Wong Ho Leng (; 21 December 1959 – 21 June 2014) was a Malaysian politician. He was the opposition leader of the Sarawak State Assembly from May 2006 to June 2013. He was also the state chairman of the

Democratic Action Party The Democratic Action Party (abbreviation: DAP; ms, Parti Tindakan Demokratik; ; ta, ஜனநாயக செயல் கட்சி) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Malaysia. As one of four component parties of the ...

(DAP) from 2001 until 10 June 2013. He was the Member of the State Legislative Assembly of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

for the seat of Bukit Assek until his death on 21 June 2014.

Political career

Wong Ho Leng joined DAP on 19 April 1986. He made a stir in the Sarawak politics in 1996 state election when he defeated the

Sarawak United Peoples' Party The Sarawak United Peoples' Party, or SUPP (; ms, Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak; Iban: ''Gerempong Sa'ati Rayat Sarawak'') is a multiracial centre-right local political party of Malaysia based in Sarawak. The SUPP president is Dr. Sim Kui Hi ...

president and deputy chief minister of Sarawak Tan Sri Dr.Wong Soon Kai by a slim majority of 226 votes in the Bukit Assek constituency. He was subsequently defeated by Daniel Ngieng in 2001 state election, but wrested the same constituency back in 2006 state election. Wong contested against the Barisan Nasional's Tiong Thai King in 1999 in the Lanang Parliamentary constituency but lost in that election. On 16 May 2010, he was elected to Parliament in the Sibu by-election. His victory saw the DAP wrest the seat from

Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...

. He was the DAP candidate for

Sibu Sibu (; Hokchew Romanized: ''Sĭ-bŭ'') is a landlocked city in the central region of Sarawak. It is the capital of Sibu District in Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The city is located on the island of Borneo and covers an area of . It i ...

in the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, 2004 and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

elections, but was defeated by

's Robert Lau Hoi Chew on each occasion. In 2011 state election, he successfully defended his constituency against Chieng Buong Toon of

Sarawak United People's Party The Sarawak United Peoples' Party, or SUPP (; ms, Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak; Iban: ''Gerempong Sa'ati Rayat Sarawak'') is a multiracial centre-right local political party of Malaysia based in Sarawak. The SUPP president is Dr. Sim Kui Hi ...

and independent candidate Hii Tiong Huat, with a huge majority of 8,827 votes, thus breaking the so-called the "Rhythm of the Pendulum", which was a hot topic among the politicians from both sides prior to the elections.

Suspension from State Assembly

In May 2009, Wong Ho Leng was suspended from the state assembly for 1 year due to his "camouflage" remark against the Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh. The speaker, Datuk Seri Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, cited Section 14 (1) of the State Legislative Assembly (Privileges & Powers) Ordinance 2007 for the suspension after 60 Barisan Nasional assemblypersons voted in favour for Wong's suspension.

Health

On 12 January 2013, Wong announced that he has been diagnosed of brain tumour (

glioma A glioma is a type of tumor that starts in the glial cells of the brain or the spine. Gliomas comprise about 30 percent of all brain tumors and central nervous system tumours, and 80 percent of all malignant brain tumours. Signs and symptoms ...

) on his brain stem, which was responsible for the slurring of his speech and impaired swallowing function. He had undergone six-weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in Singapore. On 23 February, he announced that he would not defend for the

parliamentary seat in 2013 Malaysian general elections on doctors' advice. He went into a coma on 2 May 2014 but never woke up from it. On 17 May, the Sarawak government had approved RM 1 million to pay for Ho Leng's medical expenses.

Death

He died on 21 June 2014 at Rejang Medical Centre, Sibu after a year-and-a-half struggle with brain cancer. His funeral service was held at Hwai Ang Methodist church and his remains were buried at Methodist Cemetery, Sibu.

Election Results

Publications

Posthumous Publication

''Last Writings'' was a diary written by Wong himself when he was diagnosed with a brain cancer on December 21, 2012. The book was written as he wanted to share his thoughts, fears, struggles and his determination to fight cancer with people of Sarawak especially Sibu. However, the book’s entry was only up till October 2, 2013 as Wong had lost his sense of coordination and balance on September 18, 2013. ''Last Writings'' is available in both English and Mandarin Version. * ''Last Writings'' (2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Ho Leng 1959 births 2014 deaths Deaths from brain cancer in Malaysia Members of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Members of the Dewan Rakyat Democratic Action Party (Malaysia) politicians People from Sarawak University of New South Wales alumni University of Sydney alumni 20th-century Malaysian lawyers Leaders of the Opposition in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Malaysian Methodists Malaysian politicians of Chinese descent