Ch’ng Jit Koon, former Senior Minister of State who pioneered ministerial walkabouts, dies aged 90

SINGAPORE: Mr Ch’ng Jit Koon, who served in politics for 28 years as a Member of Parliament and Senior Minister of State, died on Friday (Mar 1) at the age of 90.

Mr Ch’ng began his political career in 1968 when he was elected to Singapore’s second parliament as MP for Tiong Bahru. He served there until 1991, when he was moved to Bukit Merah, where he was MP for one last term, retiring in 1996.

He was a Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, and later a Minister of State and Senior Minister of State for Community Development. 

For his contributions, Mr Ch’ng was awarded the Distinguished Service Order at the 2015 National Day Awards.

In a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to Mr Ch’ng, describing the People’s Action Party veteran as a “treasured Old Guard comrade”. 

Mr Ch’ng was close to founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who once characterised him as “absolutely first-rate” and having “excellent interpersonal skills”, wrote the younger Mr Lee on Saturday. Mr Ch’ng served as one of the pallbearers at Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s funeral in 2015.

Mr Ch’ng was particularly adept at connecting government leaders to the people and initiated the practice of ministerial walkabouts, which continues to this day, the Prime Minister added.