About Me

1. CHILDHOOD

1.1. Born in a humble, poor farmer’s family.

1.2. Parents lived in wooden hut built by tree bark.

1.3. Lost mother at the tender age of five.

1.4. Brought up by elder brothers, sisters and sisters-in-law.

2. TEEN

2.1. Had to endure one-hour walk through rubber estates and scary forests to school.

2.2. Appointed as class monitor as recognition by teachers of his young budding leadership.

2.3. Love sports, music, movies and tradition village games.

3. YOUTH

3.1. Boarding in Chung Cheng Middle School with weekly pocket money of RM1, out of which RM0.40 had to be spent on motor boat fare; meaning had to make do with RM0.10 per day on light meals.

3.2. Developed fast eating habit due to shortage of food and not fussy about type of food. Actually, could swallow down one big bowl of porridge mixed with the cheapest brand of soy source.

3.3. Continued to be appointed as class monitor.

3.4. Loved Chinese language, history and mathematics.

3.5. Further secondary education in English in Sacred Heart Secondary School, thriving through the same limited food in the boarding house.

3.6. Slept on floor, developed easy adoption to living environment.

3.7. Introduced to Catholicism and became a devoted Catholic till today.

3.8. De Lasa Brothers’ strict disciplined moulded a strong, independent, hard working and discipline character.

3.9. Met a charming daughter of a primary school teacher in his village by the name of Janet through English tuition classes conducted by him during the holidays and subsequently fell in love and married her.

3.10.Continued pre-university education at St. Michael College, another Catholic Mission School in Adelaide, South Australia before pursuing accountancy course in South Australia Institute of Technology (now University of South Australia), finished three-year course in two years, followed by three years working and studying in public chartered accountant’s firm and graduated as a chartered accountant in 1970 before returning to Sibu as a branch manager of an international chartered accountant’s firm in Sibu.

3.11.My father could not afford to send me to Australia. Only with the joint effort of my three elder brothers, who at that time were only barely managed to make their own ends meet, was I able to complete my studies in Australia, with shoe-string budget and prudent spending habit, costing only RM18,000 in total for the 7 years study in Australia, where I had to work every holiday to subsidise the expenses.

3.12.Could not even afford treat our Australian guests with beer but with homemade punch instead during the engagement party of Janet and myself.

3.13.We could only afford to offer our Australian guests with home-cooked meals by fellow Asian students during our wedding reception.

4. EARLY WORKING & SOCIAL LIFE

4.1. Worked very hard with focused dedication and professionalism, won the trust of the employer and clients who supported me to set up my professional chartered accountancy in 1973.

4.2. Actively participating in social life through JCI, LIONS, school boards of management, old students’ associations, church parish councils through the following portfolio:

4.2.1. Past District Governor of Lions Clubs International District 308 (Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei) 1978/1979
4.2.2. Past President of Lions Club of Sibu 1976-1977
4.2.3. Board member of Lions Club of Sibu Host 1978-Now
4.2.4. Past President of :

4.2.4.1. Sacred Heart School Old Students’ Association

4.2.4.2. Chung Cheng Alumni Association

1979-1980

1985-1986
4.2.5. Member of School Board of Management:-

4.2.5.1. Catholic High School

4.2.5.2. Vice-Chairman SMK Sacred Heart

4.2.5.3. Vice-Chairman SK Sacred Heart (English)

4.2.5.4. Vice-Chairman SJK (C) Sacred Heart Chinese

4.2.5.5. Vice-Chairman SK St. Rita

4.2.5.6. Vice-Chairman SK St. Mary

4.2.5.7. Vice-Chairman SMK St. Elizabeth

4.2.5.8. Chairman, SJK (C) Thian Hua

4.2.5.9. Chairman, SMK Chung Cheng

4.2.5.10. Vice-Chairman, SJK (C) Chung Cheng

4.2.5.11. Adviser to Board of Management SJK (C) Thiang Chin

Since 1977

Since 1978

Since 1982

Since 1977

Since 1989

Since 1998

Since 2001

Since 1999

Since 1999

Since 1999

Since 2001
4.2.6. Past Board member of United Chinese Association, Sibu

4.2.7. Past Vice Chairman of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools Board, Sibu

4.2.8. President of Y.M.C.A. Sibu

4.2.9. Past Council member of Sacred Heart Parish Council, Sibu

4.2.10. Past Treasurer of Sarawak Pan-Chen Laus’ Clan Association

4.2.11. Member of Management Committee of U.C.S (United College Sarawak)

4.2.12. Member of Protem Committee of Sibu Maritime Academy & Sacred Heart College, Sibu

4.2.13. Member of Management Committee of Dewan Suarah Sibu

4.3. At the same time brought up a family with Janet, blessed with three children – Alvin, Tammy and Pierre, who are now all happily married and working.

5. POLITICAL LIFE

5.1. Invited to join SUPP in 1982, after our party former president, Y.Bhg. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. Wong Soon Khai lost the Parliamentary election marginally.

5.2. Realised that my burning desire to serve the society and help the people through social organisations had limitations.

5.3. Participating in politics opened a much wider new platform and frontier for me to fulfil my mission of helping the less fortunate fellow human beings in our society.

5.4. Always believe in teamwork, and throughout the years, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a good team of leaders, cadres and members throughout the different positions in my Party , as follows:

5.4.1. Sarawak United People Party (SUPP)
5.4.1.1. Central working committee member 1990-Now
5.4.1.2. Central Vice Secretary 1990-2003
5.4.1.3. Central Vice-Chairman 2003-Now
5.4.1.4. Central committee member 1990-Now
5.4.1.5. Vice Chairman of Sibu Branch 1996-2003
5.4.1.6. Deputy Chairman of Sibu Branch 2003-Now
5.4.1.7. Chairman of Sibu Parliamentary Constituency BN Liaison Committee 1996-Now
5.4.1.8. Past Chairman of SUPP Sibu Branch’s Town Service Centre 1983-1998
5.4.2. Councillor of Sibu Municipal Council 1985-1987
5.4.3. Member of Parliament of Sibu 1990-Now
5.4.4. Chairman of Sibu Municipal Council 1999-29 Mac 2004
5.4.5. Deputy Minister of Housing & Local Government Malaysia 27 Mac 2004-Now

6. 5-YEAR STINT OF SERVING AS CHAIRMAN OF SIBU MUNICIPAL COUNCIL (SMC)

6.1 The SMC Chairman portfolio suddenly provided me with a much wider and efficient platform to serve the people.

6.2 The Barisan Nasional Wakil Rakyat in Sibu set up Sibu Barisan Nasional Visionary Team headed by Y.B. Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh immediately conducted numerous brainstorming sessions with the input from the professional sons and daughters of Sibu to formulate massive short, medium and long term development agenda for Sibu, which were then further blessed and endorsed by Y.A.B. Chief Minister of Sarawak.

6.3 Armed with this vision and mission, coupled with state Barisan Nasional political leaders’ blessing in general and Y.A.B. Chief Minister’s in particular, only then my colleagues in SMC and I could successfully implement the following changes:

6.3.1 Cleaning up Sibu town, beautifying it,

6.3.2 Relocating roadside hawkers to a central market with open trading area concept,

6.3.3 Introduced the one-way traffic to reduce traffic jams,

6.3.4 Building a new multi-storey car park, provide convenient and sufficient car parking particularly to the market customers,

6.3.5 Getting rid of backyard chicken and duck rearing, and roaming wild dog on the road to improve healthy environment and road safety,

6.3.6 Initiating community-sponsored gardens to provide convenient neighbourhood recreation and sports facilities,

6.3.7 Inculcating dedicated and hardworking cultures among over 1,200 SMC staff and their contractors, and

6.3.8 Instilling civic consciousness particularly on courtesy and cleanliness among the Sibu people.

6.4 Initially, Sibu people were not used to the changes, but I am very pleased that now they appreciate what SMC has done for them.

7. SERVING AS DEPUTY MINISTER IN FEDERAL CABINET

7.1 Answered the call by my Party President, Y.B. Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Nam and the encouragement by Y.B. Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh to take up the Deputy Minister’s post in the Ministry of Housing And Local Government after the 2004 Parliamentary Election.

7.2 This is another new leaf in my political life for me to widen networking in the federal government level in our endeavour to serve the country in general and Sarawak and Sibu in particular. Together with fellow Sarawakian Members of Parliament and Y.B. Datuk Tiong Thia King in particular, we were able to solicit tens of millions of ringgit in federal fund back to Sarawak in general and Sibu in particular to benefit the people.

8. MY MISSION FORWARD

8.1 I am very committed to the vision and mission of SBNDVT to transform Sibu from a natural resource-based industry to service and IT intelligence-based industry in line with Y.A.B. Chief Minister’s vision of developing Sibu as a Service Industry Centre of Sarawak and the explosive development of IT globally.

8.2 The proposed Riviera City, exploitation of tourism potential of the mighty Rajang River, further develop tertiary education industries are the main thrusts in our future development for Sibu.

8.3 Then, we never forget the aspiration of low income group and the poor people in our community, who should be provided with affordable housing and sufficient job opportunities. All these dreams can only be realised when we have a conducive political environment which can only be brought around by political stability and facilities within the BN government’s framework.

8.4 Therefore, it is most important for Sibu people to realise this reality and unite ourselves to achieve our mission together.