Goh Leong San Explained

Goh Leong San
Native Name Lang:zh-my
Birth Date:15 November 1967
Birth Place:Malacca, Malaysia
Constituency Am2:Duyong
Assembly2:Malacca State Legislative
Term Start2:2013
Term End2:2018
Predecessor2:Gan Tian Loo (MCA)
Successor2:Damian Yeo Shen Li (DAP)
Majority2:205
Constituency Am3:Kesidang (formerly Tengkera)
Assembly3:Malacca State Legislative
Term Start3:2008
Term End3:2013
Predecessor3:Koh Nai Kwong (MCA)
Successor3:Chin Choong Seong (DAP)
Majority3:1,399
Constituency Am4:Bandar Hilir
Assembly4:Malacca State Legislative
Term Start4:2004
Term End4:2008
Predecessor4:Sim Tong Him (DAP)
Successor4:Tey Kok Kiew (DAP)
Majority4:356
Constituency Am5:Tengkera (formerly Tranquerah)
Assembly5:Malacca State Legislative
Term Start5:1995
Term End5:2004
Predecessor5:Sim Tong Him (DAP)
Successor5:(change to Kesidang) Koh Nai Kwong (MCA)
Majority5:1,189
Office6:Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Malacca State Chairman
Term Start6:19 December 2005
Term End6:14 December 2015
Party:Independent (2017 – present)
Democratic Action Party (DAP) (1994 – 2017)
Otherparty:Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2015-2017)
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) (2008-2015)
Barisan Alternatif (BA) (1999-2004)
Gagasan Rakyat (GR) (1994-1996)
Occupation:Politician
Children:3
T:吳良山
S:吴良山
P:Wú Liángshān
Poj:Gô͘ Liôngsan

Goh Leong San (born 15 November 1967) is a Malaysian politician. Goh is a former Malacca State Legislative Assemblyman (MLA) for several Malacca state constituencies; Tengkera (1995-2004), Bandar Hilir (2004-2008), Kesidang (2008-2013) and Duyong (2013-2018).

Presently Goh is an independent politician after his resignation from Democratic Action Party (DAP) in 2017. He was previously the state chairman for Malacca and also Central Executive Committee member for DAP.

Early life and education

Goh was born on 15 November 1967 in Malacca. His name, Leong San, literally means "Hero of Mount Liang" in Chinese, a name that also was used in the famous Chinese classical novel Water Margin.

He completed his tertiary education at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) obtaining the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Chemistry. He then became a chemist and household products manufacturer.[1]

Political career

Goh had joined the DAP in 1994. He contested the constituency of Tengkera twice and won in 1995 and 1999 to become its assemblyman from 1995 to 2004 before switching to contest the seat Bandar Hilir, Malacca in 2004 election.

Goh ascended to the DAP Malacca State Chief in 2005, succeeding his mentor Sim Tong Him. Goh had secured 85 votes in the hotly contested party internal election, which also saw DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew unexpectedly got the lowest number of votes out of 15 candidates, thus causing Chew to lose her seat on the Malacca DAP committee entirely.[2] Chew was "saddened by the results", but said she accepted her defeat.[3] However, Teresa Kok, a DAP Member of Parliament (MP), suggested there was a conspiracy behind the defeat of Lim and Chew in their re-election campaigns.[4] Both Goh and Sim DAP membership was suspended for one-year suspension on 16 February 2016, reportedly for disparaging the party.[5] Goh was initially alleged to turn Independent assemblyman but somehow refuted by DAP which maintained he was still a member under suspension of the party later.[6] [7]

In the 2008 election, Goh at age 40 continued to run for state assemblyman seat and had won again against incumbent Koh Nai Kwong of MCA-BN in the electoral constituency of Kesidang with margin of 1,399 votes[8]

In the 2013 election, he faced off against Gan Tian Loo from MCA-BN for the Duyong, Malacca state seat and won again, though by a much smaller margin of just 205 votes.[9] He however later resigned as state opposition leader in October 2013.[10]

Goh himself was ousted as the state DAP chief on 14 December 2015 by the newly-elected state committee that had selected Tey Kok Kiew instead.[11]

On 12 February 2017, Goh along with Sim, MP for Kota Melaka and two other Malacca state assemblymen namely Lim Jack Wong of Bachang, and Chin Choong Seong of Kesidang finally decided and announced their resignation from the DAP to be Independents, citing lack of trust in the party leadership.[12] [13] They later had formed an independent candidates bloc called 'Justice League' to contest in the 2018 election (GE14) using the key as their common symbol but all had lost.[14] [15] In the elections, Goh contested as independent candidate the parliamentary constituency of Kota Melaka and state constituency of Bandar Hilir concurrently but had lost both constituencies.[16]

Hence, even though Goh never get to be a MP of Dewan Rakyat, he had become a five-term assemblyman of various state seats from 2004 until 2018.[17]

Controversies

On 17 September 2015, Dr. Wong Fort Pin, the Bukit Palah DAP branch chairman who is also a doctor then, successfully sued Goh with Sim for defamation because of libelous media statements they have issued to implicate him in outraging the modesty of his patients and also accused his sibling of being involved in illegal activities. He won RM300,000 in damages.[18]

Personal life

Goh is married and a father of three children.[17]

Election results

Year!
ConstituencyVotesPctOpponent(s)VotesPctBallots castMajorityTurnout
1995N16 Tengkera (DAP)6,797 53.63%Lim Her Leng @ Lim Kok Jerk (MCA)5,608 44.24%12,6752,45177.07%
1999 (DAP)7,61856.36%Soon Tian Szu (MCA)5,634 41.70%13,511 1,98478.23%
2004N22 Bandar Hilir (DAP)7,273 49.74%Chock Choon Sin (MCA)6,91747.31%14,622 35675.40%
2008N19 Kesidang (DAP)7,241 54.34%Koh Nai Kwong (MCA)5,84243.84%13,325 1,39980.89%
2013N21 Duyong (DAP)7,997 49.98%Gan Tian Loo (MCA)7,79248.70%16,05520587.60%
2018N19 Kesidang (IND)349 0.90% (DAP)22,880 61.30%31,970 14,61285.60%
Ng Choon Koon (MCA)8,268 22.10%
Year!
ConstituencyVotesPctOpponent(s)VotesPctBallots castMajorityTurnout
2004P135 Alor Gajah, Malacca. (DAP)7,37218.74%Fong Chan Onn (MCA)29,92076.05%39,343 22,54876.26%
2018P138 Kota Melaka, Malacca. (IND)1,415 1.34% (DAP)76,518 72.69%107,085 49,17584.42%
Choo Wei Sern (MCA)27,343 25.97%

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Goh Leong San. PRU Di Sinar. Sinar Harian. 7 March 2021.
  2. News: Guan Eng and wife voted out of Malacca DAP committee. The Star. 19 December 2005. 13 November 2015. 17 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024615/http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=%2F2005%2F12%2F19%2Fnation%2F12907765. dead.
  3. 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"
  4. Beh, Lih Yi (19 December 2005). "Mr and Mrs Lim's defeat a 'conspiracy'". Malaysiakini.
  5. News: Former DAP chief Goh Leong San declared an independent. The Star. 28 March 2016. 4 April 2016.
  6. News: Isu Saudara Goh Leong San ADUN Duyung sebagai Bebas tidak wujud. DAP Malaysia. 28 March 2016. ms. 4 April 2016.
  7. News: ADUN Duyong Goh Leong San masih ahli DAP. Free Malaysia Today. 28 March 2016. ms. 4 April 2016.
  8. News: 對壘古乃光‧吳良山有信心. Facing off against Koh Nai Kwong; Goh Leong San feels confident. Sin Chew Daily. 24 February 2008. 13 November 2015. zh.
  9. News: General Election 2013 Results: Melaka. Bernama. 6 May 2013. 13 November 2015.
  10. Web site: Chinese Press: 'Rule of man has taken over in DAP'. Chinese Press . 14 October 2013 . The Edge Markets. 2 April 2016.
  11. News: Tey elected as new Malacca DAP chief. RSN Murali. 14 December 2015 . The Star. 2 April 2016.
  12. News: Kota Melaka MP, three state reps leave DAP. The Malay Mail. 12 February 2017. 15 February 2017.
  13. News: DAP four who quit regret misleading voters into backing Islamist party. The Star. MCA. 13 February 2017. 21 April 2018.
  14. Web site: Pas Melaka letak lima calon Parlimen, 24 Dun. Amran. Ali. www.sinarharian.com.my. ms. 5 December 2018.
  15. Web site: Empat bekas pemimpin DAP akan bertanding atas tiket bebas. Harith. Nizar. Utusan Online. 5 December 2018.
  16. News: Former DAP Malacca leaders form Justice league. Kong See Hoh. The Sun Daily. 19 April 2018. 21 April 2018.
  17. Web site: INTERVIEWS - Goh Leong San: Making Inroads in Melaka. The Rocket . 8 December 2010 . 2 April 2016.
  18. News: Doc wins suit against two Malacca DAP leaders. The Star. 17 September 2005. 4 April 2016.