BATU Sapi MP and former law minister Liew Vui Keong died at 11.50am today while undergoing treatment at Gleneagles Hospital in Kota Kinabalu. He was 60.

It was previously reported he was in a critical condition after undergoing treatment for lung infection.

The permanent chairman of Warisan was missing for most of the Sabah elections, which ended last weekend. 

Earlier this week, the family asked for privacy when rumours started floating about his condition. 

Liew had previously been Sandakan MP from 2008 to 2013, when he was with Barisan Nasional component the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), of which he was president.

He was also deputy international trade and industry minister, as well as deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of law, during this period.

Liew quit LDP and BN in 2018 and joined Warisan.

Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas paid tribute to Liew as one who was “gentle, amiable, considerate to all, with malice to none” in his work.

“I thoroughly enjoyed working with the late VK Liew in promoting law reform in the Pakatan Harapan government. 

“As the minister responsible for legal matters, VK was profoundly interested in improving the laws of Malaysia. He was equally concerned about improving the administration of justice.

“We jointly chaired the Constitutional Committee relating to the Malaysia Agreement 1963. He was a fair chairman, skilfully steering meetings to encourage frank and candid discussion,” Thomas said in a statement.

Thomas also recalled how Liew had been disappointed that PH’s attempt to restore original words in Article 1(2) of the federal constitution on the equal status of Sabah and Sarawak with Malaya was not passed by a two-thirds lower house majority in April last year.

On Twitter, tributes from his PH colleagues and human rights activists began pouring in, as Liew was widely recognised for his work in making the law and law enforcement more humane.

Women’s Aid Organisation deputy executive director Yu Ren Chung said Liew “drove efforts to make stalking a crime, abolish the mandatory death penalty, decriminalise suicide, create a law commission, create a police commission and much more”.

Prominent lawyer and human rights activist Ambiga Sreenevasan said Liew “did his very best to get the death penalty abolished”.

“Always open to meeting civil society, he fought sincerely to move the reform forward. We will miss him. May he rest in peace,” Ambiga tweeted.

Former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman described Liew as a “truly humble man” and credited him for the chance to lead the charge in lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

“I was given the chance to lead on #Undi18 because of him. He has guided and advise(d) me on many tough situations,” the Muar MP tweeted.

Across the political divide, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Liew had been “kind and friendly to me”.

“He was professional and courteous in Parliament, and a strong fighter for his home state of Sabah.”

With Liew’s death, the Batu Sapi seat is vacant and a by-election must be held within 60 days. The Dewan Rakyat speaker will have to inform the Election Commission (EC) of the vacancy and the EC is to thereafter fix dates for the by-election. – October 2, 2020.