By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 5: Datuk Song Swee Guan, the first Mayor of Kuching South, died peacefully at 3.30pm yesterday (Oct 4) at Sarawak General Hospital. He was 84.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian described Song as a long-serving Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) leader and loyal veteran party member, while paying tribute to his decades of service to Sarawak and the party.
“Comrade Song is not just a long-serving SUPP leader but an ADUN (assemblyman) and MP (Member of Parliament), Speaker of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly and first Mayor of the Kuching South City Council (MBKS),” he said in a condolence message posted on Facebook.
Dr Sim also expressed his deepest condolences to Song’s family, thanking him for his “service, sacrifices and dedications” to the people of Sarawak and SUPP.
“We lost a loyal veteran party member,” he said.
Incumbent Kuching South Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, meanwhile, described Song’s passing as a deeply saddening personal loss, saying he had known him for many years and would remember him as a kind, humble and sincere person.
“He was someone who treated people with warmth and respect, and I was fortunate to have known him beyond his public positions and titles,” Wee said in a statement.
Wee said Song held a special place in the history of Kuching South as its first mayor, helping to lay the foundation for the city that is served today.
He said Song later continued his service to Sarawak as Speaker of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.
“But beyond his achievements and public service, what I will remember most is the person himself. He was a good man with a good heart, and his passing is a great loss to all of us who knew him.
“It is difficult to say goodbye to someone who has contributed so much and who has been part of the journey of Kuching South from its early days,” Wee said.
Song’s connection with Kuching’s municipal administration also ran deep, with his father, the late Song Thian Cheok, having served as president of the Kuching Municipal Council from 1965 to 1978.
Song himself was appointed a councillor of the Kuching Municipal Council in 1981 before becoming its chairman in 1982. He led the council until 1988, when Kuching attained city status and was divided into Kuching North and Kuching South.
He subsequently became Kuching South’s founding mayor in August 1988 and served for eight years until 1996. He later served as a state assemblyman and Member of Parliament before being appointed Speaker of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly in November 1996.
His contributions to Kuching South were later commemorated when Tabuan Jaya Neighbourhood Park was renamed Mayor Song Swee Guan Park in 2021, in recognition of his service and contribution to the city. The renaming coincided with his 80th birthday.
According to the funeral notice issued by his family, Song will be accorded his funeral rites at the Chan Funeral Services Parlour, 5th Mile, Jalan Penrissen, Kuching.
The funeral cortege will leave the funeral home at 11am on Oct 7 for the Jhapeti Crematorium, Kuching Buddhist Village, Jalan Tanjung Durian/Kopit, Batu Kitang, Kuching, where his remains will be cremated. — DayakDaily
