A Tribute

I was 12 years old in 1989. Most evenings after school, I would go around different eateries in Petaling Jaya to sell lottery tickets from table to table.

I had been interested in politics since the age of nine, reading voraciously and watching every night the 8pm RTM Mandarin News, the only Chinese-language television news at the time. Among the two most famous male news anchors then was the late Fei Chong Ming.

One day, while selling lottery tickets, I ran into Mr Fei. I was thrilled and chatted excitedly with him about politics and current news. His wife, Madam Cheah Keng Sin @ Cheah Kim Sim, who was a well-known radio broadcaster, was also there.

In that era, when there were no other media, radio and television were the most important sources of information.

Can you imagine how exciting it was for a child selling lottery tickets on the streets to meet a news anchor in real life, beyond the television screen?

It was especially comforting that both of them were willing to spend time chatting with a child. Perhaps they found it rare that a street kid had such a strong interest in politics and current affairs.

In 1996, when I was 19, my father asked me to attend a wedding dinner on his behalf. After taking my seat, I realised that I was at the same table with Mr and Mrs Fei. I quickly asked Mrs Fei whether she remembered the child who sold lottery tickets she met many years earlier. She did, and we had a pleasant conversation catching up that evening.

A few weeks later, my father met Mr Fei for the first time and subsequently joined the direct-selling company that Mr Fei had just established.

In 2000, the direct-selling business was booming. After spending several years at the company, my father eventually moved on and left.

After secondary school, I wanted to further my studies in the United States, but the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis brought unexpected disruptions to my plan.

I then enrolled in the Chinese Studies course at New Era College, although I did not complete my studies there. After the 1999 general election, I became the first assistant to the newly elected Member of Parliament for Seputeh, Sdri Teresa Kok.

Yet, my wish to pursue a formal tertiary education in political science remained unwavered.

Eventually, in October 2000, my parents and I decided that we would refinance our house with the bank to raise the tens of thousands of ringgit to cover my first year of studies at the Australian National University. The plan was to work part-time after the first year to support myself and fund the remaining years of my degree.

The night before I applied to university, my family and I visited Mr and Mrs Fei. We were very blunt and told him that we hoped to borrow RM10,000 to pay for the legal fees and other charges required for the bank loan.

We chatted for several hours about all sorts of topics and both Mr and Mrs Fei showed great interest in my thoughts about university.

Suddenly, he said smilingly, “I have decided not to lend you the RM10,000.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “You list down the cost to study at university, and I will support you until you finish your degree.”

That moment remains vivid in my mind, as though it just happened yesterday.

We were not related, but Mr and Mrs Fei so kindly supported my tuition fee and living expenses for the four years in between 2001 and 2005. That was a total of RM200,000. I will never forget their kindness.

At that critical juncture, they gave me the greatest help that made all the difference.

Mr Fei passed away in 2012. At that time, I told his children that although I did not have the financial means to repay them, I would always remember the support he had given me and it would be the greatest motivation for me to give my best in the work that I do, to help improve the lives of more Malaysians.

Madam Cheah recently passed away on 9 January.

I am writing this piece in her memory, to express my boundless gratitude, to remember the rare and selfless generosity of the couple, and to register that, at the moment in life when I most needed help, I was fortunate enough to encounter the benefactors who changed the course of my life, forever.