Rejection at last month’s state election has little impact on Dr Sim’s concern for the people

DR SIM Kui Hian needs no introduction. This doctor-turned-politician, who lost to DAP’s Violet Yong in Pending during last month’s state election, has hardly taken a break.

Less than a month after April 16, he chaired the Asian Pacific Congress of Cardiology in Kuala Lumpur where he was elected the new president, thus representing more than 15 countries.

He has travelled to South Korea and Paris since and will be going to Hong Kong next month, presenting papers on how Asian disease treatment differs from Western care. Nonetheless, the son of ex-deputy chief minister Datuk Amar Sim Kheng Hong says he will continue his work for SUPP.

In an interview with The Star, Dr Sim talks frankly about his passion for medicine and politics. Alternating between both subjects, he looks back on his achievements, failures, the infamous 1Malaysia tupperwares and video games.

Question: Let’s begin with your new medical appointment. Why is Asian data collection important?

Answer: It is invaluable. We cannot keep referring to European and American data. Take diabetes for example, Asian diabetes prevalence is higher than anywhere else. We have to treat patients differently. But first, data is very important. When it comes to research, there are always better ways. Because Asian countries are generally less developed, a lot of medical science is based on “guesstimates”. We need better estimates and predictions.

Q: So you’re not completely unemployed then?

A: [Laughs] Well, legally, I am, sort of. People don’t believe me when I say I did not make arrangements just in case I lost. When I stood for the election, I did not set conditions. I never told the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister, “You want me to become candidate, you must ensure my future”. If I had set those conditions, then I would not be sincere.

Q: But you do have a lot of job offers right now. Are you weighing your options?

A: It’s not quite like that. I need a job to earn money, to pay for my children’s schooling. Hopefully, I get a job that allows me to do part-time politics.

Q: How are you spending your time now?

A: For now, I am back to my old commitments. I used to spend about 100 days outside of Kuching every year for work, and I feel I must continue to keep occupied. For doctors, there are many ways to help people. I can provide direct cardiology care, I can engage in research, I can be a consultant, so on and so forth. At the very least, I have experience on how to set up a cardiac centre, which I can pass on. Also, there’s too few people doing research. We need to build the numbers up.

Q: But you’ve never been a full-time researcher right?

A: No, I’m more of a consultant researcher. I can teach people how to research, which areas to research or help put teams together. Young doctors and scientists need to be trained. Research is a new area of expertise for many of us. Also, we can’t have researchers all at one place. We need them throughout the country. The Health Ministry will launch a clinical research network soon. There’s substantial funds allocated. I’m looking at all options. My pay before I resigned was RM26,500. I talked about it during my ceramah. I’ve saved up. I can take a few more months off. No rush.

Q: Aside from politics, what will you base your decision on?

A: Family is a big consideration. I want to remain in Kuching most of the time, so that I don’t have to move my kids around. I would find that kind of opportunity more suitable.

Q: SUPP president Tan Sri Dr George Chan wants you to be the next president, will you?

A: A lot of people want me to answer that question directly. My answer is this: The political party does not come down to a single person. There needs to be consultation. It’s the same thing when I was offered to be a candidate, there needs to be sincerity. Right now, I can’t tell people, “I want to help the party, but only if you give me the presidency.” I’m not even telling people that I must be the candidate again next time. Anyone who thinks like that is not sincere. I also want to refrain from commenting too much on politics because I think it is only fair that people like me let the YBs settle down to do their jobs.

Q: Say the Parliamentary election comes within a year, how involved will you be?

A: I’ll help as much as I can. I don’t have to be the candidate to help. I won’t demand that. But I want to make clear that I don’t regret becoming a candidate.

Q: What is your personal feelings about the election outcome?

A: The statement on polling day was loud and clear: At this point in time, urban people reject Barisan Nasional’s urban candidates. We didn’t lose by 500 to 1,000 votes, the minimum was 3,000 to 4,000 votes. We must be very clear about that. The DAP got 12 out of 15. Voters didn’t want us to be in the government this time. We’ve got to respect the people.

Q: How did you feel immediately after the election?

A: I made up my mind to attend the medical meetings in KL, South Korea and Paris.

Q: Would you have gone if you had won the election?

A: No. If I was elected, then I would have a good excuse, “I got the people’s mandate. They don’t want me to go.” But when people ask me now, “Why aren’t you coming?”, I can’t tell them, “Because I fell into depression”. [Laughs]

Q: What will happen to your Kenyalang urban renewal plans? What about the Health Metropolis?

A: Even though I lost, I still think those are good plans. I hope that Pending YB Violet Yong will help to push for those ideas. I really think Kenyalang needs urban renewal. As for the Health Metropolis, young people need education and jobs. People want better opportunities. Yong can voice her support in the state assembly, she can write letters to the PM and the state government.

Q: When you woke up on polling day, did you feel positive about causing DAP an upset?

A: I had to be positive, but I really couldn’t tell the outcome.

Q: At what time did you feel you might lose?

A: At about 3pm, I saw so many people coming out to vote. And they were all young people. I knew it then. My wife (Enn Ong) and I were prepared for that outcome. I’m not arrogant. I’m not the type to think I’ll win all challenges in life. I think doctors call that delusion. [Laughs]

Q: People were unhappy that the Barisan team was handing out tupperwares. Your thoughts?

A: First of all, the idea did not originate from Kuching. It was by another group of people. The 1Malaysia NGO has nothing to do with us. We were unhappy with them. I told them, ‘Don’t do it’. People were fighting over the water bottles, which made Barisan candidates look so cheap. If two people got the water bottles, then what about the eight others who didn’t? The whole thing wasn’t graceful at all.

Q: Memorable moments on the campaign trail?

A: Moving on the ground, I met some childhood friends with whom I had lost contact. Those were nice moments. A lot of people also told me about my dad. After the election, I feel I know my father much better. I got to know another side of him. Growing up, my dad never came home and told me about what he did for people, or how politics is actually like. He came home, asked about my homework. Meeting illegal squatters with kids who went off to become university graduates moved me as well. It made me appreciate the fact that as a whole, society pays too much lip-service. Resources and wealth are not shared properly with those on the fringes. It’s like squatters are the kind of people society wants to pretend do not exist. At the end of the day, there’s too much bureaucracy. The rules are so rigid that it becomes difficult to think out of the box on how to help them.

Q: DAP’s Lim Kit Siang wants you to join their party. What do you think?

A: I respect his offer. DAP people and myself might have opposing ideas, but I respect them. I don’t run them down.

Q: How do you feel about talks on racial matters that seem to be common nowadays?

A: We ought to be more thankful for having one another to live and grow with. Some of these scare mongering (tactics) feel to me like uncharted territory. In a multiracial and multi-religious society, no one should take extreme positions. It’s insulting that some are.

In that sense, in Sarawak, we are much better off. You have Malays, Christians, Chinese, Dayak all sitting in the coffeeshops togehter. I entertain Muslim guests at home all the time, I tell them what is not halal, I don’t tell them not to come, and they don’t ignore my invitation because some food might be non-halal. There’s no “suspicion” between races here. That is the beauty we have. To let harmony disintegrate, there’s a high price to pay. But I will say this, in terms of social integration, it does seem at this moment in time that we are failing. We were a much more tolerant society in the past.

Q: Would you have toned down your personal opinions had you been elected?

A: No, because politicians can reflect grassroots sentiments in many different ways. I don’t have to bark at people. I have no problem respecting other people’s views, so I expect them to respect my views too. I really wanted to be elected because I believe I had good plans, but I respect the majority’s decision. So what becomes of my plans? I hope the good aspects of them will be taken up by YB Yong. She has the right platform. I’m not going to call her copy cat. I’m not going to accuse any one of stealing my ideas.

Q: Won’t SUPP be unhappy if you work together with Yong to implement certain plans?

A: We need to change that kind of mindset. We should be doing whatever is good for the country. By the way, ideas do not come from one side only. That’s why we need to listen to people. Don’t let our egos sink in. Why block the way forward?

Q: Okay, enough about politics. What are you doing in your free time?

A: I’ve been travelling, replying e-mails, having a lot of coffee with people, helping my children with their homework, cleaning my room. [Laughs] Actually it’s very nice to have the extra time.

Q: What kind of a dad are you like?

A: I try not to be an obstruction to them. I look at what they do, and try to fit in.

Q: So what do they enjoy?

A: Video games. Terrible. I keep telling them, “We should go jogging”. But they say, “Nope”. They got Facebook and video games. So I try to learn to fit in with them, trying to understand them better.

Q: Do you enjoy video games?

A: I don’t, I’m always lost. As parents, we try to fit in, to be their friends, then it’s easy to adapt as they grow up. Otherwise, they’ll say, “Daddy, when you’re at home, you say, don’t do this, don’t do that. So daddy you better not be at home.” I really don’t want to be seen as someone who is imposing limits.

Q: Since your election loss, do people treat you differently?

A: Well, they do tell me that I have no more excuses for being late. [Laughs]