Ong Kian Ming, the people’s MP

 

From Melvin Fong

With the 15th general election around the corner, it is no secret that the former MP for Bangi will not stand for re-election. Taking this opportunity, as an Anak Selangor, I would like to convey a few words of appreciation to this gentleman.

I first heard of Ong Kian Ming’s name during the 13th general election, when my father said a new dawn for Serdang was coming. There was now hope for a young, vibrant and sophisticated representation for Serdang, which Bangi was then known before the Election Commission’s delineation exercise.

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Back then, I have to admit that I knew little about Ong, and my knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, politics was somewhat shallow. Later, with easier internet access, I managed to have a look at his CV and became aware of his academic achievements and commitment for the betterment of the local community.

Since graduating from university, I have been working in East Malaysia and spending most of my time there. Whenever I returned to my hometown for leisure or to celebrate a festival, I would receive good reports about Ong’s efforts to develop Bangi and to get rid of its “ghetto” image.

Although Ong resides in SS2, Petaling Jaya, which is considered an upper-class area, he never shied away from the “grassroots” among the Bangi constituents, regardless of their background. This is praiseworthy of an MP who came from a totally different social background. He didn’t mind shaking hands with a butcher whose hands had been stained with blood from the meat he had been handling.

After Pakatan Harapan won the 14th general election, during which Ong retained his seat comfortably, he was appointed the deputy international trade and industry minister. Many Bangi folks back then took this as a “double-edged sword”. Of course, we were proud that for the first time, a Bangi MP had been appointed a deputy minister, but we were also worried that he would not be able to spend much time with us.

However, Ong still managed to keep well in touch with the residents of Bangi through several strategies for the constituency. One of them involved working hand-in-hand with the assemblymen under the parliamentary constituency. I saw it as a smart move as he was still able to reach out to us and, at the same time, fulfill his Cabinet responsibilities.

During his tenure as a deputy minister, he often expressed the great potential of revenue generation in the country through the electronics industry. Perhaps, were it not for the Sheraton Move propelled by some shameless political frogs, we might have seen great development in this sector (as Ong believed Malaysia has great potential as an investment hub in that sector).

In this letter of appreciation, I would like to thank Ong for two important occasions which showed that he was never far away from the constituents’ opinions and their dire needs.

First, on July 19, 2018, the Balakong assemblyman was involved in a tragic car accident which cost him his life. The DAP central executive committee back then proposed for a media celebrity to be in the running for the by-election to replace the late Eddie Ng. However, due to certain reasons, this idea received lukewarm feedback from the ground itself, mainly because we in Bangi felt that our representative needed to be someone from the locality and a “fighter” like late Ng himself. I personally texted Ong to convey this message to him.

Within an hour, he assured me that this sentiment would be relayed to the CEC. We now have Wong Siew Ki, who is a dedicated assemblyman and working tirelessly for the Balakong folk. A good choice as a successor for the late Ng indeed.

Second, during the Covid-19 pandemic, many of our livelihoods were badly affected. As the SOPs for quarantine were new to us and were always inconsistent, many of us became lost in terms of how to handle this matter accordingly. We are thankful for the efforts of Ong’s office for coordinating with the district health office in Hulu Langat and supporting and guiding us throughout the difficult season.

The constituents in Bangi were touched by the initiative of providing free home sanitisation for household members who tested positive for Covid-19. This eased the financial burden of the people, many of whom had already lost their sources of income.

We would like to say “thank you” to Ong for putting us before himself in many situations faced by the Bangi residents.

May you regain your strength during this political “retirement” and, who knows, perhaps you may make a comeback in the not-too-distant future. More importantly, now is your opportunity to spend quality time with your family members. You deserve it.

As for Syahredzan Johan, I would like to congratulate you on the appointment as PH’s candidate to represent Bangi. Ong has set the standard for the level of service for the rakyat, we hope for the same level of service from his successor, too. - FMT

Melvin Fong is a voter in Bangi and an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.