Ong Teng Koon

The Honourable
Ong Teng Koon
王鼎昆
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC
In office
11 September 2015 – 23 June 2020
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byPAP held
Majority37,328 (37.46%)
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Sembawang GRC
In office
7 May 2011 – 25 August 2015
Preceded byPAP held
Succeeded byPAP held
Majority36,647 (27.8%)
Personal details
BornOng Teng Koon
(1977-01-13) 13 January 1977
Singapore
PartyPeople's Action Party
Alma materLondon School of Economics
Princeton University
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • politician (former)

Ong Teng Koon[a] (born 13 January 1977)[1] is a Singaporean businessman and former politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Woodgrove division of Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) between 2011 and 2015 and the same division in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC between 2015 and 2020. As a businessman, he worked at Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank before being elected to Parliament.

Education

Ong attended Ai Tong Primary School and received his secondary education from Raffles Institution (RI) before attending the now-defunct Raffles Junior College (RJC).[1] In 2001, he graduated from the London School of Economics with a first-class honours degree in economics; he then studied for a master's degree in finance from Princeton University in 2003.[1][2]

Career

Ong is a businessman. He worked as a commodities trader at Goldman Sachs in Chicago and Tokyo from 2003 to 2008 and at Deutsche Bank in 2009.[1][2][3] He returned to Singapore in 2009.[3] As of March 2015, he had been a commodities trader at Morgan Stanley since 2009.[1]

In 2014, Ong became the third vice-president of the Singapore Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Federation.[4] In 2024, he was reported to be the managing director for Singaporean energy corporation SP PowerInterconnect.[5]

Political career

In 2009, Ong began volunteering for the PAP in the Chong Pang division of Sembawang GRC, working for K. Shanmugam, who was then the Minister for Law and Home Affairs.[2][3] He later worked in the Marsiling division under Hawazi Daipi.[3]

In April 2011, during the leadup to the general election in the same year, Ong made his political debut as a PAP candidate for the five-member Sembawang GRC.[6] He became the MP for the Woodgrove division of the GRC after the PAP team defeated the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) with 63.9% of the vote.[7][8]

In 2013, Ong stated in Parliament that he opposed a motion, proposed by MP for Moulmein–Kallang GRC Denise Phua, to increase the income tax rates of wealthy Singaporeans; he believed that it would cause a net loss of taxes by driving immigration from Singapore. The proposal would increase income tax by 1 p.p. for individuals earning between S$500,000 and $1 million and 1 more p.p., up to 25, per $500,000 in excess of $1 million.[9]

During the 2015 general election, the Woodgrove division was redistricted into the newly created Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC; Ong was subsequently reassigned to said constituency alongside three other members of the PAP.[8] The PAP team defeated the SDP with 68.73% of the vote.[10]

In 2019, Ong stated in Parliament that the government needed to further subsidise the cost of parenting, describing the low fertility rate and ageing as "existential issues" for the survival of Singapore. He suggested increased subsidies for childcare and infant care and remote working for mothers, and emphasised that there was a need to keep income taxes low.[11]

On 28 June 2020, ahead of the general election in the same year, Ong retired from politics. The PAP replaced him with Hany Soh.[12]

On 9 August 2024, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who was also the incumbent MP for the Limbang division of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC, announced at his division's National Day dinner that Ong had been appointed as a second grassroots advisor for the division.[5][b] Ong said that he "ancitipated to meet residents and grassroots leaders" when queried about the key responsibilities of the position.[5]

Personal life

Ong is an only child; his father is Ong Ah Heng, a former PAP MP for the defunct Nee Soon Central Single Member Constituency (SMC).[2][6] He is married and speaks English, Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese.[3] Prior to the 2011 general election, he was reportedly living in a public apartment in Ang Mo Kio.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Chinese: 王鼎昆; pinyin: Wáng Dǐngkūn
  2. ^ An individual appointed for "grassroots engagement and outreach" in a GRC division or single-member constituency (SMC) who, according to the People's Association (PA), has to be aligned with the "Government of the day"; in practice, they are a member of the PAP. They do not need to be the elected MP for the area.[13][14][15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ong Teng Koon | Parliament Of Singapore". Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dad inspired him to join politics". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Toh, Elgin (12 April 2011). "The globetrotting heartlander". The Straits Times – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  4. ^ "连荣华连任会长 武总走向年轻化" [As Liang Eng Hwa becomes president, the (Singapore Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Federation) shifts to becoming young]. Lianhe Wanbao (in Simplified Chinese). 4 July 2014. p. 8 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations). 连荣华接受本报访问时也透露，武总新一届理事，也包括新的第三副会长王鼎昆。他很高兴有这位年轻的新人加入。王鼎昆是三巴旺集选区议员，他的父亲王雅兴当年也曾担任武总副会长。 [When interviewed by us, Liang Eng Hwa revealed that the newest council members of (the Singapore Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Federation) included the new third vice-president Ong Teng Koon. He was happy that this young newcomer was entering (the Federation). Ong Teng Koon is a Member of Parliament for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency; his father, Ong Ah Heng, also used to be a vice-president of the Federation.]
  5. ^ a b c "前国会议员王鼎昆出任林邦基层组织第二顾问 协助黄总理照顾居民". Lianhe Zaobao (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b "PAP introduces seventh batch of new candidates". SingaporeScene. Yahoo News. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  7. ^ "PAP wins Sembawang GRC". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  8. ^ a b "GE2015: PAP unveils full line-up to contest Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  9. ^ Lim, Leonard (7 March 2013). "Playing Robin Hood 'may cause class wars'". The Straits Times. p. 6.
  10. ^ "GE2025: PM Wong's PAP team retains Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC with 73.46% of the votes". The Straits Times. 4 May 2025. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025. This marked an improvement from 2020, when his PAP team defeated the SDP with 63.18 per cent of the votes, and from 2015, when the PAP won by 68.73 per cent.
  11. ^ Lai, Linette (27 February 2019). "Parliament: Do more to subsidise cost of raising kids, such as having $10 pre-school fees, says MP Ong Teng Koon". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Singapore GE2020: Lawrence Wong continues to head PAP's Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC team, new face Hany Soh replaces Ong Teng Koon". The Straits Times. 28 June 2020. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 24 February 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Grassroots Advisers". www.pa.gov.sg. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Grassroots leader Lee Hong Chuang unveiled as PAP's Hougang SMC candidate". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  15. ^ Chong, Zi Liang (22 May 2016). "Masagos: PAP team remains focused on delivering services to Aljunied residents". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  16. ^ Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh (9 August 2017). "Zaqy to take over Marsiling grassroots adviser role". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
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