Lam Thye’s journey now chronicled in a biography

KUALA LUMPUR: The story of Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye’s half-century journey from humble beginnings to becoming a politician and later a social activist is now documented in a biography launched by the Sultan of Selangor.

The title of the biography – Call Lee Lam Thye: Recalling a Lifetime of Service – is a somewhat light-hearted reference to how people would seek him out to help resolve their problems.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, in his speech, recalled how he was impressed by Lee’s ways and years of serving the public.

“He was always willing to meet the rakyat and hear their problems,” he said, adding that Lee would go the extra mile to help people in every way possible.

“I am glad that even though he is no longer a wakil rakyat or a political party member, he still continues to serve the rakyat and help people through NGOs and volunteer work,” said Sultan Sharafuddin yesterday.

Lee in his speech said that there was no nobler cause than serving the people and the nation.

“The only thing that can stop us from making a contribution is our selfish desires.”

Through his personal experiences shared in the book, Lee said that he hoped that it would underscore the importance of service to the public.

“The objective of my book is to give an account to the people of Malaysia with regard to the service that I have rendered over the past 53 years. My political career ended in 1990 but my duty and commitment to serve people and the country remain.”

The 312-page book, sold in major bookstores, is available in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin with a Tamil version to be released soon.