Fong Po Kuan
Encyclopedia
Fong Po Kuan is a Malaysian politician from the Democratic Action Party
(DAP) political party. She is able to communicate in Chinese
, English
, and Malay
. She did her STPM in Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh in 1992. After that she attended the International Islamic University Malaysia
(IIUM) from 1993 to 1997, and graduated with a law degree.
, and became the youngest Member of Parliament
(MP) in Malaysia. She won 19,867 out of 38,774 votes, winning by a majority of 2,071 with 67.5% turnout. During her first term, she was suspended for six months from Parliament without wages or allowances for criticising the Speaker of the House. Her suspension was unique in that the Speaker had waived the seven day notice period required to raise the issue, and that the matter was never brought to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges. The 83 MPs, all from the Speaker's party, who voted for suspension only constituted 43% of parliament; while this was a majority of those present in the hall, it did not have a simple majority of the total number of MPs. The suspension was widely seen to be vindictive.
In 2003, Fong inquired in parliament why she had been compelled to wear the tudung
for her graduation ceremony at IIUM. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Mahadzhir Mohammad Khir, stated wearing the tudung was encouraged but not mandatory. A year later, the IIUM Senate made it compulsory for female students to wear the tudung to their convocation ceremony.
In 2005, having noticed a few non-Muslim women wearing the tudung
in the gallery, she raised a point of order about whether wearing the tudung was compulsory in Parliament. It was not.
Fong initially decided not to defend her seat in the 2008 general election
. After DAP leaders asked her to reconsider, she finally agreed to run for re-election, retaining her Batu Gajah parliamentary seat with a majority of 24,627.
Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...
(DAP) political party. She is able to communicate in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
. She did her STPM in Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh in 1992. After that she attended the International Islamic University Malaysia
International Islamic University Malaysia
The International Islamic University Malaysia , also known as IIUM or UIAM, is a public publicly-funded university in Malaysia. Its main campus is located in Gombak, Selangor with its situated in Petaling Jaya / Nilai and its medical-centric branch in Kuantan, Pahang. The university is sponsored...
(IIUM) from 1993 to 1997, and graduated with a law degree.
Political career
In the 1999 Malaysian general election, Fong won the Batu Gajah parliamentary seat in the Dewan RakyatDewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
, and became the youngest Member of Parliament
Parliament of Malaysia
The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....
(MP) in Malaysia. She won 19,867 out of 38,774 votes, winning by a majority of 2,071 with 67.5% turnout. During her first term, she was suspended for six months from Parliament without wages or allowances for criticising the Speaker of the House. Her suspension was unique in that the Speaker had waived the seven day notice period required to raise the issue, and that the matter was never brought to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges. The 83 MPs, all from the Speaker's party, who voted for suspension only constituted 43% of parliament; while this was a majority of those present in the hall, it did not have a simple majority of the total number of MPs. The suspension was widely seen to be vindictive.
In 2003, Fong inquired in parliament why she had been compelled to wear the tudung
Headscarf
Headscarves or head scarves are scarves covering most or all of the top of a woman's hair and her head. Headscarves may be worn for a variety of purposes, such as for warmth, for sanitation, for fashion or social distinction; with religious significance, to hide baldness, out of modesty, or other...
for her graduation ceremony at IIUM. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Mahadzhir Mohammad Khir, stated wearing the tudung was encouraged but not mandatory. A year later, the IIUM Senate made it compulsory for female students to wear the tudung to their convocation ceremony.
In 2005, having noticed a few non-Muslim women wearing the tudung
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
in the gallery, she raised a point of order about whether wearing the tudung was compulsory in Parliament. It was not.
Fong initially decided not to defend her seat in the 2008 general election
Malaysian general election, 2008
The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
. After DAP leaders asked her to reconsider, she finally agreed to run for re-election, retaining her Batu Gajah parliamentary seat with a majority of 24,627.
Election results
| Year | Parliamentary seat | Votes Obtained | Majority | Ballots Cast | Opponent | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | P63 Batu Gajah | 19,867 | won by 2,071 | 38,774 | Yeong Chee Wah (BN - MCA) Yang Kar Ming (MDP) |
65.68% |
| 2004 | P66 Batu Gajah | 28,847 | won by 8,033 | 50,952 | Ong Ka Chuan Ong Ka Chuan Dato' Seri Ong Ka Chuan is a Malaysian politician and the Member of Parliament for Tanjung Malim, Perak. He is a former Minister of Housing and Local Government and former secretary-general of the Malaysian Chinese Association , a component party of the Barisan Nasional coalition.Ong is the older... (BN - MCA) |
69.66% |
| 2008 | P66 Batu Gajah | 39,922 | won by 24,627 | 56,270 | Cheah Yoke Can (BN - MCA) | 72.78% |