Yang Berbahagia Datuk Liew Vui Keong PGDK JP
刘伟强
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Legal Affairs
In office 2 July 2018 – 24 February 2020
Monarchs	Muhammad V (2018–2019) Abdullah (2019–2020)
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Mohamed Hanipa Maidin
Preceded by	Azalina Othman Said
Succeeded by	Takiyuddin Hassan
Constituency	Batu Sapi
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Legal Affairs
In office 10 April 2009 – 15 May 2013
Monarchs	Mizan Zainal Abidin (2009–2011) Abdul Halim (2011–2013)
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Minister	Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz
Preceded by	Hasan Malek
Succeeded by	Razali Ibrahim
Constituency	Sandakan
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry I
In office 19 March 2008 – 9 April 2009 Serving with Jacob Dungau Sagan
Monarch	Mizan Zainal Abidin
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Minister	Muhyiddin Yassin
Preceded by	Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah
Succeeded by	Mukhriz Mahathir
Constituency	Sandakan
3rd President of Liberal Democratic Party
In office 18 August 2006 – 2014
Deputy	Chin Su Phin
Preceded by	Chong Kah Kiat
Succeeded by	Teo Chee Kang
Constituency	Sandakan
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Batu Sapi
In office 9 May 2018 – 2 October 2020
Preceded by	Tsen Thau Lin ( BN– PBS)
Succeeded by	Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan ( GRS– Sabah BERSATU)
Majority	4,619 ( 2018)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Sandakan
In office 8 March 2008 – 5 May 2013
Preceded by	Chong Hon Min ( IND)
Succeeded by	Wong Tien Fatt ( DAP)
Majority	176 ( 2008)
Personal details
Born	(1960-01-18)18 January 1960 Kota Belud, Crown Colony of North Borneo (now Sabah, Malaysia)
Died	2 October 2020(2020-10-02) (aged 60) Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Resting place	Nirvana Memorial Park Kota Kinabalu, Mile 17, Old Tuaran Road, Telipok, Kota Kinabalu
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) (1994–2018) Sabah Heritage Party (WARISAN) (2018–2020)
Other political affiliations	Barisan Nasional (BN) (1994-2018) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (allied) (2018–2020)
Spouse	Lindai Lee
Occupation	Politician

Zachary David Liew Vui Keong ^[1] ( simplified Chinese: 刘伟强; traditional Chinese: 劉偉強; pinyin: Liú Wěiqiáng; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Liù Vî-khiòng; 18 January 1960 – 2 October 2020) was a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020 and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department also in charge of legal affairs as well as Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry I in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak from March 2008 to May 2013. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Batu Sapi from May 2018 till his death in October 2020 and for Sandakan from March 2008 to his defeat in May 2013. He served as the 3rd President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2014, when he was replaced by Teo Chee Kang in a rancorous internal dispute. He disputed Teo's claim of the LDP party presidency with the Registrar of Societies (RoS). ^[2] In 2018, Liew led about 200 LDP members to leave the party. He then joined another Sabah-based political party, Sabah Heritage Party (WARISAN) led by former Chief Minister of Sabah Shafie Apdal and served as its Permanent Chairman. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

On 2 October 2020, Liew died at the age of 60 from pneumonia while being treated for a slipped disc. ^{[1] [6]}

Political career

Criticism over ESSCOM

In 2016, Liew criticised the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) and said it is a "complete failure" especially with the continuous abduction and urging the security council should sit down with the stakeholders and lay out their weaknesses, including a need for a complete revamp of their standard operating procedures and how to deal with pirates and militant groups. ^[7]

Capital punishment abolishment

Following the formation of a new Malaysian government and his subsequent appointment as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department on law matters in 2018, he stated that Malaysia's new government was planning to abolish the mandatory capital punishment for all situations including for serious crimes, which later has been heavily opposed by many organisations and social groups in the country who were against a total abolition of capital punishment due to the already high level of serious crimes. ^{[8] [9]}

Controversy

LDP's legal tangle

Liew had sacked 23 out of the 35 supreme council members as party members demanded top two positions to be contested. ^[10] He was subsequently removed from his presidency post and was replaced by the sacked Secretary General Teo Chee Kang for his act of abuse of power in an attempt to consolidate his position as president. ^[11] Liew's appeal to the Court of appeal over his removal from the presidency post was dismissed. ^[12]

Elections

2013 general election

In the 2013 election, Liew faced Wong Tien Fatt of Democratic Action Party (DAP) and lost his parliamentary seat. ^[13]

2018 general election

In the 2018 election, Liew was fielded as a candidate by his new party of WARISAN to contest the Batu Sapi parliamentary seat. He successfully won the seat by defeating Linda Tsen Thau Lin of United Sabah Party (PBS). ^{[14] [15]}

Election results

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

•   Sabah :
  • Justice of the Peace (JP) (2004) ^[18]
  • Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (PGDK) – Datuk (2006) ^[19]

References