He was just as charming and capable as Low Thia Khiang – perhaps even more – and was tipped to be the next in line to take over the Workers’ Party after Low retired as secretary-general.
But a slate of extra-marital affairs saw him expelled from the WP for personal misconduct.
Now, at the age of 47, Yaw Shin Leong has been reported dead.
The news came from an orbituary posted on his Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
The posts said that he died on Fri (10 Nov).
No cause of death was stated.
There was a plea to give his family privacy during this time of grief.
“Your sudden passing leaves a void in our hearts that cannot be filled. We know you are in a better place. We love you deeply. You will live on forever in our hearts.”
Yaw rose from an ordinary WP member in 2001 to the position of Treasurer by the time of his expulsion in 2012.
He replaced Low as WP candidate for Hougang SMC in GE2011, and scored the highest victory for the WP in Hougang its history, winning 64.8 percent of the votes.
However, in 2012, rumours emerged that Yaw was engaging in a series of extra-marital affairs.
Yaw did not comment further on the rumours, and had to vacate his MP seat.
Subsequently, he left Singapore for Myanmar and changed his name to Amos Rao.
