Lina Loh

Lina Loh Woon Lee (Chinese: 罗文丽; pinyin: Luó Wénlì; born 1949), also known as Lina Chiam, is a Singaporean former politician. She was the chairwoman of Singapore People's Party (SPP) between 2012 and 2019 and committee member of Singapore People's Party since 2019 and was previously the NCMP between 2011 and 2015 of the 12th Parliament of Singapore.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Loh.
Lina Lee
罗文丽
Chairwoman of the Singapore People's Party
In office
2012–2019
Secretary-GeneralChiam See Tong
Preceded bySin Kek Tong
Succeeded byJose Raymond
Non-Constituency Member of the
12th Parliament of Singapore
In office
12 May 2011 – 23 August 2015
Preceded bySylvia Lim (WP)
Succeeded byDaniel Goh (WP)
Dennis Tan (WP)
Leon Perera (WP)
Personal details
Born1949
Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Political partySingapore People's Party
Spouse
​
(m. 1975)​
Children1
OccupationPolitician

A former member of the opposition Singapore People's Party (SPP), she contested in the 2011 and 2015 generel election in Potong Pasir SMC, but lost to the governing People's Action Party's Sitoh Yih Pin in both elections.

Political career

2011 general election

Loh formally entered politics during the 2011 general election when she contested as a SPP candidate in Potong Pasir SMC. Loh ultimately lost to the PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin by a narrow margin of 114 votes (0.72%), garnering 49.64% of the vote against Sitoh's 50.36%.[1]

Despite her electoral defeat as the best performing defeated candidate, Loh qualified for a seat in the 12th Parliament as a Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) by virtue of being one of the "best losers" in an election in which fewer than nine opposition Members of Parliament had been elected. She accepted the NCMP seat on 12 May 2011[2] and served in the 12th Parliament from 12 May 2011 to 23 August 2015.

2015 general election

During the 2015 general election, Loh contested under the SPP banner in Potong Pasir SMC, but lost to the PAP's Sitoh Yih Pin again, garnering 33.61% of the vote against Sitoh's 66.39%.[3] Since there were six opposition Members of Parliament had been elected in the 2015 general election, only three NCMP seats would be offered. Loh's electoral result in Potong Pasir SMC was lower than that of the opposition candidates so she was not offered a NCMP seat in the 13th Parliament. [3]

2020 general election and after

Loh and Chiam did not contest in the 2020 general election[4] due to Chiam's declining health, which had led to him stepping down from his position as the SPP's secretary-general on 16 October 2019.[5] Loh remains a member of the SPP's central executive committee after stepping down as its chairwoman in 2019.[6]

Charity work

On 9 March 2017, Loh and Chiam launched the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund at the Old Parliament House to help needy athletes achieve their sporting dreams.[7] They are the co-patrons of the organisation, which is chaired by their daughter, Camilla Chiam.[8]

Personal life

Loh came from a Hakka Chinese family in Sungai Besi, a suburb of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. She was trained as a nurse at the Royal London Hospital and had worked for two years as a nurse in Singapore. She quit her job as a nurse to help with administrative work at Chiam's law firm, Chiam & Co, which operated from 1976 to 2002.[9]

Loh met Chiam in London in 1973.[10] They married in Singapore in 1975 when Chiam was 40 and Loh was 26, and have a daughter, Camilla.[11]

References
  1. "2011 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Lina Chiam takes up NCMP seat". AsiaOne. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. "2015 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  4. Abdul Aziz, Sazali (30 June 2020). "Singapore GE2020: Sitoh Yih Pin to defend seat in Potong Pasir against opposition newcomer Jose Raymond". The Straits Times. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. Koh, Fabian (16 October 2019). "Chiam See Tong steps down as SPP chief, ending storied political career that spanned more than four decades". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  6. "About Us: Singapore People's Party". Singapore People's Party. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  7. Osman, Shamir (10 March 2017). "Veteran politician Chiam sets up sports foundation". The New Paper. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. "Chiam See Tong Sports Fund". Chiam See Tong Sports Fund. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  9. Loke, Hoe Yeong (2014). Let the People Have Him: Chiam See Tong: The Early Years. Singapore: Epigram Books. ISBN 9789810791735.
  10. "She held his hand, now she holds the reins". The New Paper. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. Chew, Hui Min (12 March 2015). "Chiam See Tong, secretary-general of the Singapore People's Party, turns 80". The Straits Times. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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