Koh Tsu Koon
| Yang Berhormat Senator Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon 許子根 |
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| Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Unity & Performance Management |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 10 April 2009 |
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| 3rd Chief Minister of Penang | |
| In office 1990 – 11 March 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Lim Chong Eu |
| Succeeded by | Lim Guan Eng |
| President of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 4 October 2008 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 August 1949 Penang, Malaysia |
| Nationality | Malaysian |
| Political party | Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) - Barisan Nasional |
| Spouse(s) | Puan Sri Chui Kah Peng |
| Children | 1 son, 1 daughter |
| Alma mater | Princeton University University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Deputy Dean of Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia(Prior Politics) |
| Religion | Buddhist[1] |
Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon (born August 26, 1949 in Penang; simplified Chinese: 许子根; traditional Chinese: 許子根; pinyin: Xǔ Zǐgēn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khó Chú-kun) is a Malaysian politician. He was the Chief Minister of Penang from 1990 to 2008 and is currently a member of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Malaysian Parliament. In April 2009, Koh was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
He is currently president of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan), a member of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
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[edit] Background
Koh Tsu Koon was born in Penang in 1949 and attended Phor Tay Primary School and Chung Ling High School. He graduated from Princeton University in 1970 with a degree in physics, and obtained his Ph.D from the University of Chicago in 1977 in economics and sociology of education. He was a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University from 1980 to 1981.
Koh taught at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang from 1975 and rose to become Deputy Dean of Education in 1978.[2]
[edit] Political career
Koh joined Gerakan in 1982. He won a parliamentary seat during the 1982 general election but lost it to Lim Kit Siang in the following election.[3] The following year, he was elected Gerakan Youth chairman. Koh was the protégé of then Penang Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu, serving as Lim's political secretary and chief aide from 1986 to 1990.[2]
[edit] Gerakan leadership
Koh became a vice president of Gerakan in 1991 and later deputy president in 2005. On April 8, 2007, following the retirement of long-serving president Lim Keng Yaik, he took over the presidency in an acting capacity. He was formally elected president in 2008.[2]
[edit] Penang Chief Minister
In the 1990 general election, Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu lost his state seat. Koh, who was a first-term state assemblyman from Tanjung Bungah, was selected to lead the Barisan Nasional government in Penang, and became the state's third Chief Minister.
Koh served four terms as Chief Minister for a total of 18 years. In the 1995 general election, he was challenged in his state seat by Lim Kit Siang, who unseated the previous Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu in 1990. Koh beat Kit Siang with over 70% of the votes.[3] He stepped down in 2008 to contest the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat during the general election. Koh was said to be pressured into leaving his position as Chief Minister to join federal politics.[4] He eventually lost the parliamentary contest, while the opposition pact led by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) won the state of Penang.
Koh remained visible in the political scene after the election, and even participated in a televised public debate with his successor as Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng.[5] He remained as Gerakan president, winning the post permanently in October 2008.
[edit] Cabinet minister
Koh returned to public office in April 2009, when he was appointed as a Senator in the Dewan Negara. This paved the way for prime minister Najib Tun Razak to named Koh in his inaugural Cabinet.[6] He was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, in charge of unity and performance management. Koh was put in charge of Najib's Government Transformation Programme (GTP), which includes monitoring the performance of ministries and six national key result areas (NKRAs) through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).[7][8]
[edit] Future
In August 2011, The Malaysian Insider reported that Najib is keen for Koh to step down as BN leader in Penang in order for the coalition to regain the state government in the next election.[9] Gerakan leaders are reportedly encouraging Koh to leave Penang to contest the Simpang Renggam parliamentary seat, a Gerakan safe seat in Johor.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon Penang Gerakan[dead link]
- ^ a b c Personal Profile Y.B. Senator Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon. Accessed June 15, 2010
- ^ a b "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. http://semak.spr.gov.my/spr/laporan/5_KedudukanAkhir.php. Retrieved June 29, 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- ^ DAP: Dr Koh forced to move The Star. February 12, 2008
- ^ All set for Guan Eng-Tsu Koon debate The Star. August 19, 2008
- ^ Najib names 28-member Cabinet The Star. April 9, 2009
- ^ Subsidy rift: Tsu Koon defends Jala Free Malaysia Today. June 9, 2010
- ^ Gerakan’s Koh defends appointment The Star. April 11, 2009
- ^ Jahabar Sadiq (14 August 2011). "With Penang in mind, move to unseat Tsu Koon gathers pace". The Malaysian Insider. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/with-penang-in-mind-move-to-unseat-tsu-koon-gathers-pace/. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Koh mum on Johor contest". The Star. 15 August 2011. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/8/15/nation/9300829&sec=nation. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Lim Chong Eu |
Chief Minister of Penang 1990 – 2008 |
Succeeded by Lim Guan Eng |
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