:Lim Keng Yaik

Lim was born on 8 April 1939 in Tapah, Perak with fifteen siblings, to a mining father and a homemaker mother. He was educated in St. Michael's Institution in Ipoh between 1947 and 1957 before travelling to Northern Ireland in 1958. He graduated from The Queens University of Belfast with a MB.BCh.BAO. in 1964 and returned to serve in the government hospital in Taiping and a few more places before he opened up his own clinic in Chemor, a place that earned him his famous sobriquet 'sor chai yee sang' or 'madcap doctor' as he used to play the clown when treating sick children. He was a popular doctor and he used to offer free services to the poor patients.{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2012/12/26/tun-dr-lim-keng-yaik-laid-to-rest-with-national-honour/|title=Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik laid to rest with national honour |work= The Star|date=26 December 2012| access-date = 1 September 2017 }}

He married Wong Yoon Chuan and the couple have three children. Former Gerakan Youth Chief, Lim Si Pin is their son.{{cite web | author=Leven Woon |url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/22/lim-keng-yaik-dies/ |title=Lim Keng Yaik dies |publisher= Free Malaysia Today (FMT)|date=22 December 2012| access-date = 1 September 2017 }}

Lim began his foray into politics in 1968 by joining the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA). He subsequently contested in the Pekan Baru state seat in Perak in 1969 on an Alliance ticket, but lost.

In 1971, he became the chairman of MCA Perak. He was appointed as a senator to Dewan Negara and joined the federal cabinet in 1972. However, in 1973, Lim was expelled from the MCA after going against the then MCA president Tun Tan Siew Sin and in the same year joined Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan).

He became the Ulu Kinta Gerakan division head the next year and moved up to become Perak Gerakan head in 1974. In 1976, he became the party's deputy president. In July 1978, Lim resigned as senator and contested in the 1978 Perak General Elections in the Jalong state seat in Perak, which he won narrowly and was appointed as a state Exco member for two terms until 1986.

In 1980, the medical doctor-turned-politician became the Gerakan President. For the first three terms as the party head, he faced challenges and successfully defended the position at every party election since then. He contested the Beruas Parliament seat in 1986 and won by a handsome margin. He narrowly won the seat again in 1990, amid allegations of foul play, to which he has never respond.{{cite news | title=DAP report Malaysia | date=12 May 2008 | publisher= Democratic Action Party (DAP) | url =http://dapmalaysia.org/english/2007/jun07/bul/bul3339.htm | access-date = 20 May 2008 }} In the 2004 Malaysian general election which was also the final time he contested in a general elections before retiring, he retained his seat for a last time with a clear majority of 4,564 with a total registered voter count of 15,867.

Lim first became a minister in the Malaysian cabinet when he was made Minister with Special Functions dealing with New Villages and Emergency work in 1972. However, he resigned from the post the very next year as a protest against the expulsion of the MCA reform movement leaders at the time. He was then booted out of the MCA for it, where he subsequently joined Gerakan.

He made a Cabinet comeback in 1986 when he was appointed by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as Minister of Primary Industries and served in the position until 2004, when he was appointed Minister of Energy, Water and Communications. During his tenure as Minister of Primary Industries, Malaysian palm oil became very well-known and was the largest palm oil producing country in the world. Up until today, palm oil is still one of Malaysia's top money earner and job creator. He will be best remembered for bravely debating with major soya bean producers in the United States at a time when the US banned the import of Malaysia's palm oil due to the strong lobbying from the soya bean industry.

He also brought significant development to the timber industry as he worked hard and formed the Malaysian Timber Council. He also played a pivotal role in persuading Europe to import Malaysia's timber. He took the primary industries to new heights notably with the successful transformation of commodities exports to value-added products; rubber to rubber products, especially rubber dipped to furniture and cocoa to chocolates. He made unparalleled contributions in opening up the global market for Malaysian products like palm oil and timber. It was during his leadership that these commodity sectors were transformed and developed to be competitive as well as sustainable.

Tun Lim Keng Yaik switched his portfolio to the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications in 2004. He focused on the important and urgent issues in the industry as he kept reminding the industry players to buck up and provide the services as promised to the people and be up to par, he had brought further development to the information and communication technology by ensuring better services from the telcos, the sprouting of the content industry and many more. He successfully restructured the water industry of the country.

On 2 September 2005 at the Gerakan 35th Annual National Delegates Conference dinner, Lim announced that he would be retiring as president on 8 April 2007, which was also his 68th birthday. Lim retired from his Cabinet post shortly before the 2008 general election.

He avowed to no longer comment on issues of the Party unless he was asked by the press. But he has in turn disregarded it and commented on a wide range of issues regarding the party, including the succession of the Penang Chief Minister position, and the ousting of a party member that was working under the new opposition state government. These actions have drawn the ire of many within the party that is seeing his meddling in party affairs a cause in the continual deterioration of the party's support.{{cite web | author= Andrew Ong |url=http://malaysiakini.com/news/82093 |title=Quit and butt out, Gerakan ex-boss told |publisher= Malaysiakini | date=29 April 2008| access-date = 20 May 2008}}

Wawasan Open University (WOU) appointed Tun Lim Keng Yaik as its second chancellor on 9 May 2011 to succeed the Late Tun Lim Chong Eu.

After being plagued by illness for more than a year, Tun Lim Keng Yaik died peacefully on Saturday afternoon, 22 December 2012, surrounded by his family at his home in Tropicana, Petaling Jaya, he was 73.{{cite web | author= FARAH HARITH | url=http://www.malaysiandigest.com/archived/index.php/12-news/local2/23976-former-gerakan-chief-lim-keng-yaik-passed-away.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161211113813/http://www.malaysiandigest.com/archived/index.php/12-news/local2/23976-former-gerakan-chief-lim-keng-yaik-passed-away.html| url-status=usurped| archive-date=11 December 2016|title=Former Gerakan Chief, Lim Keng Yaik Passed Away |publisher= Malaysian Digest |date=22 December 2012| access-date = 1 September 2017 }} He was given a state funeral by the federal government to honour his decades of immense contributions to the country as he was one of the longest-serving ministers in the country and a highly revered statesman by the public.

• {{Flag|Malaysia}} :
• 50px Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (2008){{cite web

|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2008/06/07/three-new-tuns-head-awards-list/|date=7 June 2008|work=The Star|access-date=26 September 2018|title=Three new Tuns head awards list}}

• {{Flag|Perak}} :
• 50px Commander of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (PCM) (1976){{cite web|url=http://pingat.perak.gov.my/carian-thn.php?m=1&tahun=1976&kod_pingat=PCM|title=PCM 1976|website=pingat.perak.gov.my|access-date=23 March 2022}}
• 50px Knight Commander of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (DPCM) – Dato' (1981){{cite web|url=http://pingat.perak.gov.my/carian-thn.php?m=1&tahun=1981&kod_pingat=DPCM|title=DPCM 1981|website=pingat.perak.gov.my}}
• 50px Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (1989){{cite web|url=http://pingat.perak.gov.my/carian-thn.php?m=1&tahun=1989&kod_pingat=SPMP|title=SPMP 1989|website=pingat.perak.gov.my|access-date=21 March 2022}}
• {{Flag|Penang}} :
• 50px Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DGPN) – Dato' Seri (1997){{cite web|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/v8/images/stories/DKBP_NEGERI_UPDATE/1997.pdf|title=Pengurniaan Darjah Kebesaran Bergelar Bagi Tahun 1997 Mengikut Negeri.|publisher=Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia)|access-date=14 April 2025|archive-date=29 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629010150/http://www.istiadat.gov.my/v8/images/stories/DKBP_NEGERI_UPDATE/1997.pdf|url-status=dead}}
• {{Flag|Pahang}} :
• 50px Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2005){{cite web

|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2005/10/26/sultan-of-pahangs-75th-birthday-honours-list/|date=26 October 2005|work=The Star|access-date=26 September 2018|title=Sultan of Pahang's 75th birthday honours list}}

• {{Flag|Sarawak}} :
• 50px Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – Dato Sri (2008){{cite web

|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2008/11/05/sarawak-honours-list-2008/|date=5 November 2008|work=The Star|access-date=26 September 2018|title=Sarawak Honours List 2008}}

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Category:1939 births

Category:2012 deaths

Category:Malaysian politicians of Chinese descent

Category:Malaysian people of Hokkien descent

Category:Malaysian medical doctors

Category:Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia politicians

Category:Former Malaysian Chinese Association politicians

Category:Members of the Dewan Negara

Category:Government ministers of Malaysia

Category:Members of the Perak State Legislative Assembly

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Category:Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia

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Category:Malaysian MPs 1986–1990

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