Boey visits a different Gurun village every three days

JERAI: The magnificent Gunung Jerai makes a lovely backdrop for a village in Gurun, where the local folk would crowd around Datuk Boey Chin Gan to tell him their needs or seek his help.

Boey would listen to them, handing out food aid and comforting those who are unwell.

“I would go to a different village in Gurun every three days. I would get the village head to gather the people at a coffee shop and we sit and talk about their needs,” said the Gurun MCA coordinator, who is contesting the Gurun state seat.

“All the villages under Gurun have been covered. In some places I have visited so many times that I can remember the names of the residents,” he said in an interview.

Gurun falls under the Jerai parliamentary seat, which is contested by Barisan incumbent Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.

“We have been a team since 2016, so I assure the people that our collaboration is not just for the election but also for the five years after that,” he said, referring to Jamil Khir.

Jerai is a Malay majority ( 60%) constituency, with 24% Chinese and 16% Indians.

Boey, who is taking over the Gurun candidacy from incumbent Dr Leong Yong Kong (who will contest in Padang Serai), believes the people have accepted him as one of their own despite him being the “town boy from Alor Setar”.

He was also thankful to Dr Leong who guided him and introduced him to the Malays in the area.

Boey, 53, started off in 1992 as press secretary to Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy, who was then a deputy minister. He had also been a one-term Kulim assemblyman in 2004, and was special officer for Chinese affairs to Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir when he was Mentri Besar.

“Come to think of it, it’s funny that I entered politics because I had wanted to be a police officer.

“In fact, I underwent the police training and got the offer letter for ASP (assistant superintendent), but I was already press secretary at the time and senior politicians convinced me to stay on,” he said.