Former PAP ‘Kopitiam MP’ Ong Ah Heng dies at 84 after enjoying years of riches and wealth accumulation with the PAP

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Former PAP ‘Kopitiam MP’ Ong Ah Heng dies at 84​

Former PAP MP Ong Ah Heng was known as the “Kopitiam MP” for his close rapport with workers

PHOTO: ST FILE

Chin Soo Fang


Published May 06, 2026, 08:47 PM
Updated May 07, 2026, 12:35 AM

SINGAPORE – Former PAP MP Ong Ah Heng, who was known as the “Kopitiam MP” for his close rapport with workers, died on May 5. He was 84.

The PAP stalwart was already a grassroots leader in Nee Soon Central when he stood for election there as a PAP candidate in 1997 and wrested the single seat from the Singapore Democratic Party.

The three-term MP served the constituency till 2011 before retiring from politics.

Mr Ong, who joined the People’s Action Party in 1964, acted as election agent to founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in the 1976, 1980, 1988 and 1991 general elections. In 2015, he helped campaign for the Nee Soon PAP team.

A veteran union leader, Mr Ong joined the labour movement in 1980 and served many years as executive secretary of the National Transport Workers’ Union, before rising within the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to become assistant secretary-general.

“I owe a lot to the meritocratic system. There are very few countries where you could start as a construction worker and end up with a master’s degree,” he told NTUC News in 1996. “It is right that I repay society by involving myself in community work – in the labour movement and in other grassroots organisations.”

Mr Ong later became an independent non-executive director at ComfortDelGro before retiring from the board in 2020.

In his social media post on May 6, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Mr Ong devoted his life to serving Singapore and Singaporeans, and leaves behind a legacy of service and dedication.

“He spoke up tirelessly for workers and ordinary Singaporeans, always grounded in the concerns of the people he served,” PM Wong said. “Many of us will remember Ah Heng as a down-to-earth and deeply loyal comrade. He was steadfast in his convictions and fought for what he believed in.”

He added: “Ah Heng had just stepped down when I entered politics in 2011. But he was always ready to offer advice and support.”

Mr Ong’s son, Mr Ong Teng Koon, later became PM Wong’s fellow MP in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, and now continues to serve residents in Limbang as second adviser.

Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said he first knew Mr Ong not just as a fellow MP, but also as someone who embodied the quiet ethic of service that underpins Singapore’s labour movement and grassroots work.

Describing him as “grounded” and “approachable” in a Facebook post on May 6, Mr Shanmugam said Mr Ong was always guided by a belief in giving back in different ways. Beyond politics, Mr Ong continued to contribute and took on public service roles.

“Those of us who served alongside him knew this well. He believed in staying close to the ground. Close to the people,” Mr Shanmugam said.

Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam recalled of Mr Ong: “From afar, he carried a certain aura. You sensed immediately that he belonged to a generation of unionists who had fought many battles and earned their respect the hard way.”

In his Facebook post on May 6, Mr Yam said that Mr Ong remained active in the party after he stepped down from Parliament, and was always available with advice and counsel.

“What stayed with me was not the aura I once saw from afar, but the warmth he showed to younger comrades,” he said.

Mr Ong leaves behind his wife, son, daughter-in-law, goddaughter and two grandchildren.

Mr Ong Teng Koon said his father had been sick for some time and was a fighter till the end.

“PAP was very important to my father, and his hero was Mr Lee Kuan Yew,” he told The Straits Times. “He was his happiest being a party member, serving the ground and being part of the labour movement.”

He said many of Mr Ong’s former bosses, peers and colleagues visited his father’s wake in Ang Mo Kio, and described him as being humble, down-to-earth and loyal.

His father, who brought him into the PAP and politics, was a source of pride and inspiration, Mr Ong Teng Koon said.

“He has led a full and fruitful life,” he said. “I salute my father.”

Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times, covering a wide range of topics including community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage