KUALA LUMPUR, 7 July 2009: The Senate today saw the swearing-in of Senator Datuk Wong Foon Meng as the 15th Senate president, replacing Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh, who completed his service yesterday.
Wong’s appointment was proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and the motion of appointment was made by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz when the Senate sat. It was seconded by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.
The motion was then unanimously supported by all senators, including those from PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Wong, 55, was earlier the Senate’s deputy president when he was elected on 7 June 2004 and reappointed for a second term on 7 May 2004.
Met by reporters, Wong said he was elated and thankful to the prime minister for his appointment and pledged to discharge his duties with full dedication.
Wong, who has a undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, is the MCA secretary-general and the Terengganu Barisan Nasional vice-chairperson, as well as the chairperson of the Terengganu MCA liaison committee. — Bernama