Wee Ka Siong

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Yang Berhormat Datuk Ir. Dr.
Wee Ka Siong
MP
魏家祥
Minister in Prime Minister Department (Malaysia)
Assumed office
27 June 2014
Prime Minister Najib Razak
Deputy Education Minister I of Malaysia
In office
18 March 2008 – 5 May 2013
Preceded by Hon Choon Kim (1999–2008)
Succeeded by Mary Yap Kain Ching (PBS)
Member of Parliament
for Ayer Hitam, Johor
Assumed office
21 March 2004
Preceded by New constituency
Majority 7,310 (2013)
MCA Youth Chief
Assumed office
13 October 2008 (win unopposed)
Preceded by Liow Tiong Lai (2005–2008)
Secretary General of MCA Youth
In office
20 August 2005 – 18 August 2008
Preceded by Liow Tiong Lai (2002–2005)
Succeeded by Chai Kim Sen (2008–2011)
Malaysian Chinese Association Johor Bahru Division Chief
Assumed office
27 July 2008
Preceded by Freddie Long Hoo Hin (1993–2008)
Malaysian Chinese Association Malacca State Liaison Committee chairman
Assumed office
11 November 2008
Preceded by Fong Chan Onn (2007–2008)
Personal details
Born (1968-10-20) 20 October 1968 (age 55)
Jasin, Malacca, Malaysia
Nationality Malaysian
Political party MCA, Barisan Nasional
Spouse(s) Jessica Lim Hai Ean
Children 2
Residence Johor Bahru, Johor
Alma mater Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Nanyang Technological University
Occupation Politician
Religion Buddhism
Website weekasiong.com.my

Datuk Ir. Dr. Wee Ka Siong (Chinese: 魏家祥; pinyin: Wèi Jiāxiáng; born 20 October 1968) is a Malaysian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Ayer Hitam, Johor, (2004–present) and a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (2014–present). He was a Deputy Minister for Education from 2008 to 2013. He is the deputy president of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a party in Malaysia's governing Barisan Nasional coalition.

Biography

He was born in Jasin, Melaka to a Hakka clan and later brought up in Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. He attended the SJK(C) Yu Hsien primary school and Sekolah Menengah Datuk Bendahara Jasin, Melaka.[citation needed]

After finishing his SPM with flying colours, He studied Civil Engineering at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in 1992–1997. During this time, he was the chairperson of the non-Muslim council.[citation needed]

He later pursued his Master in Traffic Engineering at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore from 1993 to 1996 and a PhD in Transportation Planning at the UTM from 1996 to 2001 . He is a qualified Civil Engineer and is a member of the Board of Engineering Malaysia (BEM).[citation needed]

He is married to Datin Lim Hai Ean (林海燕), a lawyer and they have 2 children, a daughter and a son.

MCA career

Wee, who speaks Malay, English and Mandarin, begin his political career in the Johor Bahru Malaysian Chinese Association, which he joined in 1992.[citation needed]. He was its Secretary General (Johor Bahru Division) from 1993 to 2005. After that, he is elected as Johor Bahru's MCA Majidi Branch chairman from 1996 to 2008, and became the MCA Johor Bahru Division Youth Chief from 2002 to 2008.[citation needed]

In 2005 during the National MCA Youth election, he was elected as the National MCA Youth Wing Secretary General, and was appointed as the National MCA Youth Education Bureau Chief (2005–2008). He was awarded The Outstanding Young Malaysian (TOYM) Award (Politics, Governmental Affairs & Legal)马来西亚十大杰出青年奖 by the Junior Chamber International Malaysia; this award was presented to him by Dato' Sri Ong Tee Keat, then Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, in Kuala Lumpur on 25 November 2005.[citation needed]

On 13 October 2008, Wee was elected unopposed as the MCA Youth Chief for the 2008–2011 term, taking over the position from the Health Minister, Dato' Sri Liow Tiong Lai. On 11 November 2008, Wee Ka Siong was elected to lead the MCA Malacca State Liaison Committee.[1] Prior to this, he was the secretary general for Malaysia Chinese Association Youth Wing.

In 2013, he contested, and won, the deputy presidency of the full party.[2]

Deputy Education Minister (2008–2013)

Under the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, he was given the mandate to continue leading the Education Ministry as a Deputy Education Minister along with Dr. Mohd Puad Zarkashi. His Education minister is the current Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

As minister, he reversed the decision to close the SJKC Damansara School, closed in 2001 because it "no longer provided a conducive learning environment because of traffic jams and noise pollution" due to a nearby trunk road. Its closure was opposed by some parents, who refused to transfer their children to its replacement.[3] When it reopened in late 2009, it was renamed 'SJKC Chung Hwa'.[4] He was given the mandate by the cabinet to handle and execute the Government's stimulus package in November last year[when?] that RM200mil will be given out in equal measure to Chinese, Tamil, religious (sekolah agam) and Mubaligh (mission) schools (each medium schools will be given RM50 Million).[citation needed]

Cabinet Minister (2014–)

After the MCA's disastrous performance in the 2013 election, losing eight of its fifteen seats, the MCA voluntarily withdrew from its ministerial positions. The party returned in 2014 and Wee, by then the deputy president of the party, was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister in the Department of Prime Minister Najib Razak.[5]

Electoral record

Parliament of Malaysia: P148 Ayer Hitam, Johor[6][7]
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2004 Wee Ka Siong (MCA) 20,065 82.34% Mohd Zamri Mat Taksis (PAS) 4,302 17.66% 25,218 15,763 76.87%
2008 Wee Ka Siong (MCA) 20,230 76.11% Hussin Sujak (PAS) 6,321 23.78% 27,488 13,909 78.98%
2013 Wee Ka Siong (MCA) 22,045 59.79% Hu Pang Chaw (PAS) 14,735 39.96% 37,839 7,310 88.18%

External links

References

  1. ↑ ‘Old and new’ formula for Malacca MCA to regain seats, The Star (Malaysia), 22 November 2008
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Tan Ee Loo (6 December 2008). Sec 17 school now called Chung Hwa, The Star (Malaysia)
  4. ↑ Yeng Ai Chun (6 January 2009). "Government kept its word, says Wee" The Star (Malaysia)
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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