James Wong Kim Min | |
---|---|
黄金明 | |
5th Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 24 August 1974 – 30 October 1974 | |
Monarch | Abdul Halim |
Prime Minister | Abdul Razak |
Preceded by | Lim Kit Siang |
Succeeded by | Edmund Langgu Saga |
Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak | |
In office 1963–1966 | |
Preceded by | Post created |
3rd President of Sarawak National Party | |
In office 1981–2003 | |
Preceded by | Dunstan Endawie Enchana |
Succeeded by | Edwin Dundang Bugak |
Member of the
Malaysian Parliament for Bintulu | |
In office 1990–1995 | |
Member of the
Malaysian Parliament for Miri-Subis | |
In office 1970–1974 | |
Member of the
Sarawak State Assembly for Limbang | |
In office 1963–2001 | |
Succeeded by | Richard Wong Shoan Fook |
Personal details | |
Born | Limbang, Kingdom of Sarawak | 6 August 1922
Died | 18 July 2011 Kuching, Sarawak | (aged 88)
Citizenship | Malaysian |
Political party | Sarawak National Party (SNAP) |
Spouse | Valerie Bong |
Children | 5 daughters, 3 sons |
Occupation | Politician |
James Wong Kim Min | |
---|---|
Chinese name | |
Traditional Chinese | 黃金明 |
Simplified Chinese | 黄金明 |
Hanyu Pinyin | Huáng Jīnmíng |
Pha̍k-fa-sṳ | Vòng Kîm-mìn |
Jyutping | Wong4 Gam1 Ming4 |
Hokkien POJ | N̂g Kim-bêng |
Tâi-lô | N̂g Kim-bîng |
Datuk Amar James Wong Kim Min ( simplified Chinese: 黄金明; traditional Chinese: 黃金明; pinyin: Huáng Jīnmíng; Jyutping: Wong4 Gam1 Ming4; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: N̂g Kim-bêng; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Vòng Kîm-mìn) (6 August 1922 – 18 July 2011) was a Malaysian politician active in the politics of Sarawak for decades. [1] Wong holds the record as the longest serving assemblyman in the history of the state of Sarawak, holding the office for nearly fifty years. [2] Wong served as the first Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak and the president of the Sarawak National Party (SNAP). [2] He held several other ministries of Sarawak politics until his retirement in 2001. [2]
Wong was born in Limbang, Kingdom of Sarawak, on 6 August 1922. [1] Sarawak was a British protectorate at the time. [1]
He began his political career in 1951, when he was elected to the Limbang District Council. [1]
In 1956, Wong was elected to Sarawak's legislature, the Council Negri, which is now known as the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. [1] He continued to hold office in the Legislative Assembly until his retirement in 2001.
Malaysia became an independent country in 1963. Wong had been a member of the Malaysian Solidarity Convention's Sarawak delegation in 1962, which negotiated the formation of the new nation. [1] Stephen Kalong Ningkan, the then president of the Sarawak National Party (SNAP), became the first Chief Minister of Sarawak, while Wong became the state's first deputy Chief Minister. [1]
SNAP pulled out of the national coalition government, led by the Alliance Party, and became an opposition party. Wong, a member of the SNAP, won a seat in the Parliament of Malaysia in the 1969 general election, representing the Miri-Subis constituency. [1] Wong became the leader of the Malaysian Opposition in August 1974. [1] Wong would later be arrested under the Internal Security Act on 30 October 1974 and held at the Kamunting Detention Centre for several years. [3] [1] In 1981, Wong became the third president of the Sarawak National Party. [1]
Wong's Sarawak National Party reconciled and rejoined the successor of the Alliance, the Barisan Nasional. Under the new coalition, Wong became a minister in Sarawak's state cabinet, holding several portfolios during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Wong became the Environment and Tourism Minister of Sarawak from 1987 to 1994. [1] He then became the state Minister of Environment and Housing from 1995 to 1997 and finally the state Minister of Environment and Public Health from 1998 until his retirement in 2001. [1] In 2001, Wong, who was still serving as Environment Minister, was awarded the Langkawi Award for to work in launching a sea turtle satellite tracking program and spearheading a new reefball project for coral reefs. [1]
Wong retired from politics in 2001. He continued to author new books and poems during his retirement. Wong authored The Price of Loyalty, a book about his imprisonment at the Kamunting detention center under the Internal Security Act. [1] By 2003, Wong had published the third addition of The Birth of Malaysia, a history of the country. [1] He also released a third book, Memories of Speeches at the Council Negri. [1] In addition to his books, Wong also wrote poetry during his later life. His poetry collections included A Special Breed in 1981, Shimmering Moonbeams in 1983, Buy a Little Time in 1989 and Beautiful Butterfly in 2009. [1]
Wong also spearheaded the push to have Malaysia Day declared a national holiday. [1] In 2010, Malaysia Day was finally declared an official holiday, to be celebrated nationwide on 16 September of every year. [1] Wong spoke of Malaysia Day in 2010 saying, "It is my hope that Malaysia Day will be celebrated every 16 September. People should remember it because it's a historic occasion." [1]
James Wong suffered a heart attack on 18 July 2011. He died shortly after 10 a.m. at the Normah Medical Specialist Centre in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, at the age of 90. [2] Wong was survived by his wife, Datin Amar Valerie Bong; five daughters; three sons; thirteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. [1]
He was buried in Limbang at the family cemetery in Jalan Pandaruan. [4] Dignitaries in attendance included members of each of Sarawak's major ethnic groups, including the Chinese, the Kedayan, Bruneian Malays, Bisaya, Tabun, Lun Bawang and Iban. [4]
Sarawak government announced that it will put together an exhibit of Wong's documents at the state museum. [5]
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | P142 Miri-Subis, Sarawak | James Wong Kin Min ( SNAP) | 4,391 | 46.36% | Ekoon Bantar ( SUPP) | 3,892 | 41.09% | 9,472 | 499 | 73.67% | ||
Guyang Nisau ( Ind.) | 1,189 | 12.55% | ||||||||||
1974 | P152 Miri-Subis, Sarawak | James Wong Kin Min ( SNAP) | 7,334 | 45.04% | Yang Siew Sang ( SUPP) | 8,949 | 54.96% | 16,283 | 1,615 | 67.68% | ||
1990 | P177 Bintulu, Sarawak | James Wong Kin Min ( SNAP) | 6,337 | 37.41% | Chiew Chiu Sing ( DAP) | 6,050 | 33.14% | 18,255 | 287 | 62.50% | ||
Salleh Jafaruddin ( PERMAS) | 3,227 | 17.68% | ||||||||||
Francis Lutau Jilan ( Ind.) | 2,118 | 11.60% | ||||||||||
Daniel Sigah Limbai ( Ind.) | 523 | 2.86% | ||||||||||
1995 | P189 Bintulu, Sarawak | James Wong Kin Min ( SNAP) | 10,370 | 45.64% | Chiew Chiu Sing ( DAP) | 12,416 | 53.54% | 22,719 | 1,794 | 63.72% | ||
Jonny Walker Tinggang ( Ind.) | 185 | 0.81% |
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | S47 Limbang | James Wong Kim Min ( SNAP) | 2,935 | 63.69% | Bakar Abdullah ( PPBB) | 1,068 | 23.18% | 4,608 | 867 | 79.85% | ||
Pugi Yabai ( Ind.) | 385 | 8.36% | ||||||||||
Tahir Hassan ( Ind.) | 220 | 4.77% | ||||||||||
1974 | N47 Limbang | James Wong Kim Min ( SNAP) | 3,224 | 57.52% | Mustapha Besa ( BN) | 2,224 | 39.68% | 5,605 | 1,000 | |||
Lim Cho Seng ( Ind.) | 157 | 2.80% | ||||||||||
1979 | James Wong Kim Min ( SNAP) | Unopposed | ||||||||||
1983 | James Wong Kim Min ( SNAP) | Unopposed | ||||||||||
1987 | Abdul Taib Mahmud ( SNAP) | Unopposed | ||||||||||
1991 | James Wong Kim Min ( SNAP) | 5,813 | 52.99% | Edward Guatee Sundai ( PBDS) | 2,819 | 25.70% | 10,971 | 2,994 | 69.57% | |||
Munir Karim ( PERMAS) | 2,160 | 19.69% | ||||||||||
Alan Dunggat ( DAP) | 179 | 1.63% | ||||||||||
1996 | N60 Limbang | James Wong Kim Min ( SNAP) | Unopposed |