Scores of DAP leaders from throughout the country have started to arrive to attend the funeral of the former Sarawak DAP chairperson Wong Ho Leng, who is Bukit Assek assemblyperson, which will be held in Sibu on Tuesday.

Among those who have arrived are DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang. Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng is due to arrive soon.

Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem will also pay  his last respects to the late  Wong, who was a former MP for Sibu. at the family's house in Sibu later this afternoon.

Wong, aged 55, passed away on Saturday night after a battle with a brain cancer.

As a political novice, Wong caused a stir in the 1966 state election when he defeated Sarawak United People's Party president and deputy chief minister Wong Soon Kai for the Bukit Assek constituency, with a majority of 226 votes.

However, in the 2001 state election, he was defeated by SUPP candidate Daniel Ngieng, but wrested the same seat back in 2006.

In 1999, Wong tried his luck by contesting the Lanang parliamentary seat, but was not successful.

However, his hard work and determination paid off when he won the parliamentary seat of Sibu in a by-election in May 2010.

His popularity  was further proved when he won the Bukit Assek state constituency the  following year, with a majority of 8,827 votes, which was one of the biggest majorities in Sarawak.

This majority had a tsunami effect on the 2013 parliamentary election when Sarawak  DAP broke the 'rhythm of pendulum' in six SUPP strongholds in Sibu, Sarikei, Miri and even in the state capital, Kuching.

Hundreds of messages of condolences have been received by the bereaved family and published in both print and social media.

Tribute from a school teacher

One of the most passionate and intimate messages came from Yi Chang, who was Wong's teacher.

Yi Chang said: "Only at 55, not yet an old tree and you are gone; your leaves are still sprouting and your flowers shall still come and go with the season, bringing about seeds to populate the earth.

"Wong Ho Leng. My student, when in Methodist School, did not hide the fact that he was from a farming background in Sungai Bidut. He rode an old rickety bicycle to school and I did notice that he was always trying to save white school shoes by wearing Japanese slippers as often as he could.

"He had a very neat hand writing and always prompt in passing up his essays even though I knew he had to work hard at home to help his parents. There was no electricity supply in Sungai Bidut then. He must have used a small kerosene lamp for his late night studies.

"He had a good memory not just for his subjects, but for happenings around him in class and outside class. He remembered a lot of goings-on between teachers and students and he would tell me what he remembered about me and how I taught life lessons. This was a small part of him, which was a reflection of filial piety, not only to his parents but to his teachers."