SUPP-rising star from Sungai Apong fisher colony
CALONKINI | The abridged version of Kho Teck Wan’s story is that she is neither a political heavyweight nor a lightweight.
Exuding her trademark plain Jane demeanour, the SUPP Wanita chief used to strike many as one who has her hands on the wheel, but hesitant to step on the gas.
It took the “rife speculation” on her candidacy in the 14th general election for her to shift gears and hit the campaign trail running – which includes being interviewed by Malaysiakini.
Was Kho surprised by the talk of her being the “candidate of choice” for Kuching, and squaring up against incumbent DAP lawmaker Chong Chien Jen?
“Yes, I heard that from colleagues. I am surprised and more so that it is Kuching, the capital of Sarawak,” she says....
CALONKINI | The abridged version of Kho Teck Wan’s story is that she is neither a political heavyweight nor a lightweight.
Exuding her trademark plain Jane demeanour, the SUPP Wanita chief used to strike many as one who has her hands on the wheel, but hesitant to step on the gas.
It took the “rife speculation” on her candidacy in the 14th general election for her to shift gears and hit the campaign trail running – which includes being interviewed by Malaysiakini.
Was Kho surprised by the talk of her being the “candidate of choice” for Kuching, and squaring up against incumbent DAP lawmaker Chong Chien Jen?
“Yes, I heard that from colleagues. I am surprised and more so that it is Kuching, the capital of Sarawak,” she says.
Kho is preoccupied with her laptop, attending to people at her mobile service centre in Pending. She has been doing this for the past two years, and with her candidacy hinted at, Kho is ramping up her people-centred initiatives.
The Oklahoma State University-trained IT consultant works for a multinational corporation, but being part of SUPP Wanita chief means travel the length and breadth of Sarawak.
On her return from the US in 2010 under the Talent Corp programme, Kho served Sarawak Energy Berhad as an information security architect, and was instrumental in the utility company gaining ISO certification.
It was quite a journey from the Sungai Apong fishing village she grew up in, but Kho has come full circle and is now living there again with her parents.
Both SUPP supporters, Kho began following them to ceramahs, campaigns, and political meetings from a young age. “I think that is where I began to hone my skills,” she says, “gathering political acumen right at the source.
When asked what brand of politics she plans to bring to the masses, Koh says “people empowerment” without hesitating.
According to Kho, the politics of empowerment allows for the free exchange of ideas in a cooperative and collaborative environment, and helps promote positive change and bring vibrant reforms.
Asked what other merit she has to convince voters of her candidacy, she says: “I am a Sarawakian and 100 per cent Kuchingite. I am with SUPP, which is Sarawak-based, not a party with a Malayan origin,” she says.
Koh stresses while she adheres to the Federal Constitution and belongs to the Malaysian nation state, she would without doubt stay true to the Sarawak Agenda and the Nine Cardinal Principles of the Rule of the English Rajah.
While most manifestos have tended to be far too general and populist, which hint at how some politicians are divorced from reality – Koh keeps her raison d’etre simple: “Empower the people and the whole nation or state is empowered.”
This is her story in her own words.
THE HENGHUA who originated from the Fujian province are hardworking and a persevering community, resilient and forward-looking.
SUNGAI APONG HAS SEEN SOME DEVELOPMENT, but still retains its rustic riverine landscape with houses on stilts made of belian wood and selangan batu.
LIFE WAS HAPPY AND CAREFREE DESPITE THE DAILY GRIND. Growing up, we managed with what we had, and I had my share of chores – such as helping my uncle mend fishing nets, as well as helping out with fishing-related cottage industries like making salted fish.
ANOTHER OF MY FAVOURITE PASTIMES is watching the fishing boats leaving Sungai Tabuan towards Muara Tebas and away into the setting sun’s South China Sea - and returning with a rich catch of fish, crabs, shrimps, squids and clams, days, weeks or months later.
I LIVED THE EXPERIENCE. It was Sungai Apong that had quietly groomed me into politics. I had firsthand knowledge about the lives of people, the challenges facing humanity, the social ills, and knowing the huge disparity between the “haves” and the “have nots.”
PEOPLE NEED THE SUPPORT OF POLITICIANS to get things going for them. But I don’t believe it is possible for the government to always be the “giving taikor” (big brother) who dishes out aid. But on a broader spectrum it is the duty of the government to provide the fundamentals, such as a stable and sovereign geopolitical climate, security, infrastructure and law enforcement.
I BELIEVE IN EMPOWERING PEOPLE, to teach them how to fish rather than giving them the fish on a daily basis.
IT IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE, about repairing and remaking the human condition, about motivation and education, about upliftment, about getting the masses to evoke change and a better higher quality of life for themselves, through the strength of their own dynamics.
CALONKINI introduces new faces from all sides of the political divide who are potential candidates for the 14th general election.
The interviews are not an endorsement by Malaysiakini.
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