Law Hieng Ding - a humble minister and a gentleman
OBITUARY | It was a sad Christmas day for me. I woke up this morning to receive a message from a friend that Law Hieng Ding, a long-time federal minister, had passed away. He breathed his last at 4.56am. He was 82.
I have many fond memories of Law. I have known him since 1979 – that’s almost four, long decades. He introduced me to politics and social activism, but probably never realising the latter.
OBITUARY | It was a sad Christmas day for me. I woke up this morning to receive a message from a friend that Law Hieng Ding, a long-time federal minister, had passed away. He breathed his last at 4.56am. He was 82.
I have many fond memories of Law. I have known him since 1979 – that’s almost four, long decades. He introduced me to politics and social activism, but probably never realising the latter.
That year, I was posted to Sibu as a staff correspondent for the Sarawak Tribune. Law, one of the early SUPP stalwarts, was holding two major posts at that time. He was a senator and the parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment as well as chairperson of the then Sibu Urban District Council (SUDC).
Law was a large part of my three-year sojourn in Sibu from 1979 to1982. As SUDC chairperson, he was effectively the mayor of Sibu. For a journalist, the mayor of a small town like Sibu was a main source of news. I called him regularly and met him often at the council office.
To me, Law was a humble person and very approachable. In a way, he was also a darling of the local press corps. The Sibu media loved him.
I was also involved in Saberkas, Sarawak’s government-sponsored youth organisation, and Law would lend a helping hand to the movement whenever he was approached.
Through Law, I had my baptism of fire in politics. He invited me to join SUPP and I signed up. It was the first political party I joined.
It wasn’t a normal sign-up as just a party member thingy. From the word ‘Go’, I was directly involved in an internal struggle within the SUPP Sibu branch.
This was for control of the Sibu branch between two camps; Law in one and the other led by (the late) Tieu Sung Seng, also a former Sibu MP.
The late Dr Wong Soon Kai, then the powerful SUPP secretary-general, managed to arrange for a “settlement” between the warring factions by distributing the various positions in the branch among them. I remember Law’s camp was allocated six committee member positions and Law brought me into the branch as one of the six
My two-year term on the Sibu committee was a miserable one. We were quarrelling during meetings more than discussing anything else. This is why up till today, I find internal tussles and fighting among party comrades over positions simply intolerable.
Law’s move to Sarikei marked the beginning of the ascension of his political career. He contested the Sarikei seat for the first time in 1982 and went on to hold it for six consecutive terms.
I was very involved in Law’s first electoral outing in 1982. I spent the entire campaign period in Sarikei and even transferred my vote from Kuching to Sarikei.
Law’s opponent from the DAP, Chong Siew Chiang, was also a person I knew well during my Sibu days.
As a working journalist then, I knew I had to be fair to Chong as well and I remember interviewing him twice during the campaign period, giving him and DAP their fair coverage.
The counting night was also an unforgettable experience. Law won by a mere 79-vote majority at the first count after which a recount was demanded and accepted by the returning officer.
A note to treasure
It later turned into a third recount and the atmosphere at the counting/ tallying centre at the St Anthony’s School in Sarikei was getting tense as everyone was weary. The recount went deep into the night and into the next morning.
Law was so worn out and stressed that he asked me to find a “Brands” (an essence of chicken tonic) for him to help soothe his nerves perhaps. And I did. We used to laugh over this in later years.
It was way past 4am before Law was finally declared the winner with a majority of 81 votes. He went on stage to make his victory speech which I had earlier prepared for him, a very tired and sleepy candidate.
By 1983, I was transferred to Kuching and I also resigned from SUPP. I told Law that I do not think I would be fair and responsible nor respected as a journalist if I were a member of a political party. He understood me.
Law went on to become the deputy minister (1986-1989) and minister (1990-2004) at the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry.
Law was also the one who encouraged me to move to Kuala Lumpur after I left the Sarawak Tribune in 1992. He actually found an appointment for me which I did not accept as the job was not suitable for my training. I didn’t want to fail him and later ended up in The Star newspaper instead.
The last major task he asked me to help out with was to draft his final speech in Parliament in 2008. We later had the speech translated into Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese and published it as a booklet.
Law had not been in the best of health over the past few years. He had difficulty speaking and we could not communicate except by messaging.
I remember one of his final messages to me some four years ago. It was a note to treasure from my best old friend: “Francis, you have been with me for many years, my good and bad times. I am grateful that you are still my friend even when I am a nobody now”.
I can’t help but shed a tear as I think of what a dear friend Law has been to me, too.
Rest well, Law Hieng Ding, my best old friend. You have journeyed well on Earth. Now, be at peace with The Lord. All of us miss you and we love you.
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS) and can be reached at: sirsiah@gmail.com
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
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