Betty Chew Explained

Betty Chew Gek Cheng
Native Name Lang:zh-my
Birth Date:15 August 1964
Birth Place:Tengkera, Malacca, Malaysia
Term Start:21 March 2004
Term End:5 May 2013
Predecessor:Position established
Successor:Lai Keun Ban
Majority:7,242
Constituency Am:Kota Laksamana
Assembly:Malacca State Legislative
Term Start2:29 November 1999
Term End2:21 March 2004
Predecessor2:Yew Kok Kee
Successor2:Position abolished
Majority2:3,369
Constituency Am2:Durian Daun
Assembly2:Malacca State Legislative
Party:Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Otherparty:Pakatan Harapan (PH)

Pakatan Rakyat (PR)

Barisan Alternatif (BA)
Nationality:Malaysian
Occupation:Politician
Spouse:Lim Guan Eng
Children:4

Betty Chew Gek Cheng (; born 15 August 1964) is a Malaysian politician from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition who served as Member of the Malacca State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kota Laksamana from March 2004 to May 2013 and Durian Daun from November 1999 to March 2004. She also served as Malacca State Women Chief of DAP of as of 2005. She is also the spouse and wife of Lim Guan Eng, the present National Chairman and former Secretary-General of DAP, former Minister of Finance and former Chief Minister of Penang as well as the daughter-in-law of another former Secretary-General and former National Chairman of DAP, Lim Kit Siang.[1]

In 2005, she suffered a surprise defeat when running for re-election to the DAP Malacca committee, placing second-last, finishing ahead of only her husband. However, while her husband automatically qualified to sit on the committee by virtue of his position as party Secretary-General, Chew did not. Chew was "saddened by the results", but said she accepted her defeat.[2] However, Teresa Kok, a DAP Member of Parliament, suggested there was a conspiracy behind the defeat of Lim and Chew in their re-election campaigns.[3]

In 2006, it was reported that Chew would become the first Malacca assemblyman to give birth while in office. At the time, Chew had 4 children with Lim.[4]

In 2008, Chew defeated newcomer Lee Kiat Lee for the Kota Laksamana seat where she had 11043 votes while Lee had only 3801 votes.

Election results

Year!
ConstituencyCandidateVotesPctOpponent(s)VotesPctBallots castMajorityTurnout
1999N17 Durian Daun (DAP)7,38064.77%Chew Chong Lin (MCA)4,01135.2%11,6053,36973.88%
2004N20 Kota Laksamana (DAP)8,94462.74%Lim Eng Tack (MCA)5,30237.19%14,4713,64276.34%
2008 (DAP)11,04373.35%Lee Kiat Lee (MCA)3,80125.25%15,0557,24279.53%

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20051227123015/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2005%2F12%2F19%2Fnation%2F12907765&sec=nation "Guan Eng and wife voted out of Malacca DAP committee"
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20090219230314/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2005%2F12%2F20%2Fnation%2F12912017&sec=nation "Betty upset over her ouster"
  3. Beh, Lih Yi (19 December 2005). "Mr and Mrs Lim's defeat a 'conspiracy'". Malaysiakini.
  4. http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=1575 Conflicts and developments