Howard Ong, brother of Ong Ye Kung, loses his election for Australian parliament

Brothers in polls.

Tan Min-Wei

May 04, 2025, 02:59 AM

Howard Ong, the older brother of Ong Ye Kung, Singapore's health minister, is projected to lose his bid for the Australian seat of Tangney in Australia's parliament.

Trailing

ABC reports that Ong was trailing by 12 per cent with over half of the votes counted.

Ong, who moved to Australia to pursue higher education 28 years ago, was contesting the Western Australian seat of Tangney in Perth.

Ong was described by the Guardian as the son of a "leftist firebrand" 'who was arrested for his opposition to the party his son may one day lead'.

He had spoken to The Straits Times earlier in April, confirming his relationship with his younger brother, and saying that "Our family has always had a strong commitment to serving the community, and I have carried that commitment with me."

By a stroke of coincidence, Australia and Singapore held their general elections on the same day, May 3.

This means that both elder and younger Ongs were contesting their seats at the same time.

The younger Ong appears to have had more success, with a vote share of 67 per cent.

Dolphin trainer

He was beaten by the Malaysian born Sam Lim, notably a former dolphin trainer, who ran for the incumbent Labor party.

Lim, who was also a former police officer, is the incumbent for the seat as well, a "surprise win" in 2022 according to ABC.

Lim's victory adds to the growing Labor majority as prime minister Anthony Albanese swept back to government despite initially trailing in the polls earlier in the year.