ANYONE who’s ever had any dealings with Penang’s travel industry would have met her, if not, would have known or heard of her.
In fact, more often than not, you would hear or sense her before she actually arrived on the scene because Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen had a personality that was larger than life and a heart bigger than the South China Sea when it came to championing Penang’s tourism interests.
That booming voice, that beaming smile, that confident stride – how she managed to do that in the delicate ‘baju kurung’ she wore to international trade shows, I often wondered – that passionate force when it came to all things Penang.
Lovingly nicknamed the “Iron Lady” of Penang for her sheer determination and will to transform the Malaysian state into the jewel of a tourism destination she always believed it could be, Datuk Kee succumbed to complications arising from Covid this week, leaving behind her husband Dr Choong Sim Poey and a son and daughter.
I first met her at an international trade fair, either ITB Berlin or World Travel Market, one of those. I was curious to know what the Penang State Tourism Minister had in store for my home island. I confess, I was cynical – I had left Penang several years by then, I knew the politics, the social issues, the challenges – how on earth could one woman make a difference?
I hadn’t counted on Datuk Kee’s zeal and unwavering belief. During each interview, which usually turned into a long conversation over food and drinks, she’d speak so lovingly about Penang’s natural assets – its heritage, food (oh yes, its food – like all Penangites, she was a foodie true and true), beaches, nature – that she often made me wonder why did I ever leave?
Each time we met, she would make me fall in love with my island home all over again. And it wasn’t just sweet words she spoke, she’d back it up with smart actions. I recall in 2002, a campaign she launched specifically in Singapore to convince people like me to “Come Home to Penang”.
Arrivals from Singapore to Penang had been steadily dropping and Datuk Kee was determined to jolt Penang’s trade into action. Operators, she declared, had neglected Singapore and she led a sales mission to Singapore to re-stoke appetites and knew the button to push for Singaporeans – $2, she said, could buy a plate of “char koay teow, a drink and two cigarettes to spare”.
Such was her ability to garner grassroots support as well as the power of her conviction which never left her even after she retired from politics in 2009. She served on the state’s culture, arts, tourism and women development committee from 1990 to 2004, and in 2008, she made a comeback when she was named the Penang Tourism Action Council (PTAC) chairman. She was Tourism Malaysia’s deputy chairman and its board member and audit committee chairman.
She was a key force behind the listing of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in March 2008, a game-changer for the island.
In this article, Penang Heritage Trust vice-president Khoo Salma Nasution recalled the time she met Kee – Kee had then asked what part of George Town ought to be conserved for heritage purposes.
“I pointed out of her window and said all of this, which was essentially from Prangin Road up to Transfer Road. And she said ‘are you mad?’ with a chuckle. And you know what, she lobbied the chief minister to get the UNESCO listing for many years and finally George Town was listed,” she said. “She was an iron lady, one who called a spade a spade. She was always smiling, had a buoyant personality and was a positive force in Penang.”
Ooi Geok Ling, who was managing director of Penang Global Tourism from 2009 to 2014, recalled Datuk Kee opening doors for her when she first stepped into the role of leading the tourism body. “I will miss her dearly. She was always bubbly, a go-getter, a fighter, Penang’s Iron Lady. She loved Penang.”
Beyond tourism, Datuk Kee and I also shared another link – the Methodist Girls School alumni – and after her retirement, she channelled her passion and energy to the school and her church. She was at her best resplendent self during one of the school’s special anniversary dinners which she helped organise, and she never stopped asking me to stay connected with the school. “Come back and speak to the students,” she would say.
I am glad she proved me wrong. One woman can make a big difference.
