Ex-trade unionist, Barisan Socialis leader Fong Swee Suan, 85, dies
Barisan Socialis leader, People’s Action Party (PAP) co-founder and former left-wing trade unionist Fong Swee Suan died on Saturday (4 February) at the age of 85.
Fong’s son, author Otto Fong, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday of his father’s death saying, “Yesterday as I took a walk with my dog, you quietly slipped away and left one last gentle smile. You must know you gave us a better land and better lives than you had yourself. Goodbye, my father.”
The late Fong was born in 1931, in the Senggarang township within the Batu Pahat district of Johor.
He came to Singapore in 1950 to study at the Chinese High School, which is where he met fellow future Barisan Socialis leader Lim Ching Siong. Fong was introduced to Lee Kuan Yew in 1954 through members of Singapore Chinese Middle School Students’ Union (SCMSSU) and joined Lee in starting the PAP later that year.
Continuing with his union activist work, Fong was arrested in 1955 for his involvement in the strike that later escalated into the Hock Lee Bus riots. He was again detained in 1956 over his alleged involvement in the SCMSSU riots.
Fong, together with Lim and other unionists, split with the PAP in 1961 over the idea of Singapore’s merger with Malaysia, and formed Barisan Socialis.
He was arrested as part of the anti-communist Operation Cold Store sweep in 1963 and was taken to Malaysia, where he was detained until 1967. Banned from Singapore, Fong worked in Malaysia and only returned to the Republic after the ban was lifted in 1990.
Fong leaves behind a wife, fellow trade unionist Chen Poh Cheng, two sons and a daughter. His wake will be held at the Mount Vernon Sanctuary from Sunday evening until 4pm on Tuesday.
