Chong Chieng Jen

Summary

Chong Chieng Jen is a DAP politician and lawyer who has represented Stampin in Parliament since 2018, having previously held the Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat for three terms from 2004. He serves concurrently as Sarawak DAP chairman, Sarawak Pakatan Harapan chairman, Padungan state assemblyman, Sarawak State Opposition Leader, and NIOSH chairman, making him the principal opposition figure within Sarawak. He served as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs under the Pakatan Harapan federal administration from July 2018 to February 2020.

Biography

Chong Chieng Jen (born 12 February 1971) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stampin since May 2018 and Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Padungan since December 2021 [1]. He is Chairman of DAP Sarawak, re-elected for the 2024–2027 term in December 2024, and Chairman of Sarawak Pakatan Harapan, re-elected to lead the coalition until 2027 [2]. He has served as State Leader of the Opposition of Sarawak from June 2013 to November 2020 and again since March 2024, and holds the chairmanship of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) since February 2024 [1]. During the Pakatan Harapan federal administration, he served as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs from July 2018 until the collapse of that government in February 2020 [1]. Prior to representing Stampin, Chong was a three-term MP for Bandar Kuching from March 2004 to May 2018, and state assemblyman for Kota Sentosa from May 2006 to December 2021 [1]. By profession, he is an advocate practising in Kuching with the legal firm Messrs Chong Brothers Advocates [1]. He pursued tertiary education at the Australian National University, Canberra, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in accounting and economics) and a Bachelor of Laws [1].

Known for

Chong is one of the longest-serving opposition figures in Sarawak, having led DAP Sarawak and the Sarawak state opposition across more than two decades of elected office [1]. He is recognised for his advocacy of governance accountability and transparency as a check on the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government, as well as for championing Sarawak's resource rights vis-à-vis the federal government [3][2]. He was also the originator of DAP's 'Ubah' hornbill mascot concept, which became a prominent symbol of the party's 2013 federal election campaign [1].

Political positions

Chong has consistently positioned DAP Sarawak as an opposition force within the state while simultaneously forming part of the Pakatan Harapan federal coalition government. He has called for greater Sarawak resource rights, including publicly urging the Sarawak government to lobby for a 30% equity stake in Petronas in May 2025 [2]. He frames the Sarawak opposition's primary function as providing checks and balances on GPS's near-total dominance of the state assembly — GPS holds 79 of 82 seats, a position Sarawak PH described as 'overly strong' [2]. During his tenure as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (2018–2020), he was involved in consumer price policy, including discussions on reducing the retail price of sugar through negotiating with refiners and issuing more approved permits for sugar imports [4]. He has also raised frontline welfare issues in Parliament, including inadequate quarantine facilities for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic [5]. On Sarawak's constitutional status, he has stated that titular changes — such as the renaming of the chief minister to 'premier' — carry no practical weight without changes to the head of government's constitutional powers [2].

Education

1. Early 1970s–1980sCompleted primary education across SJK(C) Methodist in Sibu, SJK(C) Chung Hua No. 3 in Kuching, and SRK St. Theresa Padungan in Kuching.⛓
2. Late 1980sUndertook secondary education at SMK St. Joseph, Kuching and Saint Patrick's School, Singapore, followed by admission to Victoria Junior College in Singapore.⛓
3. Early 1990sGraduated from the Australian National University, Canberra with a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in accounting and economics) and a Bachelor of Laws.⛓

Before politics

1. Mid-1990s onwardsBegan working as an advocate in Kuching, attached to the legal firm Messrs Chong Brothers Advocates.⛓

Political career

1. 1999Contested the Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat (GE10) as a DAP candidate; lost to SUPP candidate Song Swee Guan.⛓
2. March 2004Elected as MP for Bandar Kuching in GE11 with a majority of 2,041 votes.⛓
3. May 2006Elected as state assemblyman for the newly created seat of Kota Sentosa in the 10th Sarawak state election.⛓
4. March 2008Defended Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat in GE12 with an increased majority.⛓
5. April 2011Retained Kota Sentosa state seat in the 11th Sarawak state election with a majority of 4,824 votes.⛓
6. December 2012Appointed to the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) at the DAP 16th National Congress.⛓
7. May 2013Re-elected as Bandar Kuching MP in GE13 with a majority of 19,642 votes.⛓
8. June 2013Became State Leader of the Opposition of Sarawak.⛓
9. May 2016Retained Kota Sentosa state seat in the 11th Sarawak state election with a majority of 2,819 votes against Yap Yau Sin.⛓
10. November 2017Re-elected as one of DAP's five national vice-chairpersons at the DAP CEC re-election.⛓
11. May 2018Won the Stampin parliamentary seat in GE14 with a majority of 14,221 votes, defeating SUPP president Datuk Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.⛓
12. July 2018Sworn in as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs in the Pakatan Harapan federal administration under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.⛓
13. February 2020Ceased serving as Deputy Minister following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal administration.⛓
14. December 2021Won the Padungan state seat in the 12th Sarawak state election with a majority of 1,198 votes against Kuching South Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng.⛓
15. November 2022Retained Stampin parliamentary seat in GE15 with a majority of 7,158 votes.⛓
16. February 2024Appointed as Chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).⛓
17. March 2024Resumed role as Sarawak State Opposition Leader for the second term, following the dissolution of PSB and its members joining GPS.⛓
18. December 2024Re-elected as Sarawak DAP chairman for the 2024–2027 term and re-elected to lead Sarawak Pakatan Harapan until 2027.⛓

Election history

• 2022StampinWon⛓
• 2018StampinWon⛓
• 2013Bandar KuchingWon⛓
• 2008Bandar KuchingWon⛓
• 2004Bandar KuchingWon⛓
• 1999Bandar KuchingLost⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentGPS's Lo Khere Chiang questioned the feasibility of Chong's call for Sarawak to obtain a 30% equity stake in Petronas, noting that the previous PH government had failed to deliver on its promise of a 20% oil and gas royalty for Sarawak.⛓
• OppositionSarawak PH under Chong's leadership has described GPS's hold of 79 of 82 state assembly seats as 'overly strong' and committed the coalition to providing checks and balances on the state government's financial spending and expenditures.⛓
• ExpertThe Malaysian Bar raised grave reservations about the Federal Court's 2018 ruling — arising from Chong's case against the Sarawak government — that public authorities have the right to sue individuals for defamation, stating it creates a chilling effect on public discourse.⛓
• VerifiedFactsChong has been Stampin MP since May 2018 and Padungan state assemblyman since December 2021. He is Sarawak DAP chairman (re-elected 2024–2027), Sarawak PH chairman (re-elected until 2027), Sarawak State Opposition Leader (since March 2024), and NIOSH chairman (since February 2024).⛓