KOTA KINABALU: Former Kota Kinabalu lawmaker Datuk Hiew King Cheu died this morning following a fight with lung cancer. He was 72.
He is survived by his wife, Datuk Julia Thien, two daughters and a son.
Hiew had been receiving treatment for lung cancer at Queen Elizabeth Hospital II's palliative care unit.
An engineer by training, Hiew began his political career with the Sabah Progressive Party in the mid-1990s.
He was Kota Kinabalu member of parliament under DAP from 2008 to 2013. He later served as Luyang assemblyman from 2013 to 2018.
In 2014, following an internal dispute, Hiew left DAP and became an independent assemblyman.
He later joined Sabah MCA and completed his term as assemblyman under the Barisan Nasional-led state government.
In 2018, Hiew became deputy president of the newly formed Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS). He unsuccessfully contested the Luyang state seat in the 2020 state election.
He later left PGRS, but remained politically active until his death.
Hiew's funeral is set for Friday.