KUCHING, April 13: State DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen expresses his gratitude to the late former state DAP chairman Dato Jason Wong Sing Nang who passed away earlier today due to illness at the age of 60 in Perth, Australia.
“On behalf of DAP Sarawak, I would like to express our gratitude towards him for his past contributions to the party.”
“Those were very difficult times when Sarawak DAP was subjected to great suppression and oppression and the general public support for the party was not strong even in the urban areas.
“To lead the party during those times was difficult. He had thus contributed greatly to the party in leading us through such times,” Chong told DayakDaily.
Chong also expressed his condolences to Wong’s family.
Wong was leading the state DAP prior to the leadership of the late DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng. In 2001, however, Wong announced he was quitting the party because of the national leadership’s alliance with PAS.
The lawyer who initially had his practice in Sibu, was first elected a Member of Parliament after defeating Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) candidate Tieu Sung Seng in 1990.
He later lost the seat to SUPP’s Datuk Tiong Thai King in 1995.
However, one year later, he managed to beat SUPP’s Vincent Goh in Pelawan in the 1996 state election while the then greenhorn politician Ho Leng managed to unseat SUPP president Tan Sri Dr Wong Soon Kai.
With Wong Sing Ai taking over Kidurong, the three of them created a new chapter in Sarawak’s political history.
Their victories in the 1996 state election were significant as it was after that that state DAP which has its roots in Peninsular Malaysia, proved itself to be an opposition party that was going to stay. — DayakDaily
