Former Chua Chu Kang MP Tang See Chim, advocate for displaced farmers, dies at 94

He once declined the chance to move to another constituency, choosing instead to help thousands of residents facing resettlement.

SINGAPORE: Former Member of Parliament Tang See Chim, who spent 22 years representing Chua Chu Kang and championed residents affected by resettlement as the rural constituency underwent rapid development, died on Saturday (Aug 15). He was 94.

The veteran political office holder served with the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) until he retired from politics in 1988.

Paying tribute in a Facebook post on Sunday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said: "Mr Tang stepped forward to serve in our nation's early years, setting aside a promising legal career for public service."

Mr Wong recounted that the veteran political office holder served with the Ministry of Finance and contributed to Singapore's development during a formative period in the country's history.

He also said that Mr Tang was deeply committed to his residents in Chua Chu Kang, supporting them through a period of rapid development and resettlement.

"Beyond politics, he made important contributions to the labour movement and the legal fraternity," Mr Wong added.

"Mr Tang served Singapore with dedication and integrity."

Mr Tang, a lawyer by profession, entered politics when he was returned unopposed in a Chua Chu Kang by-election.

PAP MP Alex Yam from Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC recounted in a Facebook post: "In the fiercely contested 1963 General Election, he was election agent to Comrade Yip Sai Weng in Toa Payoh, up against Barisan Sosialis strongman Wong Soon Fong. During one canvassing round, they were actually chased by gangsters wielding parangs."

In 1968, Mr Tang was appointed as parliamentary secretary to the finance minister. Between 1970 and 1972, he served as minister of state for finance, and was deputy speaker of parliament from 1972 to 1981.

He was also PAP's acting organising secretary from 1967 to 1977, and a member of the party's central executive committee from 1976 to 1980.

At the 1993 May Day Awards, he received the Meritorious Service Award for his contributions to the labour movement.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said that Mr Tang had dedicated many years of his life to public service and to serving the community.

"He always made an effort to join us in our events when he could despite his age. His contributions and commitment to the residents will always be remembered," Mr Gan said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

"He will be dearly missed."

Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) and MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, said that Mr Tang had continued to show up for his former constituents even in his later years.

"His longstanding dedication to Chua Chu Kang will be remembered," Dr Tan said.

"The ground I walk today was once part of the ground he tended. We met during (PAP) gatherings, the last being in July 2025 ... I remember him as soft-spoken, almost gentle, and slight in build. He never needed to remind anyone of all that he had done.

CHAMPION FOR DISPLACED FARMERS

As MP for Chua Chu Kang, which was home to pig farmers in the early days after Singapore's independence, Mr Tang fought for their welfare in parliament.

His advocacy for farmers began early in his parliamentary career. In 1966, he raised concerns in parliament about how resettlement was fragmenting farmland in Chua Chu Kang and affecting the economic viability of farms.

When pig farming, deemed a highly polluting activity, was being phased out by the 1980s, Mr Tang petitioned to the Prime Minister's Office. This bought the farmers another three to five years before the resettlement plan took effect.

Mr Tang also fought to hold the government accountable to ensure prompt and adequate compensation for the resettled farmers.

He described resettlement as a "traumatic experience" for affected farmers, arguing that it uprooted their way of life and deprived them of their livelihoods.

In one of his last speeches in parliament as the resettlement exercise drew to a close in 1988, Mr Tang said: "Let us be compassionate.

"Let us look at the matter carefully and treat the resettlement problem with compassion and not just purely on economic theory."

When offered the option to move to another constituency in 1976, Mr Tang refused the offer, then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said.

"He felt he should shoulder the difficult task of helping thousands of farmers and other residents to find their new homes and alternative ways of making a living," Mr Goh added then.

After leaving politics in 1988, Mr Tang returned to legal practice. He served as a consultant at law firm David Lim & Partners, as well as chairman of the Law Society of Singapore's disciplinary committee from 1993 to 2004.

He received the Law Society's highest honour, the CC Tan Award, in 2011.

David Lim & Partners LLP wrote in a LinkedIn post on Sunday that he was "a source of wisdom, perspective and quiet encouragement".

"He brought together commercial judgment, public-spiritedness and moral clarity, and was an invaluable mentor to generations of lawyers and leaders."