Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun (Chinese: 周美芬; pinyin: Zhōu Měifēn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Bí-hun; born 17 October 1964)[1] is a Malaysian politician who was the Secretary-General of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).[2] She is a former two-term Member of Parliament (MP) of Malaysia for Petaling Jaya Utara from 1999 to 2008. She is also a former Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development.
Chew Mei Fun | |
|---|---|
| 周美芬 | |
 | |
| Secretary-General of Malaysian Chinese Association | |
| In office 16 November 2018 – 20 July 2019 | |
| President | Wee Ka Siong |
| Deputy | Chai Kim Sen |
| Preceded by | Ong Ka Chuan |
| Succeeded by | Chong Sin Woon |
| Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development | |
| In office 27 June 2014 – 9 May 2018 Serving with Azizah Mohd Dun | |
| Monarchs | Abdul Halim Muhammad V |
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Minister | Rohani Abdul Karim |
| Preceded by | Herself |
| Succeeded by | Hannah Yeoh |
| Constituency | Senator |
| In office 10 April 2009 – 4 June 2010 | |
| Monarch | Mizan Zainal Abidin |
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Minister | Sharizat Abdul Jalil |
| Preceded by | Noriah Kasnon |
| Succeeded by | Heng Seai Kie |
| Constituency | Senator |
| Vice-President of the Malaysian Chinese Association | |
| In office 21 December 2013 – 3 November 2018 | |
| President | Liow Tiong Lai |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara | |
| In office November 1999 – February 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Lim Kuo Phau (MCA-BN) |
| Succeeded by | Tony Pua (DAP-PR) |
| Majority | 2,481 (1999) 13,043 (2004) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chew Mei Fun 17 October 1964 Penang, Malaysia |
| Political party | Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) |
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) Perikatan Nasional (PN) |
| Alma mater | National Chengchi University Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman |
Education
editChew received her secondary education at Kuen Cheng High School before going on to receive a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Literature from the National Chengchi University in Taipei and a Master of Arts (MA) in Chinese Studies from the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.[3] She is currently pursuing a doctorate (PhD) at Peking University.[4][5]
Political career
editChew began her political career after joining the Raub MCA Woman's Youth (Beliawanis) Section and served as private secretary to former Raub MP Teng Gaik Kwan in 1995. She contested and was elected twice for the parliamentary seat of Petaling Jaya Utara in Selangor in the 1999 and 2004 general election. She was appointed as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development by the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak on 9 April 2009 in Putrajaya. She was sworn in before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Mizan Zainal Abidin, at the Istana Negara on 10 April 2009. She was appointed a Senator after failing to defend her parliamentary seat in the 2008 general election.[6]
On 8 April 2010, Chew resigned as MCA Women Chief and deputy minister. Prior to this, on 28 March 2010, during the 2010 MCA election, she had pledged to resign from all her posts if MCA delegates still voted for Dr. Chua Soi Lek who was involved with DVD sex scandals as president. However, Chua eventually defeated Ong Tee Keat and Ong Ka Ting with a slim majority, leading to many to call for Chew to honour her pledge. Many of her followers at Wisma MCA carried banners reading "Holding the principle for the honor of women", "We support you", "We need you" and "Do not resign!".[7] She was then dropped by MCA as a candidate in the 2013 general election.
Chew was selected as Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in the 2014 Kajang by-election of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly seat following the events of the Kajang Move.[8] However, she lost to Wan Azizah Wan Ismail of the People's Justice Party (PKR) by 5,379 votes. Prior to returning to her former office as deputy minister in 2014, Chew was again sworn in as a Senator.[9] But she resigned as a Senator on 27 June 2017 to focus on MCA duties.[10]
In the 2018 general election, Chew contested the Raub parliamentary constituency in Pahang, but lost to Pakatan Harapan (PH)'s Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji of Democratic Action Party (DAP) in a three-corner fight with Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).[11] After Wee Ka Siong was elected as the 11th President of MCA in 2018 MCA election, he selected Chew to become the new and first female MCA Secretary-General.[2] On 13 July 2019, Chew tendered her resignation from the office, effective 20 July 2019, to pursue a PhD in Peking University.[5]
Controversies
editIn September 2017, DAP lawmakers questioned the MCA of Selangor about a one-acre plot of land in Kampung Cempaka, Petaling Jaya which was allegedly purchased under market price. MCA had applied for the land in 2006 and got approval from the state government in 2007 which was then under Barisan Nasional and Chew was still the MP of Petaling Jaya Utara. MCA then bought the land at RM 52,000 in 2008 at RM 1 per square foot (psf), when the land, in fact, was worth more than RM400 psf. It was later discovered by Yeo Bee Yin, the Selangor state assemblywoman (MLA) for Damansara Utama of DAP then that the MCA's plans to convert the land to commercial status earlier in the year and how MCA managed to purchase the land under market price were in questions.[12] Chew denied being involved in the land application and declined to elaborate further. She later threatened to sue Yeo and the new DAP MP for Petaling Jaya Utara then, Tony Pua of defamatory for revealing the matter, which never took place.[13]
Election results
edit| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | N25 Kajang | Chew Mei Fun (MCA) | 11,362 | 40.43% | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) | 16,741 | 59.57% | 28,314 | 5,379 | 72.09% | ||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponents | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | P094 Petaling Jaya Utara, Selangor | Chew Mei Fun (MCA) | 25,603 | 51.80% | Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew (DAP) | 23,122 | 46.78% | 49,981 | 2,481 | 70.76% | ||
| Wee Chek Aik (MDP) | 706 | 1.43% | ||||||||||
| 2004 | P106 Petaling Jaya Utara, Selangor | Chew Mei Fun (MCA) | 32,422 | 62.16% | Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew (DAP) | 19,739 | 37.84% | 52,460 | 13,043 | 69.09% | ||
| 2008 | Chew Mei Fun (MCA) | 17,879 | 32.08% | Tony Pua Kiam Wee (DAP) | 37,851 | 67.92% | 56,257 | 19,972 | 73.47% | |||
| 2018 | P080 Raub, Pahang | Chew Mei Fun (MCA) | 17,500 | 38.02% | Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (DAP) | 20,659 | 44.89% | 46,971 | 3,159 | 81.37% | ||
| Mohd Nilam Abd Manap (PAS) | 7,866 | 17.09% | ||||||||||
Awards
editHonours
editHonour of Malaysia
edit
Selangor :
Knight Companion of the Order of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (DSIS) – Datin Paduka (2005)[22]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "OATH-TAKING CEREMONY OF MEMBER OF THE SENATE (26 JUNE 2014)". Parliament of Malaysia. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ a b "Chew Mei Fun is MCA's new sec-gen". Malaysiakini. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "Chew Mei Fun – Demi Integriti Dan Kredibiliti: Biodata Lengkap Calon #PRKKajang". 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "MCA secretary-general Chew Mei Fun resigns". Malaysiakini. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ a b Foong Pek Yee (20 July 2019). "Chew resigns as MCA sec-gen to pursue doctorate programme in China". The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ Kala, N Shashi (9 April 2009). "Najib's new cabinet (Updated 6.55pm)". thenutgraph.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ Nigel Aw (8 April 2010). "Ketua Wanita MCA letak jawatan parti, k'jaan". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "MCA's Chew Mei Fun to contest Kajang by-election". The Malaysian Insider. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Chew Mei Fun sworn in as senator (Updated)". The Sun Daily. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ June Moh. "Chew Mei Fun steps down as senator, minister; to focus on MCA duties". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "MCA fielding more young candidates with potential in Pahang". New Straits Times. Bernama. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "DAP wants MCA to explain Petaling Jaya land buy | The Malaysian Insight". www.themalaysianinsight.com. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ "Feel free to sue us, DAP reps tell MCA veep". Malaysiakini. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ "Malaysia Decides 2008". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 27 May 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- ^ "Malaysia General Election". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 19 April 2013. Results only available from the 2004 election (GE11).
- ^ "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2017.Results only available for the 2013 election.
- ^ "my undi : Kawasan & Calon-Calon PRU13 : Keputusan PRU13 (Archived copy)". www.myundi.com.my. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13". Utusan Malaysia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ "SEMAKAN KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE – 14" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- ^ "The Star Online GE14". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- ^ "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2018.