Group 3:Fong Swee Suan

To us, a hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Fong Swee Suan played an important leading role in the trade union movement and the anticolonial struggle in Singapore, earning him the hatred of the British colonial regime and its supporters. He was the Secretary General of the Singapore Bus Workers Union, which explains how he became involved in the Hock Lee Bus Riots in 1955, where workers demanded better working conditions.


In May 1955, Fong initiated and led the Hock Lee Bus Riot.He challenges the people as they form human barriers by sitting on the ground and so services of bus transport were severely disrupted paralyzed .Fong Swee Suan then declared an official strike, urging all bus companies to stage a sympathy strike if the dispute was not settled. The dispute escalated when the Hock Lee Bus Company retaliated by dismissing 229 workers, belonging to Fong Swee Suan’s Union.After that,Strikers went on hunger strike and picketed the depot.

I believed that he possesses qualities like courage,determination and his quick-witted mind to help him overcome the many challenges that Hock Lee Bus Riots gave him.He was also calm, thinking a way to solve the challenges.