Oscar Ling Chai Yew

Summary

Oscar Ling Chai Yew (born 9 October 1977) is a pharmacist-turned-politician who has represented the Sibu federal constituency in Sarawak for DAP since May 2013, winning three successive general elections in 2013, 2018, and 2022. In Parliament, he is consistently identified with advocacy for healthcare infrastructure in central Sarawak, Sarawak's territorial rights, and local land-use safety. He is listed as constituency P212 on the Parliament of Malaysia's official members register.

Biography

Oscar Ling Chai Yew (Chinese: 林財耀; born 9 October 1977) is a Malaysian politician and pharmacist who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sibu, Sarawak, since May 2013 [1]. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. Ling first won the Sibu parliamentary seat in the 2013 general election (GE13), defeating Barisan Nasional's Vincent Lau in a three-cornered contest with a majority of 2,841 votes [2][3]. He successfully defended the seat in GE14 (2018), polling 33,811 votes and recording a majority of 11,422 in a four-way fight [4][5]. In GE15 (2022), Ling retained the seat for a third consecutive term, garnering 31,287 votes and defeating GPS candidate Clarence Ting and PSB president Datuk Sri Wong Soon Koh with a majority of 7,760 votes [6][5]. By profession, Ling is a pharmacist [2][3]. His parliamentary work has focused on healthcare infrastructure deficiencies in Sarawak, land development safety, rural electrification, and Sarawak's status as a territory within Malaysia [7][8][9][10]. He is listed in the Parliament of Malaysia's official members register under constituency code P212 — Sibu [11].

Known for

Oscar Ling is known as the DAP incumbent who has held the Sibu parliamentary seat since 2013, making him one of the longest-serving DAP MPs in Sarawak [6][5]. He is associated with persistent advocacy for improved healthcare infrastructure in central and northern Sarawak, particularly the establishment of radiotherapy and cardiac units at Sibu Hospital [7][12]. He has also raised issues relating to Sarawak's territorial rights and the need to treat Sarawak and Sabah as territories rather than ordinary states within Malaysia [7][12].

Political positions

On healthcare, Ling has called for the creation of radiotherapy and cardiac units at Sibu and Miri Hospitals, arguing that the absence of such facilities forces patients to travel up to 800 km to Kuching Hospital, resulting in preventable fatalities [7][12]. He has also urged the upgrade of both Sibu Hospital and Miri Hospital to regional hospital status [7][12]. On land and housing, Ling has called for systematic land classification in Sibu to protect property buyers, citing ground subsidence and structural failures affecting homes of 10 to 20 years old [13][14]. On rural infrastructure, he urged Sesco and the Sarawak state government to lower electricity connection charges, noting high costs as a barrier for rural dwellers near the grid [6][10]. On Sarawak's constitutional standing, Ling has publicly stated that Sarawak and Sabah are territories, not merely states, within Malaysia [7][12]. In Parliament, he has also raised the issue of brain drain and questioned the federal government on measures to address it [13][15].

Before politics

1. Pre-2013Oscar Ling worked as a pharmacist prior to his parliamentary career. He described himself professionally as a pharmacist when contesting GE14 in 2018.⛓

Political career

1. May 2013Oscar Ling won the Sibu parliamentary seat (P212) for DAP in GE13, defeating BN's Vincent Lau and an independent candidate in a three-cornered contest, with a majority of 2,841 votes.⛓
2. May 2018Ling successfully retained Sibu in GE14, polling 33,811 votes (45.6% vote share) in a four-way fight, winning with a majority of 11,422 votes over BN-SUPP's Wong Kee Yew.⛓
3. November 2022Ling retained Sibu for a third consecutive term in GE15, garnering 31,287 votes with a majority of 7,760, defeating GPS's Clarence Ting (23,527 votes) and PSB's Datuk Sri Wong Soon Koh (11,128 votes).⛓
4. March 2023During the first meeting of the second session of the 15th Parliament, Ling called for the creation of radiotherapy and cardiac units at Sibu and Miri Hospitals, and for both hospitals to be upgraded to regional hospital status.⛓
5. February 2025Ling called for systematic land classification in Sibu following a shophouse collapse and ground subsidence incidents, urging the Sarawak government to reassess land development conditions and amend legislation where necessary.⛓

Election history

• 2022Sibu (P212)Won47.4%⛓
• 2018Sibu (P212)Won45.6%⛓
• 2013Sibu (P212)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsOscar Ling Chai Yew has served as MP for Sibu (P212) under DAP since May 2013, having won GE13, GE14, and GE15. He is listed on the Parliament of Malaysia's official members register.⛓
• GovernmentThe Pakatan Harapan government, under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, acknowledged Ling's Budget 2023 debate call on cardiac infrastructure, with Ling noting that the government 'in principle, has continued and promised to allocate RM30 million to build a cardiac unit at Sibu Hospital.'⛓
• OppositionGPS candidate Clarence Ting, who lost to Ling in GE15, accepted the defeat and called on Ling as the newly elected MP to 'help to fight for Sibu.'⛓
• AffectedLing reported receiving numerous complaints from Sibu constituents, including low-income families in unsafe homes due to subsidence and buyers of abandoned housing projects still servicing loans for incomplete units.⛓