Zeng Guoyuan (; ; 195316 November 2019), also known as Zeng Guoyan, Thomas Chan Hock Seng and, erroneously, Zeng Guoyung, was a Singaporean businessman, philanthropist, politician, author, and acupuncturist.
Zeng entered politics in 1991, when he became a Workers' Party member; thereafter he renounced his affiliation to the group and became a perennial candidate in Singaporean elections, albeit always dropping out of contention at the last minute. Zeng was also an active acupuncturist who arranged for global meetings and operated an acupuncture centre in Singapore, later changing his focus to selling healthcare products after a string of molestation lawsuits initiated by his patients.
Zeng was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014; this necessitated the excision of his entire nose, which led to significant facial disfigurement, and he became a tissue paper peddler, abandoning his previous jobs. Zeng was found dead in Geylang Bahru, Singapore on 16 November 2019.
Early life
Zeng was born Chan Hock Seng in 1953, the eldest son of a clerk and a homemaker. Zeng became estranged with his siblings following a dispute regarding their father's will. According to a March 1987 Straits Times report, Zeng's highest level of education was secondary school, but Zeng himself claimed to have "a Doctor in Science degree, a Doctor in Medicine degree and a PhD in Complementary Medicine". Between 1977 and 1978, he was President of Dale Carnegie Alumni Association's Lion Chapter of Singapore, an oratorical society.
Career
Early career
Zeng was once a safety officer at a Shell production platform at Pulau Bukom. He officially became a member of the Singapore-based political party Workers' Party (WP) on 18 August 1991 because "the PAP government obviously wants an opposition in Parliament", and was fielded as a candidate for the Bukit Timah Single Member Constituency in the 1991 Singaporean general election. He netted a quarter of the 22,000 votes cast, losing out to the PAP's Wang Kai Yuen. Zeng decided to leave the party that year because, in his words, "in politics, all the crows are black". In a 1996 lawsuit he was involved in, Zeng stated that he contested the 1991 general election only to gain publicity for his acupuncture business.
Perennial candidacy
After leaving the Workers' Party, Zeng became a perennial candidate for election in Singapore. He ran for the Mountbatten Single Member Constituency during the 2006 Singaporean general election, but was unsuccessful. Believing himself to be ineligible for candidacy, Zeng decided not to take part in the 2011 Singaporean general election. He had been present at a nomination centre, with the relevant documents in hand, but upon being reminded of an offence he committed in 2009 he ripped them into pieces and stormed out of the venue while repeatedly underscoring that "they have fixed me up" and "you (the reporters present) know what it is all about" without any elaboration. A news anchor at scene observed that Zeng's nomination papers had been left blank all along.
In May 2012, Zeng announced his intention to contest the 2012 Singaporean by-election, but did not complete the nomination process. Zeng alleged that he was informed that he could not contest because of an offence he had incurred four years ago – scolding two police officers with vulgarities, to which he argued it was his bird that committed the deed. It was later clarified in an official statement by the Singapore Elections Department that Zeng "did not file his nomination papers". During the 2013 Singaporean by-election, Zeng decided not to contest as he suspected a conspiracy against him, claiming that he first needed "the President's pardon". He also explained that he wanted to give in to candidates of higher caliber than him, adding that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread".
In August 2015, he declared that he would be contesting the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency, pledging to "fight until the end", but after less than a week he changed his mind, citing his being the only independent running, his good ties with Chiam See Tong, and not wanting his participation to cause a three-cornered-contest as reasons for his withdrawal. Furthermore, he revealed he could not have secured the election deposit alone and was relying on his "fifteen compassionate backers".