Ch'ng Jit Koon

Ch'ng Jit Koon (19 February 1934 – 1 March 2024) was a Chinese-born Singaporean former politician. A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tiong Bahru Constituency from 1968 to 1988, the MP for Tiong Bahru Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 1989 to 1991, and the MP for Bukit Merah Single Member Constituency (SMC) from 1992 to 1996.

Ch'ng also served as the Second Adviser to Tanjong Pagar Grassroots from 1975 to 1996 and served as Senior Minister of State for Community Development from 1985 to 1991. He also introduced ministerial walkabouts.

Early life and education Ch'ng Jit Koon was born in 1934 in Hui'an County, Quanzhou, China and moved to the Straits Settlements (present-day Singapore) in 1935. His father worked as an assistant manager. During the Japanese occupation, Ch'ng worked at a soap factory, preventing him from being drafted as a labourer for the Japanese.

Ch'ng was educated at Chung Cheng High School and Beatty Secondary School. Ch'ng got a Bachelor of Arts degree at Nanyang University and was also a member at the council at Nanyang University. He was also the treasurer of the Nanyang University and the chairman of Tanglin Technical Secondary School Advisory Committee.

Career Ch'ng made his political debut at the 1968 general election, contesting Tiong Bahru Constituency and was elected unopposed. In the 1972 general election, Ch'ng sought a second term for Tiong Bahru Constituency but was challenged by Seow Yong Chew from Workers' Party (WP) and Richard Lee Kah Chit from United National Front. In the 1980 and 1984 general elections, he remained as the MP for Tiong Bahru Constituency uncontested. Ch'ng also introduced ministerial walkabouts in 1984.

After the dissolution of Tiong Bahru Constituency, during the 1988 general election, he, along with Chng Hee Kok and S. Vasoo, contested Tiong Bahru GRC. They won with 57.84% of the vote against the WP's group of Low Thia Khiang, Lim Lye Soon, and Gopalan Nair.

In the 1991 general election, after the dissolution of Tiong Bahru Group Representation Constituency, Ch'ng contested for MP of Bukit Merah SMC against Gopalan Nair from WP and Independent Patrick Leong Siew Choong. He retired from politics in 1997 and worked at Keppel Finance as a board director.

Personal life In 2015, Ch'ng was awarded the Distinguished Service Order at the National Day Awards. Ch'ng's father suffered from tuberculosis in 1939 till his death in 1951.