Media statement by Teresa Kok Suh Sim in Shah Alam on Wednesday, 8^th December 2010:

Tribute to former DAP leader Fan Yew Teng

When Lim Kit Siang was detained under ISA in 1969, he served as acting secretary general, helping to hold fort for DAP. He later left DAP for some 20 years due to some disagreements and also to chase his personal pursuits, but during the DAP internal party split in 1998, he was aproached by our party leadership to come back to the fold to help out and he did.

One of the reasons that encouraged him to make a come back to the party was due to the unjust sentence against Lim Guan Eng. Fan Yew Teng has been the one who openedly spoke up for Lim Guan Eng in all the Support LGE Campaign, he even jointedour Marathon hunger strike after Guan Eng was sent to Kajang Prison. This shows Fan Yew Teng has always cared for the DAP and he made his stand clear when the party was in trouble.

During the 1999 general elections, Fan was offered to contest in Tebing Tinggi state assembly seat and he lost together with many other DAP national leaders. He then returned to civil society and continued to be a vocal writer and spokesperson for human rights and social justice issues.

Although Fan had his temperament, his heart was in the right place. He had a lot of love and passion and always stood up for the weak, oppressed and marginalised. I will always remember him with fondness and admiration for this.

His passing is a great loss to civil society in Malaysia but he will continue to live on in our memory.

* Teresa Kok Suh Sim, Selangor State Senior EXCO for Investment, Industry & Trade & MP for Seputeh