Larry Sng's controversial and rapid rise in PKR

INTERVIEW | Before the PKR leadership elections got underway, few PKR members and most Malaysians outside of Sarawak would have heard of Larry Sng Wei Shien.

Sng appeared on the national political radar after winning the Julau parliamentary seat as an independent during the May 9 elections. He would join PKR three days later.

Four months later, he offered himself as a candidate for PKR's central leadership council (MPP) election and beating a long list of established party figures, according to Malaysiakini's unofficial count.

[Editor's note: The actual result was never made public by PKR, so placing on the MPP race remain unknown.]

In an interview with Malaysiakini recently, Sng explained he had initially been "reluctant" in taking part in the PKR election but was coaxed by deputy president contender Rafizi Ramli to be part of the latter's "cai dan" (Mandarin for restaurant menu, meaning voting guide).

He was grateful for the experience, which he described as "colourful", as it had sped up his initiation to his new party, offering him the opportunity to meet members throughout the country.

As for his controversial performance, Sng attributed it to numerical luck.

"I think I was very lucky to be able to have picked number 11 (for my candidate number).

"Number 11 is a number reflected on the first page of the tablet for the list of MPP [...] and it is easier to vote for those on the first or second pages than it is to vote for those on the later pages.

"So in that sense, I was a bit lucky to be high on the list," he said.

Shrugs off the naysayers

Despite his win, Sng was the only individual to be booed during the ceremony to present certificates to the new MPP members at the recent party congress.

Soft-spoken and often pausing to think before answering questions, Sng said he was confident his critics would eventually come around after they witness his contributions to the party.

"I knew I had the support, or else I would not be elected as an MPP. I did not take it (the boos) to heart.

"I am a very optimistic person, I think in three years’ time (at the next party election), things will change for the better," he said.

During the election, the Julau division had been mired in controversy following a revelation that party membership there had seen a 2,147 percent spike - from 603 people to 13,549 members - in just one day.

There were also claims that members had been registered without their knowledge and using dubious addresses.

Sng's opponents had alleged the surge in members was aimed at influencing the party election, but the party later cleared the division of any suspicion and declared all membership registration processes to be above board.

Drama dogged Julau all way to polling day itself with allegations of malware installed in voting tablets, leading to calls for a re-election. The party’s election committee eventually decided against re-election as no data was found to be compromised.

Sng stated that he would not be answering any questions about Julau’s membership as the case was being investigated by the MACC.

When asked if he was concerned that the episode would blemish his budding career in PKR, Sng appeared unperturbed.

"Personally, I have already settled the issue. It is a non-issue," he remarked.

The invite from Dr M, Azmin

According to Sng, it was Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who had personally invited him to join Pakatan Harapan after polling on May 9.

Late on election night, as Harapan leaders congregated at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya to revel in the coalition's unexpected win, Sng, who was in Kuala Lumpur at the time, had received a phone call to join the celebration.

"Tun (Mahathir’s) exact words were 'you are welcome to join us here'," he recalled.

After consulting his supporters back in Julau, who backed him in joining the government of the day, he decided to join PKR.

This decision was driven in part, according to Sng, by how PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali had been the first to approach him with an offer.

When he eventually filled in the party membership form, he did it using Rafizi's phone while in the presence of party's then de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim at the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital.

Sng said that the well-established rivalry between Azmin and Rafizi was unbeknownst to him at the time.

"I did not get the sense that there were any differences, I did know about the different personalities, as such. Everyone worked together shortly after May 9, and I did not get the impression that there were rivalries.

"We are from Sarawak, and Sarawak is very far away place," he quipped.

Taib’s blue-eyed boy

Sng, 39, has his family roots in Kapit, Sarawak. He is a third generation and career politician. Several of his relatives are in politics as well.

As a 22-year-old student at the London School of Economics, he was summoned to stand as a candidate for the 2001 Sarawak state election in Pelagus - a seat where his father Sng Chee Hua was the incumbent.

Though hesitant at first, he went on to hold the seat for two consecutive terms.

Between 2004 and 2011, he was part of the BN state government as an assistant minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, in charge of the Youth and Training and for Industrial Development and Planning portfolio.

Sng reminisced how he had been handpicked for the roles by then chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud (photo), whom he fondly calls "Pehin Sri" - a state title which only Taib has held - and credits for much of his political education.

"I had three portfolios under his leadership, and I worked well and learned a lot during those years.

"For me, I am loyal to my bosses and that has always been the case. And for me, he (Taib) was my boss," he said.

Asked about calls from Harapan component party DAP for Taib to be probed for corruption by the MACC, Sng said he would support such a move "if there is a case".

He also credited his previous experience in three political parties - as a supreme council member of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), a deputy secretary-general of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and the president of the Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) - for shaping him to be the politician he is today.

Now in PKR, the first-time MP believed that he had finally found the one.

"I think it's a good positive change for me to be given bigger exposure and to play a bigger role on a national stage.

"[...] PKR being the largest party in the government, I believe we can bring a lot of positive change to this country," he said. - Mkini