FOR the past few years, former Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has been meeting people from all walks of life as part of his social obligation after serving the state for some 18 years before his party, Gerakan, was wiped out in the 2008 general election.
What amazes people is that Dr Koh, an American-educated academic, comes to meet them driving by himself a Perodua Kancil - an old model.
It is his faithful car, which helps him get from one point to another here.
It is not a social status but practicality for Koh in navigating the congested roads of Penang, especially since the pandemic was declared an epidemic; traffic in Penang has surged to record highs.
Still, the soft-spoken but sharp and articulate Koh has shunned attention, but he would smile with everyone, including former foes such as Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, when they happened to attend public gatherings.
For Penang Forward Sports Club, the state's oldest recreational club, founded in 1986, its chairman, Datuk Lim Chooi Hooi, took to social media to express his salutation of Dr Koh.
He said that the opportunity to have a meal with Koh was indeed an honour of a lifetime.
"He served as our Chief Minister for 18 years, standing at a high political position, leading Penang through an important and scenic period. But what I admire most is not only the identity and status he once had, but the simplicity, modesty and truth he still kept after he retired."
"When I took the car after dinner, I saw him leaving in an old Myvi. To be honest, many young people today don't even want to drive it. Yet a former chief minister who led Penang for 18 years can live a simple life so naturally and freely, said Lim. - July 9, 2026.
