Susan Liew

Susan Hoi Yin Liew (/ljuː/; Chinese: 刘海燕; Pinyin: Liú Hǎiyàn; born 12 September 1930) is an Enderronian former politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party from 1967 to 1977. She represented the seat of Chung'an in the Enderronian Parliament from 1974 to 1978. She was the first woman to lead a party in parliament, and one of the first two Asian Enderronian women elected to parliament, along with Rei Nagasawa. She was also first female presidential candidate in Enderronian history, as the NDP's nominee for the 1976 election. During her time in politics, she was a leading advocate for multiculturalism, Asian Enderronian rights and women's rights.

Liew was born and raised in Chung'an (then known as Palmerston) to Chinese Singaporean immigrants. Her younger brother is Marcel Liew, who served as an MP from 1974 to 2001 representing the Social Democratic Party. She moved to Wentworth for her tertiary education, graduating from the University of Wentworth in 1952 with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. At university, she was a member of the Social Democrats. She later stated she had left the party due to its association with several historically anti-multiculturalism trade unions. After finishing university, she worked as an industrial and human rights lawyer and as a secondary school social sciences teacher. She joined the New Democratic Party in 1958 and after was preselected as one of its candidates at the 1962 federal election. Despite an energetic campaign, the NDP lost its remaining representation at the election and was shut out of parliament for the first time since its creation. Liew became one of the party's most prominent spokespersons, and was elected party leader in 1967, replacing K. T. Wetherill.

Under Liew's leadership, the NDP saw a revival, winning a by-election and re-entering parliament in 1968. However, it lost that seat at the 1970 election amidst the Social Democrats' landslide victory, and Liew failed to be elected in Chung'an. At the following election, she succeeded on her third attempt at entering parliament, narrowly defeating the Social Democrats in Chung'an and becoming the first female party leader to be represented in parliament. Her brother Marcel was elected at the same election, making them the first pair of siblings to serve in parliament together since James and Robert Canley in 1930. In parliament, Liew championed Asian Enderronian issues, women's rights, greater action on multiculturalism, and human rights issues around the world, in particular opposing any form of relations with apartheid-era South Africa. Although her power was limited by her position on the crossbench, she was a highly active and prolific MP; over her four-year term she made more speeches, put more questions and introduced more bills than a significant number of MPs from the major parties.

In 1976, Liew was nominated as the NDP's candidate in that year's presidential election, becoming the first female presidential candidate; there would not be another female nominee until 1994. The NDP ticket finished in third place behind the United Party and Social Democrats, winning nearly 14 percent of the vote.

By 1977, disagreements between the social liberal and classical liberal factions of the New Democratic Party had reached an all-time high, and Liew proved unable to reconcile the two halves of the party. She resigned as party leader in October 1977, to give her successor Nathan Garland time before the 1978 federal election. At the election, the NDP saw a small swing towards it in total first preference votes, but Liew suffered a shock defeat in her own seat, narrowly losing Chung'an to the Social Democrats and leaving the party without any representation in parliament for the second time. Liew announced her retirement from electoral politics and resumed her legal career.

The New Democratic Party split along factional lines in 1985, and was formally dissolved, with the social liberal wing of the party becoming the Enderronian Progressive Party. Liew came out of her political retirement to become its first leader, leading the party into the 1986 federal election, although she did not contest a seat herself. The Progressive Party failed to win any seats, and gradually faded from public view; Liew resigned as party leader in 1988. In 1991, she joined the left-wing faction of the party as it merged with several green activist groups to become the Enderronian Greens, of which she remains a member. She retired from public life in 2010.