At the 1997 General Election, Tang Liang Hong was part of a five-member WP team anchored by opposition leader JB Jeyaretnam that contested Cheng San GRC.
It went up against a strong PAP team that included then-Minister for Education Lee Yock Suan and Zainul Abidin Rasheed, the future Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Tang, described by the PAP as an anti-Christian Chinese chauvinist, had brought up the issue of mosque building, saying that if Malays do not vote for the PAP, they would not have mosques built in Cheng San.
Then-prime minister Goh Chok Tong refuted this, saying the PAP government believes in fair and equal treatment of all religions in Singapore.
Mr Goh said the result in Cheng San would show where Singapore is heading - whether it moves towards a more Chinese-dominant society or remain multi-racial.
Mr Goh made this point after visiting the ward, where he and other PAP leaders had thrown their weight behind the party's slate in the face of what was anticipated to be a tough contest.
Tang’s name was most recently revived in the political sphere during a 2017 parliamentary debate on the Oxley Road saga.
During the debate, Mr Goh - who was Emeritus Senior Minister - challenged the WP to clarify its position on allegations against then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong involving how he had handled 38 Oxley Road.
Then-WP chief Low Thia Khiang responded by questioning why Mr Lee did not sue his younger siblings over their allegations that Mr Lee had abused his power in matters of what was to be done with the home.
Mr Low pointed out that during the 1997 General Election, Mr Goh - the prime minister at the time - had sued WP candidate Tang simply for making a police report against him.
“Own siblings cannot sue … but political opponents and critics, sue until your pants drop,” Mr Low said.
Mr Goh brushed off Mr Low’s comments, calling them “political sophistry”. “And as for Tang Liang Hong, he’s not my brother,” Mr Goh said.
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It went up against a strong PAP team that included then-Minister for Education Lee Yock Suan and Zainul Abidin Rasheed, the future Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Tang, described by the PAP as an anti-Christian Chinese chauvinist, had brought up the issue of mosque building, saying that if Malays do not vote for the PAP, they would not have mosques built in Cheng San.
Then-prime minister Goh Chok Tong refuted this, saying the PAP government believes in fair and equal treatment of all religions in Singapore.
Mr Goh said the result in Cheng San would show where Singapore is heading - whether it moves towards a more Chinese-dominant society or remain multi-racial.
Mr Goh made this point after visiting the ward, where he and other PAP leaders had thrown their weight behind the party's slate in the face of what was anticipated to be a tough contest.
Tang’s name was most recently revived in the political sphere during a 2017 parliamentary debate on the Oxley Road saga.
During the debate, Mr Goh - who was Emeritus Senior Minister - challenged the WP to clarify its position on allegations against then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong involving how he had handled 38 Oxley Road.
Then-WP chief Low Thia Khiang responded by questioning why Mr Lee did not sue his younger siblings over their allegations that Mr Lee had abused his power in matters of what was to be done with the home.
Mr Low pointed out that during the 1997 General Election, Mr Goh - the prime minister at the time - had sued WP candidate Tang simply for making a police report against him.
“Own siblings cannot sue … but political opponents and critics, sue until your pants drop,” Mr Low said.
Mr Goh brushed off Mr Low’s comments, calling them “political sophistry”. “And as for Tang Liang Hong, he’s not my brother,” Mr Goh said.
Continue reading...