TopicsPolitician AnalysisSteven Chaw Kam Foon

Steven Chaw Kam Foon

Party
DAP · Democratic Action Party
Coalition
PH
Constituency
Menglembu
State
Perak
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Why this matters to you

As the Menglembu state assemblyman, Steven Chaw is the primary point of contact for residents of Menglembu — including those in Lahat and Bukit Merah areas — on issues such as local infrastructure, public health access, and community welfare handled at the state level. In his concurrent role as Political Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government, he acts as a liaison to a ministry that oversees public housing programmes, local council licensing, and the revival of abandoned housing projects — matters that directly affect homebuyers and renters across Malaysia. Constituents with complaints about local authority services or housing issues may find his dual role at state and federal levels relevant to how their concerns are escalated.

Party History

Loyalist

Has never switched parties.

Career span
2018–2022
Career win rate
100%
  1. DAP

Data from Lompat (by Zach Yek), built on the Malaysian Election Corpus (by Thevesh Thevananthan). CC0.

Summary

Steven Chaw Kam Foon (born 19 December 1983) is the DAP Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly for Menglembu, a seat he has held since May 2018. He holds concurrent roles as Political Secretary to Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming (since February 2024) and State Assistant Organising Secretary of DAP Perak (since March 2021). His career in DAP stretches back to 2008, when he began as a political aide in the same constituency he now represents.

Biography

Steven Chaw Kam Foon (born 19 December 1983) is a Malaysian politician and computer hardware engineer who has served as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Menglembu since May 2018 [1]. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. Since February 2024, he has held the additional role of Political Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Ming [1]. This dual role was confirmed by Bernama, which reported him accompanying Minister Nga at official events in his capacity as political secretary [2]. Within DAP, he has served as State Assistant Organising Secretary of DAP Perak since March 2021 [1]. Before his election as MLA, Chaw served as Special Assistant and Political Secretary to the then-Menglembu MLA Lim Pek Har — his cousin — from 2008 to 2018, and as Branch Chairman of DAP Menglembu North from 2011 to 2018 [1]. He rose through the DAP youth wing, serving as State Vice Youth Chief of DAP Perak from 2015, State Youth Chief from October 2018 to April 2022, and State Deputy Youth Chief of PH Perak from 2017 [1]. He also headed the State Public Complaints Bureau of DAP Perak from 2016 [1]. Before entering full-time politics, Chaw worked as a computer hardware engineer [1]. In September 2024, he was returned uncontested as Assistant Organising Secretary in the Perak DAP state leadership elections [3].

Known for

Steven Chaw is recognised as the DAP assemblyman for Menglembu, a seat he has held since 2018, succeeding his cousin Lim Pek Har. He has built a career within DAP's Perak state structure, rising from branch chairman to state youth chief before moving into senior party secretariat roles. Since February 2024, he has also served as Political Secretary to Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, linking his constituency work to federal housing and local government policy.

Political positions

Sourced reporting indicates that Chaw takes a constituency-centred approach to his legislative work, regularly holding press conferences on local welfare issues such as loan-shark harassment and online scam cases affecting Menglembu residents [3]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he coordinated AstraZeneca vaccination drives in Menglembu and surrounding areas, reporting that over 2,300 residents had registered for the programme [3]. On the 2019 Jawi calligraphy controversy, Malay Mail reported that he declined to take action against a constituent who pelted his service centre with eggs over the issue, stating that DAP's doors remain open to the community [4]. No broader legislative position statements on economic, national, or security policy have been sourced from the allowlist.

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]bernama.com
  3. [3]thestar.com.my
  4. [4]malaymail.com

Before politics

  1. Early careerWorked as a computer hardware engineer before entering full-time politics.⛓

Political career

  1. 2008Began serving as Special Assistant and Political Secretary to his cousin, Menglembu MLA Lim Pek Har.⛓
  2. 2011Appointed Branch Chairman of DAP Menglembu North, a position he held until 2018.⛓
  3. 2015Appointed State Vice Youth Chief of DAP Perak.⛓
  4. 2016Appointed State Head of the Public Complaints Bureau of DAP Perak.⛓
  5. 2017Appointed State Deputy Youth Chief of Pakatan Harapan Perak.⛓
  6. May 2018Elected as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly for Menglembu under the Pakatan Harapan banner in the 14th General Election.⛓
  7. October 2018Elevated to State Youth Chief of DAP Perak, a position he held until April 2022.⛓
  8. March 2021Appointed State Assistant Organising Secretary of DAP Perak.⛓
  9. November 2022Re-elected as Menglembu MLA in the 15th General Election.⛓
  10. August 2023Appointed Political Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Sivakumar Varatharaju, a position he held until December 2023.⛓
  11. February 2024Appointed Political Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Ming.⛓
  12. September 2024Returned uncontested as Assistant Organising Secretary in the Perak DAP state leadership elections at the 20th Perak State DAP Convention.⛓

Election history

  • 2022MenglembuWon⛓
  • 2018MenglembuWon⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2021DAP
    • Realising that there are many Covid-19 cases reported here, we decided to have this programme and so far we have received over 2,300 registrations.

      Remarks to reporters at his Menglembu service centre regarding a 2,600-dose AstraZeneca vaccination drive for Menglembu, Lahat and Bukit Merah. · Source

  2. 2019DAP
    • The incident that happened yesterday evening was unintended by either party and I will not take further action on the matter.

      Statement made after a constituent pelted the Menglembu DAP service centre with eggs during the 2019 Jawi calligraphy controversy. · Source

    • I stressed that DAP is always ready to hear the views of the people and that our doors are always open.

      Follow-up remark in the same press statement regarding the egg-pelting incident at his Menglembu service centre. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsSteven Chaw has served as Menglembu MLA since May 2018 and was re-elected in November 2022. He concurrently holds the role of Political Secretary to Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming since February 2024, confirmed by Bernama reporting.⛓
  • GovernmentThe Perak DAP state leadership, led by Nga Kor Ming, returned Chaw uncontested as State Assistant Organising Secretary at the September 2024 Perak DAP Convention, reflecting institutional confidence in his organisational role within the party.⛓
  • PublicFree Malaysia Today reported that a constituent pelted Chaw's Menglembu service centre with eggs in 2019 over DAP's stance on Jawi calligraphy in vernacular schools, reflecting frustration among some community members with the party's position at the time.⛓

Sources

Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.

Reviewed by editorMedium confidence