Fan Yew Teng

Who is Fan Yew Teng?

Fan Yew Teng was former Acting Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party, Malaysia, former Member of Parliament for Kampar and Menglembu, and former Selangor State Assemblyman for Petaling Jaya. He was arrested in 1970 and later charged under the Sedition Act for publishing, as editor of DAP's The Rocket, a speech by Dr. Ooi Kee Saik, then Penang DAP Chairman. He was eventually convicted for sedition in 1975. Fan was then disqualified from Parliament and denied all MP privileges, including his pension. He kept his parliamentary seat until 1977, when the Privy Council upheld the decision of the High Court. Fan left DAP over differences in 1978 to join Social Democratic Party. He rejoined the DAP in 1998, during the transformative period of Reformasi in Malaysia. Prior to his involvement in party politics, Fan had been actively engaged in the National Union of Teachers. He was the co-organiser of the 1967 nationwide teachers' strike, which helped to bring about equal pay for women, as well as pension, housing and health benefits for all teachers. He was also the editor of 'The Educator', the official organ of the NUT. Throughout his life, he continued to write prolifically on political and social issues and campaign for human rights and the cause of justice. His books include 'If We Love This Country', 'Oppressors and Apologists', 'The UMNO Drama: Power Struggles in Malaysia', 'The Rape of Law', and 'Anwar Saga: Malaysia on Trial'. He also co-authored, with A. Rajaguru, 'The Neverending Quest: The teachers' struggle for dignity and excellence'.