BY GERALD LAWSON
SIBU: Thousands of people joined Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to pay their last respects to the late Datuk Andrew Wong Kee Yew.
The wake took place at Nirvana Memorial Park in Mile 23 Jalan Oya, here.
Andrew, 43, was the only son of a family of four children of Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh and Datin Leong Poh Ling.
He passed away suddenly on Sunday night in the dressing room on the upper floor of their family home in Jalan Ipoh at 11pm.
Abang Johari was the first to pay his last respects while Abdul Taib came later in the afternoon.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by his wife Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang: Deputy Chief Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hasan; Tourism, Arts, Culture Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian as well as several other ministers and local dignitaries.
Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu, the wife of former chief minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, also came to pay her last respects. As early as 8am, long line of people had started queuing up to for the wake.
Speaking to reporters later, Abang Johari said the state, Sibu in particular, has lost a “highly potential leader who had contributed a lot in the field of education”.
“He was the one who initiated and set up Kolej Laila Taib and University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS). He was also very much concerned with the future of the state, particularly Sibu’s development,” he added.
Abang Johari saluted Andrew as a model young man who had the energy and vision to transform the society towards modernity while retaining the state’s cultural heritage.
“When he was the deputy chairman of Sibu Municipal Council, I once had a discussion with him on the direction of Sibu, especially with regard to its service and economy sectors. I think he agreed with me that we need to upgrade the infrastructure in the rural area,” he said.
According to the Chief Minister, prior to his untimely death, Andrew went to a longhouse in Tutus, which showed that he was very concerned with the well-being of the rural folk.
Abang Johari called upon the state’s youths to take the cue from Andrew’s community outreach, including his effort in creating awareness of cancer.
“My advice is, just like what Andrew had done, the young people with positive ideas must translate these into action,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sibu police chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit when met at the wake on Wednesday said the police were still waiting for further laboratory reports from Sibu Hospital on the cause of Andrew’s death.
“We are not sure yet when the report will be ready,” he said.
A postmortem had only revealed that Andrew suffered hemorrhage on the left side of the brain and there were also internal bleedings.
