MP Irene Ng finds 'man worth waiting for'
It was love at first sight.
And it happened to Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng.
The Straits Times reported today that Ms Ng, 43, will be getting married to Mr Graham Berry, 62, chief executive of the Scottish Arts Council.
He is even prepared to come and settle in Singapore to be with her, as she is still committed to her work as an MP.
"I never asked him to. It was his decision," said Ms Ng.
"He has not decided what he would do in Singapore, but I know that he will be by my side in helping me to become a better MP."
Both of them met each other in August last year, and he proposed in October.
They will be getting married in July this year.
Ms Ng said: "He brings out the best in me, and I hope I do the same for him," said Ms Ng, one of three single women to be elected an MP in 2001.
She will be the first woman MP to get married while in office.
The last time wedding bells rang for an MP was more than 20 years ago, when Mr Ibrahim Othman married his former student in 1985.
Another time was in November 1981, when MP Tan Soo Khoon wed his secretary. Both have since left politics.
The wedding will take place in Scotland on July 7, to be followed by a church ceremony in Singapore on July 28, and a dinner for relatives and friends in Ms Ng's hometown Penang in November, said The Straits Times report.
Her GRC grassroots leaders have volunteered to help, and one of them, Mr Lawrence Chong, will be the best man in Singapore.
In 2001, Ms Ng had started a support group for the unmarried called Singles Connect and yesterday, she said she had asked first-term MP Fatimah Lateef, a single, to lead it.
Even when she is married, she says she "will continue to speak up for singles here".
The proportion of singles in Singapore has been growing. Latest figures show that there are close to 100,000 singles in the 35-44 age group.
It is not the first time that Ms Ng is tying the knot. She did so in her mid-20s, but got an annulment shortly after.
"Graham is a man worth waiting for," said the former journalist who is now a director at NTUC.
When asked how he felt about having an MP wife, Mr Berry said in an e-mail from Scotland: "I will support Irene in her work as an MP because I know it is important to her and is part of her.
"I am attracted to Irene because of the many interests we have in common, her commitment to her work as an MP and the people she represents, particularly those who are less fortunate."
Although it took a while for Ms Ng to catch onto the the fact that Mr Berry was interested in her, it was love at first sight for him.
He said: "I was immediately attracted by her charm, elegance and interest in the arts, as well as by her commitment to her role as an MP."
They met at a reception hosted by Mr Berry during the International Arts Festival in Scotland in August last year.
Ms Ng was on a three-month fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, but did not pay Mr Berry much attention then as she was focused on talking to people about Singapore's plans to be a global arts city.
When he asked her out for lunch to talk about "collaborative ventures" between both countries a day later, she agreed.
But when Ms Ng suggested to Mr Berry that they have lunch together with a Singaporean arts chief who was in Edinburgh at the time "to save time", he insisted on having lunch with her alone.
"I thought he must be very interested in Singapore," she added.
At lunch, he quizzed her on such personal things as her love for writing and why she joined politics.
"It slowly dawned on me that he wanted to get to know me better as a woman, and not so much as an MP," she said. "He was witty, intelligent and very interesting. I sensed a good man in him."
More dates followed, with walks by the coast, hikes and concerts. He proposed just before Ms Ng left for Singapore in October.
"I said I couldn't give him an answer until he visited Singapore and my constituency. It was important to me that he loves both," she said.
He came here in November and loved both. "So I said yes," she said.
It was love at first sight.
And it happened to Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng.
The Straits Times reported today that Ms Ng, 43, will be getting married to Mr Graham Berry, 62, chief executive of the Scottish Arts Council.
He is even prepared to come and settle in Singapore to be with her, as she is still committed to her work as an MP.
"I never asked him to. It was his decision," said Ms Ng.
"He has not decided what he would do in Singapore, but I know that he will be by my side in helping me to become a better MP."
Both of them met each other in August last year, and he proposed in October.
They will be getting married in July this year.Ms Ng said: "He brings out the best in me, and I hope I do the same for him," said Ms Ng, one of three single women to be elected an MP in 2001.
She will be the first woman MP to get married while in office.
The last time wedding bells rang for an MP was more than 20 years ago, when Mr Ibrahim Othman married his former student in 1985.
Another time was in November 1981, when MP Tan Soo Khoon wed his secretary. Both have since left politics.
The wedding will take place in Scotland on July 7, to be followed by a church ceremony in Singapore on July 28, and a dinner for relatives and friends in Ms Ng's hometown Penang in November, said The Straits Times report.
Her GRC grassroots leaders have volunteered to help, and one of them, Mr Lawrence Chong, will be the best man in Singapore.
In 2001, Ms Ng had started a support group for the unmarried called Singles Connect and yesterday, she said she had asked first-term MP Fatimah Lateef, a single, to lead it.
Even when she is married, she says she "will continue to speak up for singles here".
The proportion of singles in Singapore has been growing. Latest figures show that there are close to 100,000 singles in the 35-44 age group.
It is not the first time that Ms Ng is tying the knot. She did so in her mid-20s, but got an annulment shortly after.
"Graham is a man worth waiting for," said the former journalist who is now a director at NTUC.
When asked how he felt about having an MP wife, Mr Berry said in an e-mail from Scotland: "I will support Irene in her work as an MP because I know it is important to her and is part of her.
"I am attracted to Irene because of the many interests we have in common, her commitment to her work as an MP and the people she represents, particularly those who are less fortunate."
Although it took a while for Ms Ng to catch onto the the fact that Mr Berry was interested in her, it was love at first sight for him.
He said: "I was immediately attracted by her charm, elegance and interest in the arts, as well as by her commitment to her role as an MP."
They met at a reception hosted by Mr Berry during the International Arts Festival in Scotland in August last year.
Ms Ng was on a three-month fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, but did not pay Mr Berry much attention then as she was focused on talking to people about Singapore's plans to be a global arts city.
When he asked her out for lunch to talk about "collaborative ventures" between both countries a day later, she agreed.
But when Ms Ng suggested to Mr Berry that they have lunch together with a Singaporean arts chief who was in Edinburgh at the time "to save time", he insisted on having lunch with her alone.
"I thought he must be very interested in Singapore," she added.
At lunch, he quizzed her on such personal things as her love for writing and why she joined politics.
"It slowly dawned on me that he wanted to get to know me better as a woman, and not so much as an MP," she said. "He was witty, intelligent and very interesting. I sensed a good man in him."
More dates followed, with walks by the coast, hikes and concerts. He proposed just before Ms Ng left for Singapore in October.
"I said I couldn't give him an answer until he visited Singapore and my constituency. It was important to me that he loves both," she said.
He came here in November and loved both. "So I said yes," she said.
ai yo at least she marries a scottish white dick .... not like some shitaporan chinese gals here i see with blanga boyfriend oso let them fuck 
