Ong Chit Chung

Ong Chit Chung (simplified Chinese: 翁执中; traditional Chinese: 翁執中; pinyin: Wēng Zhí Zhōng; 28 January 1949 – 14 July 2008) was a Singaporean politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong GRC for Bukit Batok from March 2002 to his death in July 2008 and for Bukit Timah GRC for Bukit Batok as well from May 1997 to October 2001. He was also a military historian at the National University of Singapore.

Ong Chit Chung
翁执中
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Jurong GRC (Bukit Batok)
In office 25 March 2002 – 14 July 2008
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	David Ong
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Bukit Timah GRC (Bukit Batok)
In office 25 May 1997 – 18 October 2001
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	28 January 1949 Muar, Johore, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died	14 July 2008(2008-07-14) (aged 59) Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Political party	People's Action Party
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Ong
Occupation	Military historian[1]

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ong (Chinese: 翁; pinyin: Wēng).

Career

Entering politics in 1988, Ong served the Bukit Batok Constituency[2] for two terms, before the constituency became part of the Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency in 1996, and the constituency becoming a part of the Jurong Group Representation Constituency in 2001. In 1991, Ong was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Home Affairs and Labour. During his twenty years in politics, Ong also served as the Chairman for the Government Parliamentary Committees for Education, Defence and Foreign Affairs.[3][4]

Ong was also known as a historian[5] with several publications about World War II.[6][7][8]

Demise

Ong died from heart cancer at home on 14 July 2008, leaving behind a wife and two sons.[9]

His vacant seat for his Bukit Batok ward was replaced by Madam Halimah Yacob who is currently the 8th President of the Republic of Singapore since 2017.

Legacy

On 2 August 2008, Ong's alma mater, Victoria School, named a student leadership award after Ong. Called the Dr. Ong Chit Chung Leadership Award, it is awarded to high-performing students in the school. Ong's old Chief Librarian badge that was used when he was still in Victoria School, was presented by Ong's widow to the principal Low Eng Teong, and was later added to the collection in the school's heritage centre.[10]

The Ong Chit Chung Memorial Scholarship in the Department of History at the National University of Singapore is also named after him.[11]

References

1. "Blame him". Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
2. "I remember Dr Ong Chit Chung". BEYOND SG. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
3. "Member's Profile". GOVERNMENT OF SINGAPORE. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
4. Lee Foong Ming; Lynda Hong (14 July 2008), Dr Ong Chit Chung dies peacefully at home, Channel NewsAsia, archived from the original on 22 November 2008, retrieved 16 July 2008
5. Ong, Chit Chung. "Buck stopped at Churchill's desk". Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
6. Chung, Ong Chit (1988). The landward defence of Singapore, 1919-1938. Singapore: Centre for Advanced Studies, National University of Singapore. ISBN 9789971641726.
7. Chung, Ong Chit (2011). Operation Matador : World War II : Britain's attempt to foil the Japanese invasion of Malaya and Singapore. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. ISBN 9789814328470.
8. Chung, Ong Chit (1997). Operation Matador : Britain's war plans against the Japanese 1918 - 1941. Singapore: Times Academic Press. ISBN 9789812100955.
9. "Jurong GRC MP Ong Chit Chung dies". The Straits Times. 14 July 2008. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
10. Dhany Osman (3 August 2008), "Award named after Ong Chit Chung", The Straits Times
11. "Ong Chit Chung Memorial Scholarship".

Further reading

• Lee Hsien Loong (15 July 2008), P.M. Lee Hsien Loong's Condolence Letter on the Demise of Dr. Ong Chit Chung (PDF), National Archives of Singapore.