Chiam See Tong

Who is Chiam See Tong?

Chiam See Tong is a Singaporean politician and lawyer. He is the country's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament, having represented the constituency of Potong Pasir in Parliament from 1984 to 2011.

Chiam was a member of the Singapore Democratic Party up to 1996, when he left the party to join the Singapore People's Party. He subsequently spearheaded the formation of the Singapore Democratic Alliance, and was its Chairman and de facto leader from 2001 to 2011. However in March 2011 he announced that he was withdrawing the SPP from the SDA grouping, and would contest the next general election under the SPP banner. At the 2011 general election, Chiam decided not to seek re-election in his Potong Pasir constituency and instead stood as a member of the SPP's team in the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency. However the SPP was defeated by the PAP's team in Bishan-Toa Payoh. His wife Lina Chiam narrowly lost the election in Potong Pasir and accepted a seat as a Non Constituency Member of Parliament.