Ong Eng Guan
Encyclopedia
Ong Eng Guan (born 1925) is a former minister
and politician
of Singapore
. A staunch anti-communist, he was a Chinese-educated orator who was one of the pioneer members of the People's Action Party
(PAP) Ong was well-known among the Chinese community in Singapore, In the 1957 City Hall Elections, he was elected mayor after the PAP won 13 out of 32 seats contested, and due to the other opposition parties dividing themselves over the remaining 19 seats so the PAP gained the majority. Ong's anti-colonial stance shocked the British government and every City Council meetings then were considered entertainment for the spectators there.
Ong Eng Guan continued to be in helm over the city council for two years until when the PAP gained control over Singapore in 1959, when the council was scrapped and Ong became National Development Minister, Ong was unhappy of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
and his cabinet for vetoing his requests for funds and soon grew unhappy with the PAP, he rebelled with 2 other MPS, later he resigned from the cabinet and parliament forcing the government to hold by-elections. Ong registered a new party, the United People's Party (UPP), he won the Hong Lim by-election defeating PAP candidate Jek Yuan Thong, which proved a blow to the PAP for the leaders had campaigned non-stop for Jek but Ong was too popular in the Chinese community and so Jek lost the elections. During the 1963 elections, UPP lost heavily winning only one out of more than 46 seats the party challenged, the seat won by Ong himself. He retired from politics in 1964.
In the new book launched in 2009 titled "Men In White", it was reveal for the first time that in choosing who was to be the first prime minister of Singapore by the PAP central executive committee, Ong Eng Guan lost to Lee Kuan Yew by just one deciding vote which was cast by Toh Chin Chye
.
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
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...
. A staunch anti-communist, he was a Chinese-educated orator who was one of the pioneer members of the 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....
(PAP) Ong was well-known among the Chinese community in Singapore, In the 1957 City Hall Elections, he was elected mayor after the PAP won 13 out of 32 seats contested, and due to the other opposition parties dividing themselves over the remaining 19 seats so the PAP gained the majority. Ong's anti-colonial stance shocked the British government and every City Council meetings then were considered entertainment for the spectators there.
Ong Eng Guan continued to be in helm over the city council for two years until when the PAP gained control over Singapore in 1959, when the council was scrapped and Ong became National Development Minister, Ong was unhappy of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
and his cabinet for vetoing his requests for funds and soon grew unhappy with the PAP, he rebelled with 2 other MPS, later he resigned from the cabinet and parliament forcing the government to hold by-elections. Ong registered a new party, the United People's Party (UPP), he won the Hong Lim by-election defeating PAP candidate Jek Yuan Thong, which proved a blow to the PAP for the leaders had campaigned non-stop for Jek but Ong was too popular in the Chinese community and so Jek lost the elections. During the 1963 elections, UPP lost heavily winning only one out of more than 46 seats the party challenged, the seat won by Ong himself. He retired from politics in 1964.
In the new book launched in 2009 titled "Men In White", it was reveal for the first time that in choosing who was to be the first prime minister of Singapore by the PAP central executive committee, Ong Eng Guan lost to Lee Kuan Yew by just one deciding vote which was cast by Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye is a prominent first generation political leader in Singapore. He completed his Secondary education in St. George's Institution and continued his studies at Raffles College and the University of London. Subsequently, Toh received his PhD at the National Institute for Medical...
.