Chong Kah Kiat

Chong Kah Kiat (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chhong Gá-khíet) (born 3 June 1947) is a Malaysian politician of Chinese descent who served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department from May 1995 to November 1996, 13th Chief Minister of Sabah from March 2001 to March 2003 and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 1991 to 2006.

History in politics Born in Kudat, Chong was a graduate of New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington, earning a Master of Laws (LL.B.) (First Class) in 1975 and subsequently practising law at the legal firm of Shelley Yap, Leong, Tseu, Chong, Chia & Co. (now known as Shelley Yap) in Kota Kinabalu.

He contested and won the Kudat seat on a BERJAYA ticket in the March 1981 state election and was appointed Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister of Sabah the following year. He held the post until April 1985 when he lost the seat to Wong Phin Chung of United Sabah Party (PBS).

In March 1987, he became a member of the Berjaya Supreme Council but later left the party when it became clear that it was losing ground.

Chong and several Chinese leaders founded the LDP in 1989 and was made its pro-tem secretary general. Then in 1991, he became the party's president. He did not contest the 1994 state election but a year later was appointed Senator in the Dewan Negara and subsequently included in the Cabinet of Malaysia as one of the Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department representing East Malaysia, Sabah state as well as the dominant minority Chinese community, in which he served in this portfolio until 1996. He then quit federal politics in March 1999 to contest the state polls. This time, he won back his traditional stronghold of Kudat, and was appointed as state minister of Tourism, Environment, Science and Technology.

Chong became the 13th Chief Minister of Sabah in 2001 representing the Chinese community in a rotation system mooted by former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in 1994.

When Musa Aman took over the helm of the state government in 2003, Chong was appointed Deputy Chief Minister as well as the person in charge of the tourism, culture, and environment portfolio. It was then the rotation system was scrapped and from then onwards, the Chief Minister post was held by the United Malays National Organisation until the 2018 Sabah state election.

In April 2007, Chong resigned from the Deputy Chief Minister as well as Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister's post under Musa Aman's cabinet, citing matters of principle but remained as a backbencher MLA until his retirement from politics due to the 2008 general elections.

Election results

Honours Honours of Malaysia

References and notes