WHEN Chua Wei Kiat was appointed the personal assistant to Selayang MP William Leong back in 2010, many constituents thought he was merely following his ‘father’ out on assignments.
“They said we looked alike, and it is funny, because I never thought so,” said Chua, who often brushed it off by explaining his true position to Selayang constituents while taking down notes for his boss.
Although he did not see any resemblance between them, voters in the constituency often joked about the ‘father-and-son’ team which coincidentally made Chua a recognisable face instantly.
Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, Chua, who is eldest of two boys, said he was always curious when his parents discussed politics over dinner.
“My parents would usually talk about it casually, sometimes in the midst of complaining about something and that got me interested,” he said, adding that after completing his SPM in SMK Chung Hwa he went on to obtain a degree in business and marketing.
He would also often participate in political forums but his parents were vary of it but did not show much support towards his political interest.
When he turned 19, he wanted to join a political party but was not allowed to given his young age, and so he ended up serving as a volunteer for the 2008 elections.
After graduating he began working for Leong who coincidentally was looking for an assistant.
“It was like a dream job for me, but my parents were not too happy so I promised them that I would do it for only a year,” said Chua, who is now the Rawang assemblyman.
A year went by and it soon became a four-year stint filled with struggles and hard work.
“My father lost his job and we were suffering from financial constraints.
“It was a difficult time for me as I had to support my parents and my younger brother,” he said.
Chua lost almost half of his weight while struggling to make ends meet, but he was certain that his career choice had something to do with politics.
In 2014, he took on a councillor position with the Selayang Municipal Council, a four-year stint which he enjoyed very much.
“It is a position where I had to take the lead and it was something I felt I needed to do.
“It also taught me how to face the public and learn to deal with all kinds of problems and issues thrown at you,” he said.
He was put in charge of zone 12 which covers Selayang Jaya, Selayang Utama, Kampung Selayang Pandang and Taman Seri Melati.
“When I was the councillor, I think I was the youngest and it was quite challenging, but I am thankful to the other councillors for their guidance,” he said at his service centre at Jalan Mutiara.
Last year, when he was selected to represent Pakatan Harapan for the Rawang seat, he was over the moon.
“When I found out from Kak Wan (former PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) I didn’t know what to do, I was happy and scared at the same time,” he said, adding that he had to quickly form a team from scratch to assist him during the campaigning period.
Some of his friends took leave while others made sure he was fit to attend the events lined up each day.
“My parents also gave their blessings, which to me was most important,” said the 29-year-old.
Rawang, he said, took up a large area within the Selayang constituency with over 46,000 voters.
“We have a good mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian residents which makes us so special, but it also has many infrastructure issues that I hope to solve during my tenure,” he said.
Among those he is eyeing to change is the widening of the B27 road which has been suffering from years of traffic congestion.
He hopes to revive popular spots in the town to encourage more tourists to visit Rawang.
He also highlighted Batu Arang as a hotspot among avid cyclists and trail runners.
However, only a handful visit the town over the weekend.
“A lot of publicity is needed to bring life back to this once historic spot and I will be working on it,” he said.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
