief Association (SILRA). Hougang is served by two MRT stations: Hougang MRT Station
Hougang MRT Station
Hougang MRT Station ' is an underground station on the North East MRT Line, Singapore. It is located in the central part of Hougang New Town which is connected to the bus interchange and surrounding HDB flats and shopping centres....
which is located beside the bus interchange and Hougang Mall; and Kovan MRT Station
Kovan MRT Station
Kovan MRT Station ' is an underground station on the North East Line of the Mass Rapid Transit in Singapore. The station is located in the southern part of Hougang New Town with a neighbourhood mall known as Heartland Mall, the former Hougang South Bus Interchange in its vicinity...
which is beside Heartland Mall. Residents in Buangkok bordering Sengkang have the option of using Buangkok MRT Station
Buangkok MRT Station
Buangkok MRT Station is an underground station located on the North East Line of the Mass Rapid Transit in Singapore. The station is in Sengkang and near to Hougang and serves residents in the vicinity....
as well.
Hougang Central Bus Interchange
The Hougang Central Bus Interchange serves Hougang Town with a range of bus services going to other parts of the island. It is located in Hougang Central, near Hougang Mall and it has an underground link to Hougang MRT StationHougang MRT Station
Hougang MRT Station ' is an underground station on the North East MRT Line, Singapore. It is located in the central part of Hougang New Town which is connected to the bus interchange and surrounding HDB flats and shopping centres....
.
The services departing from Hougang Central Bus Interchange and their destinations are listed as follows:
- Bukit MerahBukit MerahBukit Merah is a hill in Singapore. Previously, it was a much larger hill that was situated at the present site of Henderson housing estate, which lies opposite the Delta Sports Complex. There was a Chinese cemetery on the reverse side of the hill. The present Bukit Merah Secondary School and...
- 132 & 153 - Buona VistaBuona VistaBuona Vista is a neighbourhood and subdivision of the city-state of Singapore, but is often referenced as a town. As a major subdivision, it is served by the Buona Vista MRT Station which links it up with the MRT system. It also has a bus terminal.-Geography:...
- 74 & 74e - Singapore Changi AirportSingapore Changi AirportSingapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
PTB 1, 2 & 3 - 27 - Singapore Changi Airport Cargo Complex - 89 & 89e
- ClementiClementi, SingaporeClementi is a town in Singapore, located in the west between Jurong and Dover, and commonly refers to the Housing and Development Board's housing estate of Clementi New Town. The town was named after the Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner Sir Cecil Clementi Smith. The...
- 147 & 165 - Kovan (Hougang South) - 112 & 113 (Loop Service)
- Jurong EastJurong EastJurong East is a neighbourhood in Singapore, bounded by the Pan Island Expressway, a canal and the shoreline of Jurong Lake, Jurong Town Hall Road, the eastern side of Jurong Gardens, Ayer Rajah Expressway, Penjuru Road, West Coast Road, Sungei Pandan and back to the Pan Island Expressway.It is...
- 51 - Kent Ridge - 151 & 151e
- Marina CentreMarina CentreMarina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
- 107M - Shenton WayShenton WayShenton Way is a major trunk road in Singapore's central business district, most known for the commercial skyscrapers flanking both sides of the road. The Road is a one way street which starts at the junction of Cross Street, Central Boulevard and Raffles Quay and ends at Keppel Road...
- 107 - WoodlandsWoodlands, SingaporeWoodlands, or the Woodlands New Town , is a suburban town in northern Singapore, part of the North West Community Development Council district...
- 161
A feeder service is also available, linking residents to the town centre.
- Majority Of Hougang Except Hougang South - Service 325 (Loop Service)
(On Weekdays, Most Commuters Are Students, from Hougang Primary School Or Hougang Secondary School)
Hougang South Bus Interchange was closed (Since 15 Feb 2004) when the authorities acquired it for other developments.
It was situated next to the Kovan food centre/Wet Market, near Heartland Mall. Bus services operating from there included:
- Jurong EastJurong EastJurong East is a neighbourhood in Singapore, bounded by the Pan Island Expressway, a canal and the shoreline of Jurong Lake, Jurong Town Hall Road, the eastern side of Jurong Gardens, Ayer Rajah Expressway, Penjuru Road, West Coast Road, Sungei Pandan and back to the Pan Island Expressway.It is...
- 51 - Geylang Lor 1 - 62 (Now From Punggol To Geylang Lor 1 [Loop])
- Bukit MerahBukit MerahBukit Merah is a hill in Singapore. Previously, it was a much larger hill that was situated at the present site of Henderson housing estate, which lies opposite the Delta Sports Complex. There was a Chinese cemetery on the reverse side of the hill. The present Bukit Merah Secondary School and...
- 132 - Kent Ridge - 151
- Feeder Services 321, 322, 326, 327 & 328 (Merged To Service 101 From SerangoonSerangoonSerangoon is town situated in the central part of the city-state of Singapore, within the North-East Region. The Housing and Development Board housing estate of Serangoon New Town in Serangoon is one of the smaller new towns. Its town centre is known as Serangoon Central, and is the target of...
To Buangkok Link [Loop])
The old bus interchange is now a public carpark and private bus terminal for express buses.
4 bus services currently serve the bus stop there (Kovan Hub):
- Hougang Ave 3 (Loop) - 115
- Hougang Central - 112 & 113
- SengkangSengkangSengkang is a sub-urban town in the north-eastern part of Singapore. The Sengkang Planning Area, an urban planning zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority, covers the Housing and Development Board satellite new town of Sengkang New Town and rural Jalan Kayu.-Etymology and history:Meaning...
- 119
Highlights
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
flats in the area. This feature is not as prevalent in public housing outside Hougang.
Political history
Hougang belongs to five political divisions in three different constituencies. A portion belongs to Hougang Single Member ConstituencyHougang Single Member Constituency
Hougang Single Member Constituency is a Single Member Constituency whose borders roughly enclose the town of Hougang, located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. The boundary includes a portion of Hougang and is an opposition held seat with its Member of Parliament the Workers' Party's Yaw...
which is currently held by Yaw Shin Leong
Yaw Shin Leong
Yaw Shin Leong is currently the Treasurer of The Workers' Party of Singapore, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Hougang after the 2011 Singapore General Elections.-Personal profile:...
from the Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Singapore
The Workers' Party of Singapore is a centre-left opposition political party in Singapore. The party currently has six elected seats in Parliament, with the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, Chairman Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh serving as Members of...
, one of six elected opposition Members of Parliament
Members of the Singapore Parliament
The following is a historical list of members for the current and past ten Parliaments of Singapore:-See also:*1st Parliament of Singapore*2nd Parliament of Singapore*3rd Parliament of Singapore*4th Parliament of Singapore*5th Parliament of Singapore...
. It was previously held by Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Singapore
The Workers' Party of Singapore is a centre-left opposition political party in Singapore. The party currently has six elected seats in Parliament, with the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, Chairman Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh serving as Members of...
secretary general Low Thia Kiang from 1991 to 2011 and is embedded within Aljunied Group Representation Constituency
Aljunied Group Representation Constituency
Aljunied Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency in the north-eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of a large part of Hougang, Serangoon Gardens, a portion of Bedok and Aljunied...
. Low Thia Kiang is now the Member of Parliament for Bedok Reservoir
Bedok Reservoir
Bedok Reservoir is a reservoir located in the eastern part of Singapore, to the north of Bedok New Town. The reservoir has a surface area of 880,000 m², and a capacity of 12.8 million m³. The mean depth of the reservoir is 9 m, with a maximum depth of 18.2 m...
-Punggol
Punggol
Punggol, or Ponggol, is a neighbourhood in northeastern Singapore. Presently, much of Punggol is undeveloped, although plans to turn the area into a residential new town under the "Punggol 21" initiative have begun to take place in the south-eastern parts of the area bordering neighbouring...
division of Aljunied GRC, in the northern part of Hougang. Chen Show Mao
Chen Show Mao
Chen Show Mao, J.D. is a Singaporean politician and lawyer. He is a member of the opposition Workers' Party, and has been a Member of Parliament for the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency since 7 May 2011. He represents the Paya Lebar ward, replacing PAP's Cynthia Phua.-Personal...
is the Member of Parliament of Paya Lebar
Paya Lebar
Paya Lebar is an area in the north-eastern part of Singapore. It is served by Paya Lebar Station, on the East West Line of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit system. It is an urban planning area. The Singapore Post Centre is located there too....
division, which contains the southern part of Hougang. A small portion of Hougang is located in the Punggol South division of Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency
Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency
Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency is a six-member Group Representation Constituency in the north-eastern region of Singapore. The constituency consists of Pasir Ris town, Punggol town, a small northern part of Hougang, and Compassvale, in central Sengkang...
in which lies several residents' committees, various facilities and the popular Hougang Green Shopping Mall which remains dear to the hearts of most residents living there. Part of Hougang also lies within the Ang Mo Kio
Ang Mo Kio
Ang Mo Kio（宏茂桥） is a heartland new town located in north central Singapore, and is generally within the North-East Region. It contains many of the common features of the island nation's neighbourhoods, e.g. hawker centres, wet markets and HDB housing blocks. Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien...
- Hougang
Hougang
Hougang is an urban planning area and a suburb in the north-eastern area of the city-state of Singapore. Under classification by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the area is part of the North-East Region, an urban planning division. Hougang borders Sengkang in the north and Serangoon to its...
division of Ang Mo Kio GRC.
In the 1997 general election
Singapore general election, 1997
The 1997 Singapore parliamentary election was an election in Singapore which was held on 2 January 1997. 765,332 out of the eligible 1.8 million voters voted and selected their next government...
, Cheng San Group Representation Constituency
Cheng San Group Representation Constituency
Cheng San Group Representation Constituency is a now defunct Group Representation Constituency in the north-eastern region in Singapore...
which comprises large parts of Hougang was the scene of an intense battle between the ruling People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
and the opposition team led by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam was a politician and lawyer from Singapore. He was the leader of the Workers' Party from 1971 to 2001...
and Tang Liang Hong
Tang Liang Hong
Tang Liang Hong is a politician and lawyer from Singapore.Tang stood as a candidate for the opposition Workers' Party in the Cheng San Group Representation Constituency at the 1997 general election...
of the Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Singapore
The Workers' Party of Singapore is a centre-left opposition political party in Singapore. The party currently has six elected seats in Parliament, with the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, Chairman Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh serving as Members of...
(WP). Prominent members of the cabinet such as the then Senior Minister
Senior Minister
Senior Minister is a political office in the political system of Singapore taken by a prime minister or senior cabinet minister when he or she retires from that office, but still has something to offer the government based on his or her long experience...
Lee Kwan Yew and then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
made numerous visits to the Group Representation Constituency
Group Representation Constituency
A Group Representation Constituency is a type of electoral division or constituency in Singapore, the Members of Parliament of which are voted into Parliament as a group...
to canvass The vote was deemed too close to call such that the PAP thought it necessary for ministers to visit the polling stations on voting day. The opposition later charged that the PAP had violated the law which prohibits politicians from being in the vicinity of a polling station but the Attorney-General found no impropriety on the part of the ministers as the law only prohibits politicians from the vicinity of the polling station but not in the polling station itself.
Cheng San GRC was broken apart in the 2001 elections
Singapore general election, 2001
The Singapore parliamentary general elections of 2001 were held on 3 November. The People's Action Party, the incumbent ruling party, won 82 out of 84 seats in the election, including 55 walkovers...
and the larger part of Hougang currently falls under the Aljunied GRC. Critics have lashed out at this blatant attempt of gerrymandering.
Hougang appeared in the limelight again in the 2006 general election
Singapore general election, 2006
The 2006 Singapore parliamentary general election was held on 6 May 2006. 1.22 million out of the 2.16 million eligible Singaporeans voted for Members of Parliament and elected their next government. The People's Action Party , in its first election under Lee Hsien Loong, won 66.6% of the overall...
. Both Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC were contested by the Workers' Party, with the latter being defended by the three-term incumbent, Low Thia Khiang, who is the WP's secretary-general. Once again, like the 1997 general election, WP won in Hougang, with Low securing his place in Parliament with 63% of the votes, an increase of more than 8 percentage point from 2001. Aljunied GRC was narrowly held onto by the People's Action Party with a slim 12% lead over the WP team who gained 44% of the votes.
It is widely believed that Hougang residents of the GRC had leaned towards the WP, with one PAP MP-elect describing the counting process as "tense", saying that the vote tally was about "a one-to-one ratio when the counting first starting, and we got worried." Nonetheless, this swing towards the opposition was neutralised by the strong PAP showing in other parts of the GRC, such as Bedok Reservoir and Eunos. Another PAP MP-elect remarked that "we received well over 60% of the vote in Malay-majority Eunos". Sylvia Lim, the de facto leader of the WP's team, subsequently accepted the NCMP
Non-Constituency Member of Parliament
Non-Constituency Members of Parliament are members of the opposition parties who are appointed as members of the Parliament of Singapore even though they had lost in the parliamentary election....
seat.
On 7th May of the 2011 General Elections, Mr Yaw Shin Leong
Yaw Shin Leong
Yaw Shin Leong is currently the Treasurer of The Workers' Party of Singapore, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Hougang after the 2011 Singapore General Elections.-Personal profile:...
from the Worker's Party won the seat for Hougang SMC against PAP's Desmond Choo, taking 64.81 per cent of the valid votes. Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao
Chen Show Mao
Chen Show Mao, J.D. is a Singaporean politician and lawyer. He is a member of the opposition Workers' Party, and has been a Member of Parliament for the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency since 7 May 2011. He represents the Paya Lebar ward, replacing PAP's Cynthia Phua.-Personal...
, Muhamad Faisal Manap
Muhamad Faisal Manap
Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap is a Singaporean Malay politician from the Workers' Party of Singapore who has been serving as a Member of Parliament in Singapore since May 2011...
and Pritam Singh
Pritam Singh
Dr Pritam Singh, current Director of IMI , New Delhi, is a professor of eminence in the field of management studies and has been awarded the Padma Shri for his outstanding contribution in the field of management education.In 2003, he became the second Padam Shri recipient in the field of management...
were also elected as the MPs for Aljunied GRC on that day.
Language
Many of the Singaporean Chinese residents in Hougang speak the Teochew language, because they were originally from Kampong Ponggol, a predominantly Teochew community, before they were relocated to Hougang as Singapore began developing. However, this is becoming less of a trend as the newer residents come from all over the island.Schools
Private Universities- University of New BrunswickUniversity of New BrunswickThe University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
(Singapore College)
Junior Colleges
- Serangoon Junior CollegeSerangoon Junior CollegeSerangoon Junior College is a junior college in Singapore, offering a two-year course for pre-university students leading up to GCE 'A' Level examinations.-History and Achievements:...
Secondary Schools
- Bowen Secondary SchoolBowen Secondary SchoolBowen Secondary School is a government school in Singapore. It offers subjects like LifeLit, which is a combination of English & Literature and offers a wide variety of CCAs and subjects up for hold for the students.-History:...
- Holy Innocents' High SchoolHoly Innocents' High SchoolHoly Innocents' High School is one of the earliest catholic schools in Singapore...
- Hougang Secondary SchoolHougang Secondary SchoolHougang Secondary School is a Co-educational secondary school located in Houngang, in the northern part of Singapore.-School history:...
- Montfort Secondary SchoolMontfort Secondary SchoolMontfort Secondary School is a Catholic school in Singapore, founded in 1916. Originally named Holy Innocents' English School, it was renamed to its current one in 1959 in honour of the Founder of the Gabrielite Brothers, St Louis Marie Grignion De Montfort...
- Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary)Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary)Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School is an all-girls school located in Hougang, Singapore, running on a single session catering to pupils in the Special, Express, Normal Academic and Normal Technical streams. Since 1995, PLMGSS has been offering Higher Chinese to her pupils. There are 61 teachers,...
- Serangoon Secondary SchoolSerangoon Secondary SchoolSerangoon Secondary School is a government secondary school in Hougang, Singapore. The school was established in 1928. In 2001, the secondary school was moved to its present location at 11 Upper Serangoon View.-School crest:...
- Xinmin Secondary SchoolXinmin Secondary SchoolXinmin Secondary School is an autonomous secondary school in Hougang, Singapore. It offers classes taught in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil....
- Yuying Secondary SchoolYuying Secondary SchoolYuying Secondary was founded by the Hainanese Community in 1910 as a Chinese medium high school. At that time, it was located at Prinsep Street and named Yock Eng High School....
Primary Schools
- CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity (formerly known as CHIJ Punggol)
- Holy Innocents' Primary SchoolHoly Innocents' Primary SchoolHoly Innocents' Primary School is a catholic school located in Lorong Low Koon, Hougang, Singapore. It was the primary school section of Holy Innocents' High School, which was established in 1892...
- Hougang Primary SchoolHougang Primary SchoolHougang Primary School is a government primary school located at Hougang, Singapore. It was founded in 2000 when it was placed in a temporary site along Yio Chu Kang Road while the new school building was under construction. That time, it took in its first batch of students from Primary 1 to...
- Montfort Junior School
- Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary)Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary)Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary) Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary) (Abbreviation: PLMGS (Primary); is a Methodist girls' primary school in Hougang, Singapore. It offers the four main languages of Singapore, namely English, Mandarin, Malay...
- Punggol Primary School
- Xinghua Primary SchoolXinghua Primary SchoolXinghua Primary School is a government, co-educational primary school of the Ministry of Education of Singapore and offers education from Primary 1 to Primary 6, leading to the Primary School Leaving Examination...
- Xinmin Primary School
- Yio Chu Kang Primary School
Condominiums
- Evergreen Park CondominiumEvergreen Park CondominiumEvergreen Park is a residential development located in Hougang - one of the most rapidly growing and developing hubs in Singapore. Evergreen Park is also located minutes away from Hougang MRT Station and Hougang Central Bus Interchange. There are several schools in the vicinity...
- The Florida
- Hougang Green
- Central Place
- Central View
- Minton Rise
- Regentville
- Rio Vista Condominium