View source for Ling How Doong

{{Short description|Singaporean politician and lawyer (died 2021)}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name             = Ling How Doong
| native_name = {{nobold|{{lang|zh-hans|林孝谆}}}}
|image            = Ling How Doong.jpg
|image_size       = 200
|order            = 
|office          = 7th [[Leader of the Opposition (Singapore)|Leader of the Opposition]]
|primeminister  = [[Goh Chok Tong]]
|term_start      = 17 May 1993
|term_end        = 16 December 1996
|predecessor     = Chiam See Tong 
|successor       = [[Chiam See Tong]] 
|office1           = 2nd Chairman of the [[Singapore Democratic Party]]
|term_start1       = 1984
|term_end1         = 2007
|predecessor1      = Fok Tai Loy
|successor1        = Gandhi Ambalam
| constituency_MP2= [[Bukit Gombak Single Member Constituency|Bukit Gombak SMC]]
| parliament2     = Singapore
| term_start2     = 31 August 1991
| term_end2       = 16 December 1996
| majority2       = 654 (2.8%)
| predecessor2    = [[Seet Ai Mee]] ([[People's Action Party|PAP]])
| successor2      = [[Ang Mong Seng]] ([[People's Action Party|PAP]])
| birth_date       = {{birth year|1934}}
| birth_place      = [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]], [[Straits Settlements]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age|2021|4|30|1934|df=yes}}
| death_place      = [[Singapore]]
| citizenship      = 
| nationality      = Singaporean
| party            = [[Singapore Democratic Party]]<br />(1984–2007)
| spouse           = Toh Siew Ing
| children         = 3
| alma_mater       = 
| occupation       = 
| profession       =  Lawyer
}}{{family name hatnote|[[Lin (surname)|Ling]]|lang=Chinese}}
'''Ling How Doong''' ({{zh|s=林孝谆|t=林孝諄|poj=Lîm Hàu-chùn|p=Lín Xiàozhūn}}; 1934 – 30 April 2021) was a Singaporean politician and lawyer. A former member of the opposition [[Singapore Democratic Party]] (SDP), he served as the [[Parliament of Singapore|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Bukit Gombak Single Member Constituency|Bukit Gombak SMC]] between 1991 and 1996 and [[Leader of the Opposition (Singapore)|Leader of the Opposition]] between 1993 and 1996.

==Education==
Ling was educated at [[Anglo-Chinese School]] and [[Nan Hua High School]]. He was [[Call to the Bar|called to the Bar]] at the [[Middle Temple]] in [[London]] in 1972 to practice as a lawyer.

==Political career==
Ling was the [[chairman of the Singapore Democratic Party]] in 1991 when, in a surprise result, he defeated the incumbent MP from the governing [[People's Action Party]] (PAP), Dr. [[Seet Ai Mee]], to win the constituency of Bukit Gombak at the general election. Ling won 51.4% of the votes in the constituency to Dr Seet's 48.6%. Ling was one of three SDP MPs to be elected – with the party's leader [[Chiam See Tong]] retaining his seat in [[Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency|Potong Pasir]], and [[Cheo Chai Chen]] winning in [[Nee Soon Central Single Member Constituency|Nee Soon Central]]. The leader of the [[Workers' Party of Singapore|Workers' Party]], [[Low Thia Khiang]], was also elected in [[Hougang Single Member Constituency|Hougang]], giving the opposition parties a total of four seats. At the previous election, Chiam had been the only opposition MP to win a seat, so the results were seen as a significant success for the opposition.<ref>{{cite web |last=Shenon |first=Philip |date=1 September 1991 |title=Victory Is Short of Singapore Premier's Hopes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/01/world/victory-is-short-of-singapore-premier-s-hopes.html |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

In 1994, the SDP appointed Ling to take over from Chiam as the party's parliamentary leader after Chiam fell out with the rest of the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC). Chiam resigned as the party's Secretary-General and was replaced by [[Chee Soon Juan]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Part 2: Chiam's expulsion - What really happened? - Chiam's exit from the SDP - The Truth About - Perspective - Welcome to the Singapore Democrats|url=http://yoursdp.org/publ/the_truth_about/chiam_39_s_exit_from_the_sdp/part_2_chiam_39_s_expulsion_what_really_happened/11-1-0-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116084347/http://yoursdp.org/publ/the_truth_about/chiam_39_s_exit_from_the_sdp/part_2_chiam_39_s_expulsion_what_really_happened/11-1-0-17|archive-date=16 November 2018|access-date=2018-05-28|website=yoursdp.org|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Ling hit the headlines in 1995 after Chiam whispered something into his ear during a debate in Parliament, to which Ling loudly responded "Don't talk cock!" (a [[Singlish]] phrase meaning "Don't speak nonsense").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/resource/NonPDF/1995/19951205/19951205-HA-0650409.htm |title=Text of letter by Ling to the Speaker of Parliament confirming the incident (archived at Parliament of Singapore website). |access-date=25 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130401/http://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/resource/NonPDF/1995/19951205/19951205-HA-0650409.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ling was formally censured by Parliament for using inappropriate language in the chamber as a result of this.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Yufeng|first=Kok|date=2021-05-01|title=Former SDP chairman Ling How Doong, who was Bukit Gombak MP, dies at age 85|language=en|work=The Straits Times|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/former-sdp-chairman-ling-how-doong-85-dies|access-date=2021-10-22|issn=0585-3923}}</ref>

Ling was defeated in his bid to be re-elected as MP for Bukit Gombak at the 1997 general election, losing to the PAP's [[Ang Mong Seng]]. Ling won 28.4% of the votes to Ang's 65.1%, with Syed Farid Wajidi from SPP taking 6.5% of the votes.<ref>{{cite web|date=2011-06-22|title=Lee shares approach on how to take on the PAP|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/2/12/asia/13370596&sec=asia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622075020/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/2/12/asia/13370596&sec=asia|archive-date=22 June 2011|access-date=2021-05-04|website=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= |title=1997 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1997.html#B |access-date=2021-05-04 |website=www.eld.gov.sg |language=en}}</ref>

For the 2001 general election, Ling's old seat of Bukit Gombak was abolished following boundary changes. Ling stood in Cheo's former constituency of Nee Soon Central, and was defeated by the PAP's [[Ong Ah Heng]]. Ling received 21.5% of the votes to Ong's 78.5%.<ref>{{cite web |last= |title=2001 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary2001.html#N |access-date=2021-05-04 |website= |language=}}</ref>

At the 2006 general election, Ling contested the seat of [[Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency|Bukit Panjang]]. He won 22.8% of the votes, losing to the PAP's [[Teo Ho Pin]] who gained 77.2%.<ref>{{cite web |last= |title=2006 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary2006.html#B |access-date=2021-05-04 |website= |language=}}</ref> During the election campaign, he was threatened with a [[defamation]] lawsuit by [[Prime Minister of Singapore|Prime Minister]] [[Lee Hsien Loong]] and former Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]] as a result of an article published in the SDP's party newspaper. On 24 April 2006, Ling said that he would not apologise as he did not know about the article until it had been published.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/204722/1/.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071001062602/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/204722/1/.html |archive-date=1 October 2007 |title=Ahead of deadline, SDP says it won't apologise to PM and MM |url-status=dead |access-date=3 September 2016}}</ref> However he eventually agreed to a settlement and issued an apology for the publication of the article.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yktaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ESgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1210,2245916&dq=ling-how-doong&hl=en Threatened opposition leaders apologize to Lees]; The Manila Times (17 May 2006)</ref>

Ling retired from politics in 2007.

== Personal life ==
Ling was married to Toh Siew Ing and had three sons.<ref name=":0" />

==Death==
Ling suffered from chronic lung disease and had trouble swallowing. After surgery to insert a feeding tube into his abdomen, he contracted pneumonia and died on 30 April 2021 at age 86.<ref name=":0" /> His funeral wake was held at Singapore Casket in Lavender Street on the following day and his cremation was at [[Mandai Crematorium]] on 4 May 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daud |first1=Sulaiman |title=Ling How Doong, former MP & SDP chairman, dies at 85 |url=https://mothership.sg/2021/05/ling-how-doong-sdp-dies |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=Mothership |date=1 May 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Singapore Legal Profession}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ling, How Doong}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Anglo-Chinese School alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Singapore]]
[[Category:Singapore Democratic Party politicians]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Chinese descent]]