WP’s Terence Tan, a Sitting MP’s Husband, Left WP Since January to Focus on Career & Family

Terence Tan confirmed on 11 April that he left the Workers’ Party (WP) in January 2024 to focus on his career and family.

The 53-year-old is a two-time General Election candidate, who represented the WP in Marine Parade GRC in 2015 and East Coast GRC in 2020.

As a husband with three sons below the age of seven, he feels it would be a better use of his time to support his wife (who is a sitting MP), spend more time with his children, and develop his career.

Party activities tend to be time-consuming, and Mr Tan does not want his three young children to be affected by both parents being heavily involved in politics.

He is currently a director at law firm Robertson Chambers.

Mr Tan continues to be a staunch supporter of the WP, and remains close friends with party leaders such as party chief Pritam Singh and party chair Sylvia Lim.

He does not intend to join any other political party and will continue to volunteer for the WP if and when needed.

How crazy would it be to have your mom and dad in opposing political parties.

Terence Tan And The WP

Terence Tan started volunteering with the WP shortly after the 2011 General Election, and became a member of the party in 2012.

He was in the party’s Central Executive Committee as deputy organising secretary from 2018 to 2020.

During the 2015 General Election, Mr Tan was part of the party’s Marine Parade GRC team alongside his current wife. The team got 35.9% of the vote against the People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by then minister Tan Chuan-Jin.

In 2020, Mr Tan was part of the WP’s team in East Coast GRC, which got 46.6% of the vote against the PAP team led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.

Terence Tan’s Wife, Sengkang GRC MP He Ting Ru

Mr Tan is married to He Ting Ru, a Sengkang GRC MP.

The 40-year-old has been the MP representing the Buangkok division of Sengkang GRC and was elected to the party’s Central Executive Committee as Treasurer since 2020.

Ms He was elected to Parliament that year as part of the WP’s team in Sengkang GRC, which got 52.1% of the vote.

Ms He and Mr Tan were part of the five-member WP team contesting Marine Parade GRC in 2015, during which Mr Tan asked Ms He to marry him.

The couple tied the knot in 2016, and have three sons.

Mr Tan once joked that when you’re in the opposition party, no one wants to marry you, so you have to marry each other.

After stepping down from the WP, Mr Tan will do his best to support his wife, who will continue being an active MP.