Former de facto law minister and Warisan permanent chairperson Liew Vui Keong has succumbed to a lung infection.
This was confirmed by Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking and Sandakan MP Vivian Wong.
Meanwhile, the Batu Sapi MP's personal aide told Malaysiakini that Liew, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kota Kinabalu, breathed his last at 11:50am.
He leaves behind widow Lindai Lee and four children.
Liew was warded for a suspected slip disc in mid-September and reportedly slipped into a coma after contracting a lung infection.
He did not campaign or contest during the Sabah state election.
Prior to joining Warisan in 2018, Liew had been a long-time member of BN component party Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and was its president from 2006 to 2014.
Under LDP, he won the Sandakan seat in GE12 and was appointed as the deputy federal minister for International Trade and Industry from 2008 to 2009 under the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi administration.
When Najib Abdul Razak became prime minister, Liew was made a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for legal affairs from 2009 to 2013.
After winning the Batu Sapi seat as a Warisan candidate in GE14, he was the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for legal affairs until Pakatan Harapan's collapse in February this year.
Warisan secretary-general Loretto Padua condoled Liew’s death, stating: “The party has lost a well-respected leader who contributed to the country and the state through his hard work and dedication.”
Condolences pour in
Following news of his passing, public figures, activists and politicians have taken to social media to express their condolences.
Former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman thanked Liew for his guidance in the successful constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18, a move commonly dubbed the “Undi18” bill.
Twitter users like former Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Shamini Darshni remembered Liew for his push to abolish the mandatory death penalty.
Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) campaigner Yu Ren Chung recalled the former minister's efforts to decriminalise attempted suicide and to make stalking a crime.
DAP Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii similarly remembered Liew’s “passion for law reform” in issues like the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and the encouragement given to him as a first-term MP.
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, PBS president Maximus Ongkili and MCA president Wee Ka Siong also offered their condolences.
“When I was in the opposition, we disagreed on many issues especially on abolishing the death penalty. However, our friendship never stopped despite our differences in opinion. We worked together on issues that benefited the people and country.
“Liew’s passing will definitely be a big loss to the community and country. May his contributions as a leader be remembered,” Wee said in a Facebook post. - Mkini
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