Chan Choy Siong


Chan Choy Siong was a Singaporean politician and activist for women's rights in Singapore. Chan was one of the first women to be elected a member of parliament in Singapore, and wife of Ong Pang Boon, a prominent first-generation member of the People's Action Party.

Biography

Chan grew up poor in Chinatown. She attended Nanyang Girls' High School, but was unable to complete her studies because of financial restraints. Her father supported her pursuit of an education. When she was only twenty, she joined the new People's Action Party. Chan was committed to securing equal rights for women in Singapore, including equality in pay and for an end to legal polygamy.
In 1956, Chan, Ho Puay Choo and Oh Siew Chen created the Women's League within PAP. Chan was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the PAP in 1957. That year, she was also elected to be a city councillor. Chan, and seven other women were elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1959. Chan served as member of parliament between 1959 and 1970 and was one of the first women active in Singaporean politics. Chan pushed for the passage of the Women's Charter and a monogamy proposal. In 1961, she created and led the Women's Affairs Bureau of PAP. Also in 1961, the Women's Charter was passed.
Chan retired from politics in 1970. In 1981, she died in a car accident.

Legacy

In 2005, she was honored by the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations by being added to the Wall of Fame. In 2014, Chan was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.

Citations