Alice Lau
Alice Lau Kiong Yieng (劉強燕; born 30 July 1981) is a Malaysian politician and pharmacist serving as Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat and Member of Parliament for the Lanang constituency since 2018.[1][2][3] Lau, a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) within the Pakatan Harapan coalition, obtained her Master of Pharmacy from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, following undergraduate studies at the International Medical University in Kuala Lumpur.[3][4] Prior to her political career, she worked as a retail pharmacist from approximately 2005 to 2012.[3] She joined DAP in 2009 and rose through the party ranks, contesting and winning the Lanang parliamentary seat in the 2018 general election by defeating the long-serving Barisan Nasional incumbent, thereby becoming a key representative for Sarawak's Chinese community in federal politics.[2][3] Lau was re-elected in the 2022 general election and subsequently appointed as one of two Deputy Speakers of the Dewan Rakyat in December 2022, a position she holds under Speaker Johari Abdul.[1] In her parliamentary roles, Lau has focused on constituency development in Lanang, including infrastructure improvements and community welfare initiatives, while advocating for greater representation of East Malaysian interests at the national level.[5] She has also chaired the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (WAIPA) in 2025, emphasizing gender perspectives in regional legislative cooperation.[6]Background
Early life and education
Alice Lau Kiong Yieng was born on 30 July 1981 in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia, into an ethnic Chinese family within the town's prominent Foochow Chinese community, which constitutes a significant demographic in the region's multicultural setting.[2][3] Sibu, located in the Rajang River basin, has historically served as a hub for Chinese immigrants, particularly from Fujian province, fostering community institutions centered on commerce, education, and cultural preservation amid Sarawak's diverse ethnic tapestry including Malays, Iban, and other indigenous groups.[2] For her secondary education, Lau attended SMK Methodist Sibu, a missionary-founded school established in the early 20th century that has educated generations of local youth, including many from the Chinese community, emphasizing bilingual instruction in English and Malay alongside core subjects.[3] Lau pursued higher education in pharmacy, initially studying at the International Medical University in Kuala Lumpur, followed by a Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, providing her with rigorous training in pharmaceutical sciences, drug formulation, and clinical practice.[7][2] This empirical focus on healthcare sciences underscored her pre-professional foundation in evidence-based methodologies and patient-centered care.Pre-political career
Alice Lau worked as a retail pharmacist in Sarawak after obtaining her Master of Pharmacy from the University of Strathclyde.[8] Her professional tenure in this role spanned approximately 2005 to 2012, focusing on community-based pharmaceutical services in the Sibu area.[3] This experience encompassed dispensing medications and patient counseling, aligning with standard practices in Malaysian retail pharmacy settings where pharmacists address common health needs in underserved regions.[3] No specific professional certifications or patient care initiatives beyond routine duties are documented in available records.[8]Political career
Party affiliation and entry into politics
Alice Lau joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a centre-left party advocating multiracialism, democratic reforms, and opposition to Malaysia's longstanding ethnic-based political alliances, in 2009.[2] This occurred amid heightened opposition momentum following the Pakatan Rakyat coalition's gains in the 2008 general election, where it secured 82 parliamentary seats and challenged the Barisan Nasional's dominance, including in Sarawak's multi-ethnic constituencies. DAP's emphasis on meritocracy and anti-corruption resonated in Sarawak, where ethnic divisions and resource allocation disputes fueled demands for equitable development, though the party faced critiques for its predominantly urban Chinese membership limiting broader native indigenous appeal.[7] Within DAP's Bukit Assek branch in Sibu, Sarawak, Lau assumed roles as Assistant Organising Secretary and Secretary, contributing to grassroots mobilization in a state where opposition parties historically struggled against the ruling coalition's patronage networks.[7] Her entry reflected a strategic push by DAP to field younger, professional candidates from Sarawak's Chinese community to contest seats blending urban and rural demographics, countering perceptions of the party as Peninsular Malaysia-centric. Lau's formal entry into electoral politics came with her candidacy for the Bawang Assan state seat in the 2011 Sarawak state election, where she campaigned on local development needs but was defeated, highlighting the challenges of penetrating Barisan Nasional strongholds reliant on timber industry ties and ethnic voting patterns.[2] She cited motivations rooted in addressing Sarawak-specific issues, including poverty alleviation, infrastructure deficits like roads and utilities, and educational access for indigenous groups such as the Ibans, driven by observations of uneven resource distribution under long-ruling state governments.[7] In preparation for the 2013 general election, DAP announced Lau's candidacy for the newly delineated Lanang parliamentary seat on April 20, 2013, positioning her as the first female contender there amid a Chinese-majority electorate.[9] Her campaign emphasized anti-corruption measures, sustainable economic growth, and rectifying neglect in rural amenities, aligning with DAP's broader reform agenda while navigating Sarawak's autonomy sensitivities and criticisms of federal overreach in state affairs. This selection underscored DAP's effort to diversify its Sarawak slate with pharmacist professionals like Lau, aiming to appeal beyond ethnic lines despite ongoing debates over the party's demographic composition.[7]Electoral history
Alice Lau first contested and won the Lanang parliamentary seat in the 2013 general election (GE13) as the Democratic Action Party (DAP) candidate under the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, defeating the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN)-Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) candidate Tiong Thai King with a majority of 8,630 votes.[9][10] The constituency, centered in Sibu and featuring a majority Chinese electorate (approximately 70%), showed strong support for opposition candidates aligned with urban Chinese interests, consistent with DAP's performance in similar Sarawak seats.[10] She defended the seat successfully in the 2018 general election (GE14) under Pakatan Harapan (PH), securing 29,905 votes (48.3% of valid votes) against BN-SUPP's Kong Sien Chiu with 15,359 votes, yielding a majority of 14,546 votes—larger than her 2013 margin amid national opposition gains and multi-cornered contests including independent and minor party challengers.[11] Voter turnout reflected Sarawak's patterns, with DAP retaining dominance in Chinese-heavy polling districts despite BN's rural strongholds.[12] In the 2022 general election (GE15), Lau retained Lanang for PH-DAP with 30,120 votes, defeating Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS)-SUPP's Wong Ching Yong (18,576 votes) by a majority of 11,544 votes, amid fragmented opposition from Parti Bumi Kenyalang and independents; this outcome underscored sustained DAP appeal in the constituency's demographic core despite GPS's regional consolidation post-BN era.[13][14]| Election | Candidate | Party/Coalition | Votes | % | Opponent(s) | Majority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GE13 (2013) | Alice Lau | DAP (Pakatan Rakyat) | N/A | N/A | Tiong Thai King (BN-SUPP) | 8,630[9] |
| GE14 (2018) | Alice Lau | DAP (PH) | 29,905 | 48.3 | Kong Sien Chiu (BN-SUPP) | 14,546[11] |
| GE15 (2022) | Alice Lau | DAP (PH) | 30,120 | N/A | Wong Ching Yong (GPS-SUPP) | 11,544[14] |