Chua Soi Lek

Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek; born 2 January 1947, also known as Chua Kin Seng, is a Chinese Malaysian politician from the state of Johor. He is the 9th President of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a major component party in Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition from 2010 until 2013. He held the post of Minister of Health from 2004 until 2008. He has also been a one-term Member of Parliament (MP) for Labis (2004-2008) and a 4-term Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Penggaram from 1986 to 2004. Early life He was born in Batu Pahat, Johor. Chua received his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Lim Poon, then Batu Pahat High School and Muar High School. He was educated in medicine (SSB) at the University of Malaya in 1968–1973. He was trained in psychology and practised psychiatry before entering politics. Chua set up his medical practice in 1977 after serving as a medical officer at the Batu Pahat Hospital. He sold the clinic in 1990 to pursue a full-time career in politics with MCA. Political career He was first elected as a state assemblyman for Penggaram, Johor on MCA's ticket in 1986. He continued to serve Penggaram for 18 years through four consecutive state elections. Later, he became a Johor state government executive councillor. In the 2004 general election, he contested for the Labis parliamentary seat under the Barisan Nasional coalition and claimed victory. The then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appointed Chua into the Malaysian cabinet as the Minister of Health following that victory.