Ong Pang Boon (Chinese:王邦文) was a prominent first generation People's Action Party (PAP) politician in Singapore. Party logo with a symbol of red lightning that signifies action. ...

Early life & Education

Born Kuala Lumpur, he was educated in a Chinese primary school, a Confucian middle school, Methodist Boys’ School (KL) and later, attaining a geography degree at the then University of Malaya in Singapore. Mayor Datuk Ruslin Hasan District Kuala Lumpur District Area  - Total (City) 243. ... Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical, religious and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ... The University of Malaya (Universiti Malaya in Malay) is the first university in Malaysia, and is situated on a 750 acre (3. ...

Political Career

His foray into politic began as a polling agent for Lee Kuan Yew in the 1955 legislative assembly election. He entered parliament as a member for Telok Ayer in the 1959 general elections, a seat he retained til his retirement in 1984. He was subsequently appointed Minister for Home Affairs in the first self-government Cabinet and played a key role to eradicating yellow culture and crime in the Singapore society. His cabinet appointment also made him part of the Internal Security Council which sanctioned Operation Coldstore in 1963. Lee Kuan Yew (also spelt Lee Kwan-Yew) (born September 16, 1923) (Chinese: 李光耀; pinyin: ) was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is about the year 1984. ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... In February 1963, the government of Singapore conducted a security operation, named Operation Coldstore, and arrested at least 107 left-wing politicians and trade unionists. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Ong later took on the highly sensitive Education ministerial portfolio from 1963 to 1970 at a time when Chinese language culture and education issues were highly politicized. By increasing the teaching of English in Chinese schools and vice versa, he was instrumental in laying the foundation for the bilingual policy of which Singapore is famed for. Ong became Labor Minister in 1970. Finally he took over as the Environment Minister in 1980. He retired from politics in 1984 to make way for younger leaders. However, he displayed some unhappiness at the pace and manner of how he was sidelined from the political scene. Lee recognized Ong's displeasure in a public letter of appreciation: 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: H nyǔ, Hu yǔ, or Zhōngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

“... I agree with you. You also had misgivings (about some newcomers), as had Chin Chye, over the speed of self-renewal and the effect it was having on the morale of the old guard MPs.”^[1]

Contributions

Ong, together with the Chinese-educated old guards, represented the crucial link to the Chinese speaking masses in Singapore. This is especially so during a time when Chinese culture and education issues were contentious political issues. While being a defender of Chinese culture, they represented PAP’s vision which the role of Chinese culture is an equal component of a multi-cultural, multi-racial society, a hallmark of Singapore today.

Notes

1. ^  Lee in Lam and Tan, p.165

References

• Lam, Peng Er and Tan, Kevin (Ed.) (2000). Lee’s Lieutenants. Singapore: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1864486392