Dennis Tan

陈立峰Member of Parliament
for Hougang SMCAssumed office
10 July 2020Preceded byPng Eng HuatNon-Constituency Member of the
13th Parliament of SingaporeIn office
16 September 2015 – 22 June 2020Preceded byYee Jenn Jong
Gerald Giam
Lina ChiamSucceeded byLeong Mun Wai
Hazel Poa Personal detailsBorn (1970-08-31) 31 August 1970 (age 53)^[1]
SingaporePolitical partyWorkers' PartySpouseTan Hui TsingChildren1Alma materUniversity of Nottingham (LLB)
University of Southampton (LLM)Occupation

Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Chinese: 陈立峰; pinyin: Chén Lìfēng; born 31 August 1970)^[1] is a Singaporean politician and lawyer. A member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), Tan was elected to the Workers’ Party Central Executive Committee member as Organising Secretary since 2022. He was previously the NCMP between 2015 and 2020. Tan has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Hougang SMC since 2020.

Education

Tan was educated at Nanyang Primary School, Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College before he went on to read law at the University of Nottingham.^[2] After graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) in 1994, Tan attended the Bar Professional Training Course in London and became a barrister-at-law at the Middle Temple. Later, he completed a Master of Laws in maritime law at the University of Southampton in 2005.^[3]

Political career

Tan started as a volunteer with the Workers' Party during the 2011 general election, becoming a member in early 2012. He contested in the 2015 general election in Fengshan SMC and obtained 42.5% of the polled votes. Following the election, Tan was appointed a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) in the 13th Parliament, serving on the Public Petitions Committee of Parliament. He was previously a Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) of the 13th Parliament of Singapore from 16 September 2015 to 22 June 2020.^[4][5]

At the 2020 general election, Png Eng Huat stepped down as Member of Parliament of Hougang SMC. Tan stood as a candidate in Hougang SMC.^[6] During the campaign he complained that some of his campaign posters had been "pulled down" by the ruling PAP from their original height. However, in response, the Elections Department said that this was because the candidates posters had been posted at an incorrect height and could obstruct the sight of motorists.^[7]

He defeated PAP's Lee Hong Chuang with 61.21% of the vote, retaining the seat for WP.^[8]

Tan is a member of the Workers’ Party Central Executive Committee where he serves as the Organising Secretary. He has also previously served as Treasurer and vice-chair of the party's media team.^[9] He was elected to the Workers’ Party Central Executive Committee member as Organising Secretary and as a member of the Estate and Liaison Committee and Chairman of the Aljuined—Hougang Town Council since 2022.

Personal life

Tan has practised as a shipping lawyer since 1997. Prior to becoming an advocate and solicitor at the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1997, Tan was a barrister-at-law at the Middle Temple in London. He re-qualified as a solicitor at the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1999 while working in the English law firm Stephenson Harwood. He was previously a partner in Ang & Partners, a shipping law firm. In 2005, he started the shipping law firm, DennisMathiew, with a partner. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in United Kingdom.

Tan participates in triathlons, and is fluent in Hokkien and Teochew. He is married to Tan Hui Tsing, also a lawyer and a Workers' Party member. Together they have a daughter.^[10]

References

External links

• Dennis Tan on Parliament of Singapore
• Dennis Tan on Facebook

Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Png Eng Huat	Member of Parliament for Hougang SMC 2020 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Gerald Giam Yee Jenn Jong Lina Chiam	Non-Constituency Member of Parliament 2016 - 2020 Served alongside: Daniel Goh, Leon Perera	Succeeded by Hazel Poa Leong Mun Wai