Chua Jui Meng
Encyclopedia
Dato' Chua Jui Meng ; born October 22, 1943) is a Malaysian politician from the state of Johor
. He was the country's longest serving Minister of Health, holding that position from 1990 to 2004.
Chua is a lawyer called to the British Bar as a Barrister-at-law
at the Inner Temple
before entering politics through his involvement with the Malaysian Chinese Association
(MCA). After 35 years with the party, he quit to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat
(PKR) in 2009.
and Ireland
as well as Editor in Chief of the Federation of UK and Ireland Malaysian and Singaporean Student Associations.
, a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional
coalition. In the 1986 general election
, he was elected as Member of Parliament
for Bakri
, a seat he retained for five consecutive terms.
His speech in Parliament in 1988 on the "Malaysian Chinese dilemma" as a result of the "deviations and misimplementation" of the New Economic Policy
(NEP) sparked the formation of the National Economic Consultative Council (NECC). The NECC formulated the National Development Policy
(1990–2000), which Chua credited as key to liberalising the economy, education and culture and turning Chinese voter in favor of Barisan Nasional from the 1990s to 2004.
In 1989, Chua was appointed parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Health
. He was elected as a vice president of the MCA in 1990 and became the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry following the 1990 general election
. During this period, he worked on developing small and medium enterprises and promoting trade with China
.
After the 1995 general election
, Chua was appointed Minister of Health. During his tenure, Chua led the government's fight against the Coxsackievirus
outbreak in 1997, the Nipah virus
outbreak in 1999, the Japanese encephalitis
outbreak in 2000 and the global SARS epidemic in 2003.
MCA fell into crisis in 2001, when factional infighting between "Teams A" and "B" became public. Chua aligned himself to the Lim Ah Lek-led Team B during the Nanyang Siang Pau
takeover crisis. The 2002 party elections were cancelled, and Chua retained his vice presidency under the MCA "peace plan" of 2003, which saw Ong Ka Ting
assume the presidency. However, he was dropped from the Cabinet after the 2004 general election
as he was not recommended to the prime minister by the new party leader.
In the following year's party elections, Chua challenged Ong for the presidency. He performed above expectations, garnering more than a third of the delegates' votes, but was unable to topple the heavily-favored Ong. He made another long-shot attempt at the presidency in 2008, but lost out to Ong Tee Keat
. He did not contest the 2008 general election
as his former seat of Bakri fell to the opposition.
(PKR), citing the need to preserve the two-party system that emerged after the 2008 elections. In June 2010, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail revoked the state awards (carrying the titles Dato' and Dato' Seri) conferred to Chua by the previous Sultan. Chua accused Barisan Nasional of instigating the move as payback for joining the opposition. He still retains the Dato' title since he was conferred other state titles by the Sultans of Selangor and Pahang.
He is PKR's chief in Johor
, a Barisan Nasional stronghold.
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
. He was the country's longest serving Minister of Health, holding that position from 1990 to 2004.
Chua is a lawyer called to the British Bar as a Barrister-at-law
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
before entering politics through his involvement with the Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity; it is one of the three major component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan Nasional in Malay, or National Front in English.Along with the largest...
(MCA). After 35 years with the party, he quit to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
(PKR) in 2009.
Political career
Prior to entering full-time politics, Chua was a student activist in the 1970s. He was president of the Malaysian and Singaporean Law Society in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
as well as Editor in Chief of the Federation of UK and Ireland Malaysian and Singaporean Student Associations.
Malaysian Chinese Association
Chua began his political career in 1976 when he became a member of the Malaysian Chinese AssociationMalaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity; it is one of the three major component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan Nasional in Malay, or National Front in English.Along with the largest...
, a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
coalition. In the 1986 general election
Malaysian general election, 1986
General elections were held in Malaysia on 3 August 1986. The result was a victory for Barisan Nasional, which won 148 of the 177 seats. Voter turnout was 68.1%.-Results:...
, he was elected as Member of Parliament
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
for Bakri
Bakri
Bakri may refer to:* Bukit Bakri, a town in Muar , Johor, Malaysia.* Al-Bakri , a lunar crater.-Persons:* Al-Bakri, an Andalusian-Arab geographer and historian, full name Abu Abdullah al-Bakri.* Imad Bakri, a pseudonym of Imad Kebir....
, a seat he retained for five consecutive terms.
His speech in Parliament in 1988 on the "Malaysian Chinese dilemma" as a result of the "deviations and misimplementation" of the New Economic Policy
New Economic Policy
The New Economic Policy was an economic policy proposed by Vladimir Lenin, who called it state capitalism. Allowing some private ventures, the NEP allowed small animal businesses or smoke shops, for instance, to reopen for private profit while the state continued to control banks, foreign trade,...
(NEP) sparked the formation of the National Economic Consultative Council (NECC). The NECC formulated the National Development Policy
National Development Policy
The National Development Policy replaced the Malaysian New Economic Policy in 1990 but continued to pursue most of NEP policies. The Malay share of the economy, though substantially larger, was not near the 30% target according to government figures...
(1990–2000), which Chua credited as key to liberalising the economy, education and culture and turning Chinese voter in favor of Barisan Nasional from the 1990s to 2004.
In 1989, Chua was appointed parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health (Malaysia)
The Ministry of Health Malaysia is a ministry which established under the Malaysian government, and led by the incumbent Minister of Health. Currently, the Minister of Health is Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.-Vision:...
. He was elected as a vice president of the MCA in 1990 and became the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry following the 1990 general election
Malaysian general election, 1990
General elections were held in Malaysia on 21 October 1990. The result was a victory for the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional, which won 127 of the 180 seats...
. During this period, he worked on developing small and medium enterprises and promoting trade with China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
After the 1995 general election
Malaysian general election, 1995
General elections were held in Malaysia on 25 April 1995. The result was a victory for the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional, which won 162 of the 192 seats. Voter turnout was 68.3%.-Results:...
, Chua was appointed Minister of Health. During his tenure, Chua led the government's fight against the Coxsackievirus
Coxsackievirus
Coxsackievirus is a virus that belongs to a family of non enveloped linear positive-sense ssRNA viruses, Picornaviridae and the genus Enterovirus, which also includes poliovirus and echovirus. Enteroviruses are among the most common and important human pathogens and ordinarily its members are...
outbreak in 1997, the Nipah virus
Henipavirus
Henipavirus is a genus of the family Paramyxoviridae, order Mononegavirales containing two established species, Hendra virus and Nipah virus. The henipaviruses are naturally harboured by Pteropid fruit bats , and some microbat species...
outbreak in 1999, the Japanese encephalitis
Japanese Encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis —previously known as Japanese B encephalitis to distinguish it from von Economo's A encephalitis—is a disease caused by the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus. The Japanese encephalitis virus is a virus from the family Flaviviridae. Domestic pigs and wild birds are...
outbreak in 2000 and the global SARS epidemic in 2003.
MCA fell into crisis in 2001, when factional infighting between "Teams A" and "B" became public. Chua aligned himself to the Lim Ah Lek-led Team B during the Nanyang Siang Pau
Nanyang Siang Pau
Nanyang Siang Pau or Nanyang Business Daily was founded by philanthropist-entrepreneur Tan Kah Kee on 6 September 1923 in Singapore, currently published in Malaysia...
takeover crisis. The 2002 party elections were cancelled, and Chua retained his vice presidency under the MCA "peace plan" of 2003, which saw Ong Ka Ting
Ong Ka Ting
Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting is a Malaysian politician and a former Minister of Housing and Local Government in the Malaysian cabinet. He is also the former President of the Malaysian Chinese Association and is the Member of Parliament for Kulai.-Early life:...
assume the presidency. However, he was dropped from the Cabinet after the 2004 general election
Malaysian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...
as he was not recommended to the prime minister by the new party leader.
In the following year's party elections, Chua challenged Ong for the presidency. He performed above expectations, garnering more than a third of the delegates' votes, but was unable to topple the heavily-favored Ong. He made another long-shot attempt at the presidency in 2008, but lost out to Ong Tee Keat
Ong Tee Keat
Dato' Sri Ong Tee Keat is a Malaysian politician and current Member of Parliament for Pandan. He was the Transport Minister in the Malaysian federal cabinet from March 18, 2008 to June 4, 2010. He was the 8th president of the Malaysian Chinese Association .-Personal life:The son of a fishmonger,...
. He did not contest the 2008 general election
Malaysian general election, 2008
The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
as his former seat of Bakri fell to the opposition.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
In July 2009, Chua quit the MCA to join the opposition Parti Keadilan RakyatParti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
(PKR), citing the need to preserve the two-party system that emerged after the 2008 elections. In June 2010, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail revoked the state awards (carrying the titles Dato' and Dato' Seri) conferred to Chua by the previous Sultan. Chua accused Barisan Nasional of instigating the move as payback for joining the opposition. He still retains the Dato' title since he was conferred other state titles by the Sultans of Selangor and Pahang.
He is PKR's chief in Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
, a Barisan Nasional stronghold.