Chong Eng

Chong Eng (born on 6 July 1957), is a Malaysian politician who served as Member of the Penang State Executive Council (EXCO) in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) state administration under Chief Ministers Lim Guan Eng and Chow Kon Yeow and as Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Padang Lalang from May 2018 to August 2023, Member of Parliament (MP) of for Bukit Mertajam from November 1999 to May 2013 and MLA of Penang for Batu Lancang from April 1995 to November 1999. She is the member, Women Chief and Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the PH coalition. She also served as Women Chief of PH from March to September 2021. She is also Deputy Head for Women Parliamentary Caucus and sits as a Standing Order Committee member. She also served in the Women Crisis Center and Community AIDS Service Penang.

Family
She is married to Gunabalan Krishnasamy who is an artist. The couple have two sons, Jothi, who is assisting his mother in political endeavors and Omprekash who is now a 3-time Malaysia book of records breaking athlete, and artist for Koi Tribe, an international web3 magazine.

Personal life and education
She was born in a Chinese new village in Pahang from a family of 10 siblings. She started her primary education in the only Chinese primary school in the village. She was also the first girl from the village to pursue her study in a local university, namely Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (now Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)). She eventually obtained her bachelor of Science degree in Human Development Studies from UPM. Now, she writes regularly in local Chinese dailies and have published three books.

Political career
Chong started her political career as a full-time research officer in 1990 with DAP Penang. Chong won the Batu Lanchang state constituency in 1995 Malaysian general election and became the first women to be elected into the Penang State Assembly. She was the sole opposition representative in the state assembly at that time. She subsequently were elected as Bukit Mertajam Member of Parliament in 1999, 2004 and 2008 general elections. She then contested and won the Penang state seat of Padang Lalang in 2013 and 2018 general elections. On 18 March 2021, she was appointed as Women Chief of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition.

Honours

 * Penang :
 * MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Commander - DGPN.svg Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DGPN) – Dato' Seri (2023)