Wong spreads her wings

SHE is a wife, mother of three young children, student and politician.

At 38, Nicole Wong Siaw Ting (pic) is not slowing down and has set her sights on a bigger role – MCA national Youth chief.

And she will go down in history as MCA’s first female national Youth chief if she wins in the elections next month.

Set up in 1955, MCA Youth was a 100% male wing until it opened its membership to females in 2013.

Wong contested and became its national Youth vice-chairman in the same year.

Born and bred in Kulim, Kedah, the Chinese-educated but trilingual (Chinese, English and Bahasa Ma­­laysia) Wong had her primary and secondary education in Chio Min School in Kulim.

With less than a month to polling, she said she and her team have been going round the country to meet grassroots leaders.

“It is more about presenting them our team and our plans to rebuild the party,” she said in an interview.

Wong, who joined MCA in 2001, became a Wanita MCA central committee member in 2005.

On breaking into the male dominated Youth (160,000 members aged below 40), Wong said that she did not see gender as an issue.

“In fact, some older members were pleasantly surprised when our young team called on them,” said Wong who has formed a team, comprising men and women aged between 24 and 39, to contest in the elections.

The posts include chairman, de­­puty chairman, four vice-chairmen and 25 central committee members.

But all eyes are on the top post – the springboard to top positions in the parent body and also Cabinet minister posts when MCA was in the ruling coalition.

There have been 13 Youth chairmen to date and the three who went on to become MCA president and Cabinet ministers were Tan Sri Lee San Choon, Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat and Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Another five – Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy, Tan Sri Lee Kim Sai, Tan Sri Chan Siang Sun and Tan Sri Lee Siok Yew – became ministers.

Those who made it to deputy ministers were incumbent Youth chairman Datuk Chong Sin Woon and Datuk Kee Yong Wee.

Only Datuk Yap Pian Hon, Xie Tian Rui and Tan Xuan Kok did not get any Cabinet post.

Prior to GE14, the MCA had some 10,000 government positions; from ministers, deputy ministers to new village chiefs.

“There is no package deal this time,” said Wong, referring to party posts which used to be tickets to government posts when Barisan Nasional was in power.

MCA, which won only one parliamentary seat and two state seats in the May 9 general election, has less than 10% support from the Chinese community.

But not all is lost.

On her campaign trail recently, Wong said some grassroots leaders were pleasantly surprised that there are still young people who want to rebuild the party and regain people’s trust.

“The party has to start from scratch.

“Starting all over also has its good points, like charting our own direction,” she said.

Pursuing her Masters in Business Administration (leadership) at the Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, Wong joked that there were four students in her family – she and her children, Xavier, eight, Xavern, five, and Xanthia, four.

She credited her supportive husband Alan Kok, 40, and family members who have enabled her to juggle the various roles since her marriage in 2010.

“My children asked me to change job so that we can have weekends together,” quipped Wong.

Nomination and polling is on Oct 15 and Nov 3 respectively.