Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Singapore Politician)

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Dennis Tan Lip Fong
Dennis Tan.jpg
Born31 August 1970
EducationBachelor of Laws (Honours), Master of Maritime Law
Alma materUniversity of Nottingham, University of Southampton

For a complete directory of the 192 candidates in Singapore's 2020 General Elections, click here.

Dennis Tan Lip Fong (born 31 August 1970) is a shipping lawyer and a member of the Workers’ Party (WP).[1] He contested in the 2015 Singapore General Elections in Fengshan SMC. While he lost to the People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate, he was appointed as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) in the 13th Parliament and served on the Public Petitions Committee of Parliament. In June 2020, he was announced as a WP candidate for the 2020 General Elections and contested in Hougang SMC.[2][3] As of July 2020, he is an elected Member of Parliament (MP).

Background

During his National Service, Dennis Tan served as a battalion principal staff officer holding the rank of Captain before phasing into MINDEF Reserve.[4] As of June 2020, he is a shipping lawyer at the maritime law firm, DennisMathiew which he co-founded in 2005.[5] He is married with a four-year-old daughter.[6][7]

Education

Dennis Tan attended Nanyang Primary School. After which, he enrolled in Raffles Institution and went on to Raffles Junior College. He furthered his studies at the University of Nottingham and graduated with an honours degree in law. He then received his master’s degree in marine law after graduating from the University of Southampton.[8][9]

Workers’ Party - Grassroots & party involvement

Dennis Tan pictured at Bedok Blk 85 Fengshan Market in January 2020. Photo from Dennis Tan's Facebook.

Dennis Tan started volunteering with the WP in 2011.[10][11] He has experience assisting Png Eng Huat, the former MP for Hougang SMC in Grassroots work. In WP, he is a member of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and held the position of Treasurer before becoming the Organising Secretary.[12]

Politics

General Elections 2020 - Candidate (Hougang SMC)

Dennis Tan was introduced as a Workers’ Party (WP) candidate on 26 June 2020.[13] According to his profile on the Workers’ Party website, his hopes for Singapore are:[14]

1. More alternate voices in Parliament, because the PAP does not have all the answers to the present and future challenges which Singapore faces.
2. More robust political competition, which is necessary for the long-term survival of the country; the PAP’s super-majority in Parliament is bad for our country.
3. For Singaporeans to have a greater say on how they would like their country to be, and for the government of the day to always respect the wishes of the people.

Dennis Tan won Hougang SMC with 61.19 per cent of the votes.[15]

Parliament - Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) (2015 - 2020)

As the losing candidate in the 2015 General Election, Dennis Tan was handed the position of an NCMP.[16] He has spoken regularly in Parliament on issues that include - MRT breakdowns,[17] training safety for NS personnel, climate change and recycling, corporate governance of Singapore’s government-linked companies (GLCs), and law.[18] In light of the COVID-19 situation in Singapore, he has called for more assistance for individuals and small businesses affected by the pandemic.[19]

General Election 2015 - Candidate (Fengshan SMC)

In the 2015 General Elections, Dennis Tan contested for Fengshan SMC (which has been absorbed into East Coast GRC as of 2020).[20] He garnered 42.5 per cent of the votes cast and lost to the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Cheryl Chan by a narrow margin.[21]

References/ Citations

  1. "Curriculum Vitae". Parliament Singapore. Accessed on 1 July 2020.
  2. Tan, Audrey. “Singapore GE2020: WP’s Low Thia Khiang joins NCMP Dennis Tan on walkabout in Hougang”. The Straits Times. June 28, 2020. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  3. Wong, Cassandra. “GE2020: Workers’ Party unveils 5 more candidates including ex-NCMP Dennis Tan”. Yahoo News Singapore. June 26, 2020. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  4. Dennis Tan Lip Fong”. Workers’ Party. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  5. Your Trusted Maritime Law Firm”. DennisMathiew. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  6. Dennis Tan Lip Fong”. Workers’ Party. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  7. "Singapore GE2020: Profiles of Workers' Party's new candidates". The Straits Times. June 26, 2020. Accessed on 1 July 2020.
  8. "Curriculum Vitae". Parliament Singapore. Accessed on 1 July 2020.
  9. Dennis Tan Lip Fong”. Workers’ Party. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  10. Lim, Kimberly Anne. “Hougang SMC: WP’s Png Eng Huat passing torch to NCMP Dennis Tan?”. AsiaOne. June 23, 2020. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  11. Gurmeit’s running! No, not that one”. The New Paper. August 31, 2015. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  12. Workers’ Party appoints new office bearers after Central Executive Committee meeting”. Channel News Asia. April 13, 2018. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  13. "Singapore GE2020: Profiles of Workers' Party's new candidates". The Straits Times. June 26, 2020. Accessed on 1 July 2020.
  14. Dennis Tan Lip Fong”. Workers’ Party. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  15. "2020 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Accessed on 13 July 2020.
  16. Yong, Nicholas. "GE2020: Singaporeans shouldn’t think NCMPs can replace elected opposition MPs – WP Dennis Tan". Yahoo! News. June 30, 2020. Accessed on 1 July 2020.
  17. GOV.sg. "Exchange between NCMP Dennis Tan and Minister Khaw on tunnel flooding incident". YouTube. November 7, 2017. Accessed on 1 July 2020.
  18. Dennis Tan Lip Fong”. Workers’ Party. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  19. The Workers’ Party. “Parliamentary Speech by Dennis Tan, on the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets”. Facebook. April 13, 2020. Accessed on 30 June 2020.
  20. The Workers' Party. Facebook. September 9, 2015. Accessed on 1 July 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/workersparty/photos/dennis-tan-candidate-for-fengshan-smc-if-you-would-like-the-employment-policies-/1173648925985022/
  21. "Singapore GE2020: Profiles of Workers' Party's new candidates". The Straits Times. June 26, 2020. Accessed on 1 July 2020.