When Lau Weng San decided to join politics full time in 2005, he had to take a 50 percent pay cut from his previous job as a process engineer in a petrochemical consultancy firm.
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Simple yet efficient: Lau alsohappens to be a Michael Jackson fan. |
His interest in politics started during his days as a student leader in Universiti Malaya in the late 90s.
“Then, it was the height of the Reformasi movement so it was an exciting time for politics,” he said.
However, his parents were not so supportive when he decided to enter politics after his higher education.
“They didn’t really understand what I was doing but I would ask them to attend ceramahs in Ipoh and after they saw for themselves what I was doing they slowly started accepting my choice,” said Lau.
To adjust to the smaller paycheck, he became more frugal.
“It wasn’t that hard. I just had to be careful with what I spent on and buy only the necessities,” he said.
Lau enjoys a game of badminton once a week, but because of his hectic schedule he has not been playing regularly since last November.
“Even then, I actually lost weight during the election. I stopped taking lunch because I didn’t want to feel so tired after a meal,” he said.
The DAP candidate won the state seat with 14,633 votes against BN’s Seah Kok Fah who garnered 6,656 votes.
StarMetro: How much time do you spend on the computer each day?
Lau: I spend about 10 hours on the computer each day doing paperwork, research, sending emails and reading news online.
StarMetro: What kind of music do you listen to?
Lau: I used to listen classical music and have quite a big collection of them. Now, I just listen to whatever’s on the radio. I particularly like Michael Jackson
StarMetro: What is your favourite song(s)?
Lau: Man in the Mirror, Heal the World and We are the World (all by Michael Jackson). I like these songs because they carry special messages.
StarMetro: What is your favourite movie(s)?
Lau: Some of the movies I like include Fahrenheit 9/11; Michael Collins; Tora! Tora! Tora; The Alamo; Lion of the Desert; Lawrence of Arabia and Thirteen Days
StarMetro: What is your favourite food?
Lau: Ipoh beansprout chicken and Hainanese chicken rice. I eat out a lot and I usually eat hawker food because it’s cheap. If my parents (who lives in Ipoh) visit me, my mother will cook.
StarMetro: Favourite hangout?
Lau: The Starbucks at The Curve. They have internet connection so I usually bring my laptop with me.
StarMetro: Do you like coffee or tea?
Lau: Coffee. I prefer cappuccino and Ipoh white coffee.
StarMetro: What was the last book you read?
Lau: In the past year or so, I’ve gone from reading books to reading short articles and magazines. My favourite book is The World Is Flat.
StarMetro: What languages do you speak?
Lau: Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Cantonese and a little bit of Hokkien and Hakka.
StarMetro: Your must-carry gadget?
Lau: I carry two mobile phones and a camera with me all the time. I used to help Lim Kit Siang in Parliament and I even take a lot of videos with this camera. It has a 2gigabyte SD card so it stores a lot.
StarMetro: You have a weakness for...
Lau: Gadgets like MP3 players but I don’t use them very often now.
StarMetro: What car do you drive and how long have you had it?
Lau: A Proton Wira and I’ve had it for two years.
StarMetro: What is your contribution to environmental conservation?
Lau: I used to have a housemate who is an environmentalist who encouraged us to separate our trash so it has become a habit. I’m planning to set up a recycling centre at my service centre.
StarMetro: Name an idol (dead or alive) whom you look up to and why?
Lau: Gandhi, because of his non-violent approach, his commitment and persistence.
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