FORMER three-term Penang MCA assemblyman Lee Hack Teik passed away last night from a chronic ailment.
The former Pengkalan Kota representative was 72.
Penang MCA secretary Yeoh Chin Kah confirmed the demise of one of the party's beloved elected representatives.
Always speaking from the heart, Lee also used many Hokkien verses to reach out to the mostly Hokkien-speaking voters in George Town.
He was a typical working-class assemblyman and his hard-working demeanour endeared him to his constituents, who were also mostly from the blue collar neighbourhood.
His down-to-earth style where he employed a former officer with the state information department, as his associate, helped him win over voters in a DAP stronghold.
Pengkalan Kota is one of the state seats under the Padang Kota parliament, which was once held by DAP founder Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
Lee held Pengkalan Kota for three consecutive terms from 1995, 1999 and 2004 but eventually, he lost to Lau Keng Ee from DAP when the latter's party took over Penang in 2008.
Lee was seen as a humble assemblyman, a virtue many voters hoped their fellow assemblymen could possess. - The Vibes, November 19, 2024.