Former Workers’ Party (WP) politician Tang Liang Hong, a lawyer who contested Cheng San GRC in the 1997 general election, died on 15 September at the age of 90.
His death was reported in an obituary published by The Straits Times on 2 October.
The obituary did not state the cause of death, nor the location where he passed away.
Tang’s wake will be held at Woodlands Memorial Funeral Parlour from 2 to 4 October, with a private family farewell service scheduled for 5 October.
Tang rose to national attention during the 1997 election when he contested as part of a five-member WP team in Cheng San GRC.
The constituency then included Jalan Kayu, parts of Ang Mo Kio and Serangoon North, as well as Punggol and Sengkang.
During the campaign, Tang was accused by the People’s Action Party (PAP) of being an anti-Christian Chinese chauvinist, a charge he rejected.
The WP team ultimately lost the election, garnering 45.18 per cent of the vote, one of the party’s stronger performances at the time.
Following the election, Tang lodged police reports against PAP leaders, alleging that false statements had been made about him during the campaign.
Soon after, he left Singapore for Malaysia before moving to Australia, where he is believed to have lived until his death.
In his absence, Tang was served with multiple defamation suits filed by PAP leaders, including then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The courts found him liable for defamation, with damages awarded exceeding S$8 million.
As Tang did not return to Singapore to contest the lawsuits or make payments, he was eventually declared bankrupt.
The lawsuits effectively ended his political and professional career in Singapore.
Tang remained a controversial figure in the nation’s political history.
His case was seen by observers as one of the most high-profile examples of legal action against opposition figures during the 1990s, underscoring the tense political climate of that era.
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