Hidup Penang!!!

Penang boy made Toronto councillor

By FOO YEE PING (Source : Star Online)

NEW YORK: A Penang boy is now a city councillor in Toronto, creating a record of sorts as the first Malaysian-born to hold such a post in Canada.

Lee Chin, a 53-year-old former IT consultant, was elected to the post two months ago and is one of the 44 city councillors in the Toronto city council.

He is now representing about 70,000 residents of Scarborough-Rouge River for a four-year term.

“It is an honour. I feel good about it because I have put in a lot of time and hard work on community work,” he said in a telephone interview from Toronto.

His parents, who are still residing in Penang, were very excited for him, he said.

Lee went to Canada at the age of 18 to study engineering. His first job was with IBM as a field engineer and later he moved on to other postings before going into politics.

“I have always been a community advocate,” he said, adding that he wanted to correct social and economic injustices.

For instance, he said he had worked to improve the system of property assessment and helped to lower property taxes for local house owners.

His last trip to Malaysia was about a year ago.

“I still have many relatives and friends there,” he said.

Lee remembers his childhood days; how he would cycle around the island which had so much greenery then.

“The greenery is still there, but not in George Town,” he said, laughing.

Lee is married with two children, aged 20 and 23.

By the way, he isn’t your typical Penangite. He is a Toishan, not Hokkien.

Penangite comments: I am a Toishan too!!! Bangganya!!! Toishan Ningyang Wui Kwon in Penang will be proud of this achievement.