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David Ong Kim Huat
王金发
Member of Parliament
for Jurong GRC (Bukit Batok)
In office
7 May 2011 – 24 August 2015
Preceded byOng Chit Chung
Succeeded byConstituency redrawn
Member of Parliament
for Bukit Batok SMC
In office
11 September 2015 – 12 March 2016[1]
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byMurali Pillai
Personal details
Born (1961-05-19) 19 May 1961 (age 62)
Singapore, United Kingdom
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		People's Action Party (2008-2016)
Alma materUniversity of Oregon

David Ong Kim Huat (Chinese: 王金发; pinyin: Wáng Jīnfā; born 19 May 1961) is a Singaporean former politician. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), Ong has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong GRC for the division Bukit Batok between 2011 and 2015 and Bukit Batok SMC between 2015 and 2016. Ong have resigned as Member of Parliament and the People's Action Party due to his extramarital affair.

Early life and education

Ong was born in Singapore on 19 May 1961,[2] to a police officer and his wife, a homemaker.[3] He grew up in a small housing flat in Queenstown[3] and attended Margaret Drive Primary School and Gan Eng Seng School. Ong graduated from Tanjong Katong Secondary Technical School in 1979, going on to obtain a degree from the University of Oregon in 1986.[2]

Career

Ong began his professional career in 1986 at CL Computers, which he left in 1989 to join American Express. In 1992, Ong crossed over to Visa International, followed by Reed Elsevier in 1995, and Planet Marketing in 1997, where he stayed on till 2007. From 2001 to 2007, Ong also worked at Publicis Groupe.

Ong started RedDot Publishing Inc. which specializes in providing media solutions for the tourism industry. He was Regional Marketing Director for Visa International before he founded an integrated marketing consultancy agency which was acquired by Publicis Groupe in 2002.

Since 2007, he has been serving as RedDot Publishing's managing director.[2] He is also the Patron of the Singapore Brain Tumor Society and advisor to Singapore Eng Choon Clan.

Politics

Since 1999, Ong served as a grassroots leader in Kreta Ayer–Kim Seng Division. He was the chairman of its Citizens’ Consultative Committee from 2005 to 2011. Ong was appointed a district councillor of the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) in 2004. He chaired the CDC's Networks Committee that is responsible for fostering deeper collaboration with stakeholders to better meet the community's needs. Between 2006 and 2010, Ong was a member of the REACH Supervisory Panel. In January 2010, he was appointed chairman of People's Association Active Ageing Council. He was also a member of the ITE College Central Advisory Committee. Ong was also the vice chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Culture, Community and Youth and member of the GPC for Communication and Information. Ong was also the vice chairman of Southwest Community Development Council and president of Basketball Association of Singapore. He is a Member of PAP Community Foundation's executive committee as well as the National Trade Union Congress U-Care Fund Board of Trustees.

A former member of the Singapore-based political party People's Action Party (PAP) till his abrupt resignation from both party and parliament on 12 March 2016,[4] Ong served previously as a Member of Parliament for the Jurong GRC, as well as the chairman of the Jurong Town Council. Ong was the vice chairman of Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY)'s Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) as well a member of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) GPC.

Ong's sudden retirement on 12 March 2016 from politics as an incumbent People's Action Party Member of Parliament triggered the Bukit Batok by-election which took place on 7 May 2016. The explanation offered by the Singapore media is that Ong has been having an extra marital affair with 41 year-old, Wendy Lim, who is also a member and grassroots volunteer of the People's Action Party.[5] Ong's alleged affair went on over nearly six months before it went public after the husband of Lim lodged a complaint about it.[6]

Personal life

Ong is married with three children.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Woman a grassroots leader in ward". Straits Times. 13 March 2016. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Mr David Ong Kim Huat". Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "David Ong". People's Action Party. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  4. ^ Au-Yong, Rachel (13 March 2016). "Bukit Batok residents shocked by MP David Ong's resignation". The Straits Times. The Straits Times. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  5. ^ hermes (13 March 2016). "Woman who allegedly had affair with MP David Ong is a grassroots leader in Bukit Batok". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  6. ^ hermesauto (12 March 2016). "Bukit Batok MP David Ong resigns, leaves PAP due to personal indiscretion; SDP says it will contest by-election". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
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