‘Late Wong may be conferred posthumous award’
Posted on July 20, 2011, Wednesday
KUCHING: Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom believes that the late Datuk Amar James Wong Kim Min will be given a posthumous award to acknowledge his tremendous contributions to the state and nation.
“There is a possibility that the state’s first deputy chief minister would be given a posthumous award. He may no longer be around but recognition may possibly be granted,” he said.
The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president was among Cabinet ministers paying their last respects to Wong who passed away at 2pm on Monday.
He said Wong’s contributions to the Malaysian political scene had been so great and known to everybody even prior to the formation of Malaysia.
“I think as a person, as a leader, as a former president of a political party, as a former prominent politician in Sarawak and Malaysia for that matter, he contributed a lot especially towards multiracial peace and harmony in the state.
“To me his demise is a great loss because he was a true Sarawakian, Malaysian and a friend. He was the finest gentleman of this era,” he stressed.
Mawan said he worked together with Wong when they were both in Sarawak National Party (SNAP) during which the latter had been exemplary in many ways.
“He was straight talking, no prejudice and no malice. He was also the one who brought me into the party and later groomed me. He actually had been a mentor to me.
“In fact the two of us were the same except that he was a Chinese and I am not but both of us subscribed to multiracialism and that was what we had continued to do until today,” Mawan
added.
