Hsing worked for the DAP cause right to the end — Lim Kit Siang

KOTA KINABALU: Democratic Action Party (DAP) parliament member for Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang recollected that the late Tanjung Aru parliament member (MP), Leonard Hsing Yin Shean became an MP when he was only 26.
“It is a long-standing practice of the DAP since its formation in 1966 to ensure that the youths of Malaysia fully participate in the national affairs of the country,” he said in his media statement in remembrance of Hsing who died last night at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital near here.
He was 63.
According to Lim, Hsing served as the MP for Tanjung Aru from 1986 to 1990.
He said that during that term, DAP had four MPs from Sabah – Sandakan, Gaya, Tanjung Aru and Tawau.
Lim also said that his association with Sabah went back to May 13, 1969.
“On that morning, I flew from Subang in Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu to help in the election campaign of the Sabah Independent candidate William Lye as Sabah and Sarawak polling were to be held a fortnight after the peninsular election.
“I was speaking at a mammoth public rally in Kota Kinabalu in the evening when I was informed that trouble had broken out in Kuala Lumpur although details were not clear.
“The next morning, I was served with an eviction order from Sabah by the Sabah Chief Minister, Tun Mustapha, who was abusing his powers of immigration autonomy for my criticising his dictatorial ways as head of Sabah government in my rally speech,” he recounted.
He added that he missed his return flight (there was only one flight out of Sabah a day at that time) and in the process unwittingly saved his life, as a posse of Bajau horsemen who were strong supporters to Tun Mustapha was very incensed by his rally speech against Tun Mustapha the previous evening and wanted to “finish him off” at the Kota Kinabalu airport.
“I remember at a Kota Kinabalu ceramah at the recent Sabah state general election last September, I asked whether there was anyone from the crowd who had attended my May 13, 1969 rally in Kota Kinabalu and several hands went up,” he said.
He also said that on 8th September 1993, Hsing awas with him together with other party comrades when he climbed Low’s Peak at the summit of Mount Kinabalu.
“Hsing was the proposer for the nomination of the current DAP MP for Kota KInabalu, Chan Foong Hin and worked for the DAP cause to the very end.”
As former DAP MP for Kampar, Ngoi Thiam Woh said: “I will always remember Hsing as a principled and humble man that put the party before his own self-interest”.
Kota Kinabalu MP, Chan Foong Hin who is also DAP Sabah Secretary meanwhile said in his statement to honour Hsing that the latter continued to be active in DAP even after his defeat in 1990 where DAP lost all four parliamentary seats after the party entered into a ‘friendly match’ with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) while fighting BN/UMNO.
“After his defeat, Hsing continued to be active in DAP Sabah. He also joined Saudara Lim Kit Siang to conquer Mt Kinabalu in 1993. Saudara Hsing was my Kota Kinabalu MP candidacy proposer in 2018. He contributed to our governing experience after Pakatan Harapan took power in 2018,” he said.
He added that the latest programme Hsing took part in was the food basket distribution in Kota Kinabalu last year against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“He will be missed and always remembered,” he said.