KUCHING, Oct 5 — Sarawakian statesman Datuk Song Swee Guan has been remembered as a selfless and caring man who was able to balance between work and family.
Grieving family members remember the former assemblyman, MP, State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Speaker, and Kuching South’s first mayor as someone who quietly sacrificed so much for others.
According to Song’s niece Kaylene Tan, his dedication to his work and selfless care for his parents kept him single.
“I believe he was a very good son. My grandfather – his father – was bedridden for many years and he would look after him, especially when he was unwell at night. When he needed attention at night, my uncle would go there and help him and look after him.
“I was still very little at that time, but what was amazing was that he was able to balance his service to the community in Kuching as well as his parents effortlessly. And he never brought the work home,” she told The Borneo Post at her uncle’s wake.
Tan said when Song was at home, he was fully focused on the family, his parents, cooking, and having a laugh with them.
“Years later, after my grandfather passed away, my uncle continued caring for my grandmother. He made sure she ate well, that she had company, made sure that she was driven from place to place. So, he was a very good son,” she said.
Reflecting on her uncle’s lesser-known qualities, she revealed that he loved to cook, noting that he cooked delicious chicken curry and kacang ma.
She said Song used to bring her sister, brother, grandmother, and herself for long evening drives around Kuching city.
“He was like a hero. Whenever he stopped at the shops or the wet markets, he said: ‘I don’t want to go out,’ from the car because he would be ‘flooded’ by all these hawkers.
“And that was during his time as the mayor. He was very popular with the people,” she recalled.
She also shared that Song loved cats and theorised on the inspiration behind the famous white cat statue in Padungan.
“You know that white cat statue? At the time when it was launched back then, my grandmother had a white cat.
“I’m not so sure if the white cat statue was inspired by the white cat,” Tan said.
Tan’s mother Song Chai Kim remembered how close she and her older brother were.
“Oh, we had a very happy childhood together, played together, did a lot of things together. We were very close.
“He went overseas to study at a very young age, then I got married and I’ve been staying in Singapore since then.
“Despite the distance, we still managed to maintain a close relationship. We were a very close family,” she said.
Song’s foster son Sim Min Min said they often spent time together over coffee.
“We were close. He was like a father figure to me, and he considered me as a son.
“He was a well-mannered man who loved to help people and he would try to help them however he could,” Sim said.
He added for the past 20 years, Song had been an active hiker until he suffered mobility issues.
Song was appointed a councillor of the Kuching Municipal Council (KMC) in 1981 before becoming its chairman in 1982.
He led the council until 1988 and subsequently became the founding mayor of Kuching South in August that year, following the delineation and establishment of Kuching South.
Song served for four terms as Padungan assemblyman from 1983 to 2001 and as Bandar Kuching MP from 1995 to 2003.
He was also DUN Speaker from 1996 to 2000.
He passed away peacefully on Sunday at 3.30pm at Sarawak General Hospital. — The Borneo Post
* Editor’s note: DUN is an abbreviation in Malay for Dewan Undangan Negeri, or the State Legislative Assembly.
Date: 5 October, 2026 4:15 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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