Ong Kian Ming (Chinese: 王建民; pinyin: Wáng Jiànmín; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ông Kiàn-bîn; born 12 September 1975), is a Malaysian podcaster and politician from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and a University lecturer for Taylor's University. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bangi from May 2018 to November 2022 and Serdang from May 2013 to May 2018 and the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry in the PH administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and former Minister Darell Leiking from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020.[1]

Ong Kian Ming
王建民
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry
In office
2 July 2018 – 24 February 2020
MonarchsMuhammad V
Abdullah
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
MinisterDarell Leiking
Preceded byAhmad Maslan
Chua Tee Yong
Succeeded byLim Ban Hong
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Bangi
In office
9 May 2018 – 19 November 2022
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded bySyahredzan Johan
(PHDAP)
Majority68,768 (2018)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Serdang
In office
5 May 2013 – 9 May 2018
Preceded byTeo Nie Ching
(PR–DAP)
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Majority42,206 (2013)
Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat
2013–2018Democratic Action Party
2018–2022Pakatan Harapan
Personal details
Born
Ong Kian Ming

(1975-09-12) 12 September 1975 (age 49)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Political partyDemocratic Action Party (DAP)
(since 2012)
Other political
affiliations
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) (2012–2015)
Pakatan Harapan (PH)
(since 2015)
SpouseYeoh Ee Leng
ResidenceMalaysia
Alma materLondon School of Economics
University of Cambridge
Duke University
OccupationPolitician, University professor
Websitehttps://ongkianming.com

Ong was formerly an academic and a prominent political analyst in the Malaysian political scene before he turned Election Strategist for the DAP.[2][3][4] His articles were widely published in popular news portals such as Malaysiakini, Malaysian Insider and The Edge.[5] Prior to that he was a lecturer in Faculty of Economics and Policy Science, UCSI University, also a regional consultant for the Blue Ocean Strategy regional center. His experience includes being a policy analyst for Socio Economics Development and Research Institute (SEDAR) and Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP). In addition, he was also associate consultant for the Boston Consulting Group Kuala Lumpur.

Personal life

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Ong has an elder brother and a younger sister. He grew up in Petaling Jaya. His father was an architect. He married Yeoh Ee Leng in 2004. The couple do not have any children. He is known for his passion for running, and features regularly in local running events.[6][7] He believes that academic credentials is not necessarily needed to ensure one's success rather, what is more important is a person's integrity.[8]

Education

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Ong, a Fulbright scholar, is a PhD holder in political science from Duke University, USA. He also has a master's degree in economics from Cambridge University and a degree in economics from London School of Economics. Prior to that he was an ASEAN scholar who completed his "O" and "A" levels in Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College in Singapore respectively.

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry

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During his tenure as Deputy Minister of MITI, he is known for his ability to articulate without having any speech text. He is also known for his informal approach during the events which he attends. His approachability as well as intellect, backed by his credentials drew support from a number of groups in which he interacted with, particularly among academicians and intellectuals.

In an interview session by The Malaysian Insight, Ong admitted that he never intended to get involved in politics. He also believes he is very fortunate to be in MITI, as it is one of the key ministries which is widely acknowledge for being very proactive, business friendly and outward looking. He further acknowledged the contribution and influence of former Minister of MITI, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz in cultivating a culture of responsiveness and accountability in the ministry.[9]

In April 2019, he criticized a senior UBS official who made misleading comments about Malaysia's economy.[10] He argued that he would normally accept any criticisms thrown to the government, provided that they are factually correct. He pointed out how the UBS official, Kelvin Tay, from UBS Wealth Management misinterpreted certain economic figures, particularly on the difference between current account deficit and fiscal deficit, as well as Tay's statement on Malaysia's over-reliance on the oil & gas industry.[11] UBS later that month conceded and acknowledged that Tay did make some erroneous statements and painted a wrong picture on the state of the Malaysian economy.[12]

Ong has been a supporter for the development of electrical & electronics (E&E) industry in Malaysia[13] and has written extensively on his blog regarding the development of the industry.[14] He is also actively involved in the startup scene in Malaysia, evident through his comments[15] as well as him attending several events related to technology and start ups.[16][17]

In addition to this, Ong has also been a very strong advocate on the adoption of Industry 4.0-related processes into Malaysian industries.[18] He has been aggressively promoting the use and integration of technologies related to Industry 4.0 (IR 4.0).[19] Edwin Yapp, an author from Digital News Asia featured Ong's advocacy on Industry 4.0 as one of his five favorite things for 2019.[20]

Malaysia Electoral Roll Analysis Project

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Ong pioneered the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP) and is the director for the project. He has published many of his findings on various news portal as well as discussed it with the Election Commission of Malaysia.[21][22]

Election results

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Parliament of Malaysia
Year Constituency Candidate Votes Pct Opponent(s) Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2013 P102 Serdang Ong Kian Ming (DAP) 79,238 67.98% Yap Pian Hon (MCA) 37,032 31.77% 118,314 42,206 88.87%
2018 P102 Bangi Ong Kian Ming (DAP) 102,557 65.60% Mohd Shafie Ngah (PAS) 33,789 21.61% 157,933 68,768 88.33%
Liew Yuen Keong (MCA) 19,766 12.64%
Dennis Wan Jinn Woei (PRM) 215 0.14%

References

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  1. ^ "Remaining Cabinet members sworn in". FMT Reporters. Free Malaysia Today. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Why I joined the DAP – Ong Kian Ming". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Political analyst Ong Kian Ming joins DAP". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Ong Kian Ming Profile". Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Political analyst Ong Kian Ming joins DAP". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Sea of blue at Dataran Merdeka". The Star. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Bursa Bull Charge". Bursa Malaysia. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. ^ "You don't need a degree to be a good politician". The Star. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  9. ^ "Menteri in my Myvi". TMI. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Deputy minister fact-checks top UBS banker". Malay Mail. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Deputy minister weighs in on Bloomberg report". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  12. ^ "UBS admits negative assessment of Malaysian economy had errors". New Straits Times. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  13. ^ "Ensure balance in E&E growth". The Edge. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Turning Point For E&E in Malaysia". Facebook Post. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Southeast Asian startups should combine best practices to lure FDIs". The Edge. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  16. ^ "Go Cashless with Boost!". The Sun Daily. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Malaysia needs more good service offerings to venture abroad". The Edge. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  18. ^ "MITI wants to help local manufacturers be Industry 4.0 ready". The Edge. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Govt encourages technology and innovation in B2G sector". Bernama. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  20. ^ "My Fave 5 of 2019". Digital News Asia. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  21. ^ "Kian Ming's big role in cleaning up BN's mess". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  22. ^ "Malaysia Electoral Roll Analysis Project". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
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