By Niza Shimi
There’s not much information on the late Tan Sri Alexander Lee Yu Lung available online but his memory lives on in the Batu constituency of Kuala Lumpur. He was the first Member of Parliament (MP) when the constituency was created in 1986.
Now that the Batu constituency has been in the news lately with 10 contenders hoping to be the next MP, a little throwback might be timely. Having lived in the outskirts of Batu since the 1980s, I can recall this constituency has come a long way since then.
Lee was the MP of Batu for two terms, from 1986 to 1995. The constituency remained a Gerakan Party stronghold until 2008 when Chua Tian Chang (Tian Chua) won under the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) ticket.
Lee, who was the youngest son of the late Tun Sir Henry H S Lee, the nation’s first finance minister, died at the age of 60 during a scuba-diving outing in Papua New Guinea in 1999. Lee was Deputy Agriculture Minister and Deputy National Unity and Social Development Minister.
A news clipping on November 6, 1999, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as well as Cabinet Ministers, VIPs and the public paid their last respects at Lee's residence in Ampang. My mother would have been among them.
Many would know him from the Tan Sri Alex Lee charity golf to raise funds for the education of athletes. Lee was the vice president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia before his untimely death.
We knew him as Datuk Alex. (The title Tan Sri was awarded posthumously)
He was a popular MP and many of my late mother’s generation still remember him, although even their numbers are dwindling. My mum was often roped in by the Gerakan officer, a friend, to assist Datuk Alex in reaching out to the Malay constituents.
Much of what I remember is from the stories she would tell us after her trips knocking on doors in the squatter settlements and dingy flats that formed much of the constituency back in the day. It was a far cry from the bustling, congested condominium city it is now, especially since the Light Rail Transit serves the area.
Datuk Alex was a gentleman of the old school, well-bred, humble, and chivalrous. He was also old money but we didn't know that at the time. We just knew him as a very nice man. Little wonder that my mum was completely charmed by him.
She said he was willing to wade into the dodgy areas of the constituency, sometimes covered in mud after the rains and the frequent flash floods in the 1980s and 1990s, just to make sure folks were okay. The roads are less flood-prone now due to improved drainage.
My mum would tell stories of how Datuk Alex would often assist those in need. There was the case of a young boy from a very poor family who needed urgent medical treatment. With no hesitation Datuk Alex would extend cash aid, telling my mum to not let them know it was from him.
Even former Penang chief minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon was reported in 2005 to get emotional in talking about Lee whom he said had sacrificed his time, energy and personal resources. The people of Batu, still get emotional about Datuk Alex.
Datuk Alex is what we would expect an MP to be. He helped regardless of who was in need. But he was born at a different time. They don’t make politicians like Datuk Alex anymore.
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