KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Ling Hee Leong, the son of the late Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, is receiving medical treatment in Australia and unable to attend the funeral, says his brother Datuk Ling Hee Keat (pic).
Speaking to the media on his brother's absence, Hee Keat said Hee Leong is undergoing a six-week medical procedure that must be continuous and uninterrupted.
Despite his health issues, Hee Leong made multiple trips back to Malaysia this year to be by their father's side.
"He came back to Kuala Lumpur many times this year to visit because of our father’s health. His last visit was just two weeks ago, when he came and spent a long weekend with us," Hee Keat told reporters on Wednesday (April 8).
"Our father was still stable then. That is why he decided to go back and start his treatment, hoping that in six weeks' time, he could come back and be with the family again."
However, Dr Ling passed away while Hee Leong was away.
"There is no one missing this more than him," said Hee Keat, adding that his brother has been closely following the funeral via a video feed.
Hee Keat stressed under any other circumstances, his brother would have been deeply involved in the wake and funeral preparations.
"He would be the first person to be here from morning until night, because that is the kind of person he is," he said.
Dr Ling passed away peacefully on Saturday (April 4) at the age of 82.
He served as MCA president from 1986 to 2003 and was Malaysia's transport minister during the same period.
He leaves behind his wife, Toh Puan Ong Eee Nah, and two sons, Hee Keat and Hee Leong.
