Goh Hock Guan

Goh Hock Guan (Chinese: 吴富源げん) (9 September 1935 – 29 March 2018) was a Malaysian politician from Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). He was the founder of the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Goh Hock Guan and Associates.

Goh Hock Guan
吴富源げん
2nd Secretary-General of DAP
In office 1966–1969
Preceded by	Devan Nair
Succeeded by	Lim Kit Siang
Member of Parliament for Bangsar, Selangor
In office 1969–1974
Preceded by	Devan Nair
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	(1935-09-09)9 September 1935 Kedah, Sultanate of Kedah (now Malaysia)
Died	29 March 2018(2018-03-29) (aged 82)
Political party	People's Action Party of Malaya (1964–1965) Democratic Action Party (1966–1973) Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia / Barisan Nasional (1974)
Children	Dr Goh Poh Sun Goh Li Lin
Occupation	Architect

Political career

He began his career with the Malayan chapter of the People's Action Party during the Singapore-Malaysia years. In the Malaysian General Election, 1964 he contested the Pantai state seat and lost his deposit.

He became one of the founding members of the Democratic Action Party after the separation where the PAP was deregistered, and was the DAP logo designer. He started off as Vice-Chairman and was elected as Secretary-General of the DAP after the resignation of then Secretary-General Devan Nair. He led the DAP in Malaysian General Election, 1969. The party won 13 parliamentary seats including his own win in Bangsar that incumbent DAP MP Nair had given up to him to return to Singapore.

He quit the DAP after falling out with his erstwhile deputy Lim Kit Siang and joined the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia in 1974, which was a component party in the Barisan Nasional coalition. When Bangsar was carved into Petaling and Damansara, Goh contested Petaling as a BN candidate, but lost to the DAP. Goh quit politics thereafter.

Achievements

Goh, who was also chairman and founder of Akitek Jururancang (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, was responsible for building the iconic revolving restaurant at the Federal Hotel, which he designed to celebrate the country's independence in 1957.

His other designs include Mid Valley Megamall and Sunway Pyramid, and he did the town planning for major projects such as Subang Jaya, Putrajaya and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Relationships with other leaders

He has friendships with political heavyweights such as Singapore's late founding father Lee Kuan Yew. Goh reportedly had the ear of former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and was once courted to join Barisan Nasional, as they both believed in a multi-racial approach to politics.

Personal life

Goh died on 29 March 2018 at the age of 82. He was cremated at Xiao En Crematorium in Nilai, Negri Sembilan.

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
1969	P071 Bangsar, Selangor		Goh Hock Guan (DAP)	37,050	79.34%		Lew Sip Hon (MCA)	9,648	20.66%	46,698	27,402	59.22%
1974	P081 Petaling, Selangor		Goh Hock Guan (Gerakan)	12,868			Oh Keng Seng (DAP)	14,106			1,238
							Pang Koik My (PEKEMAS)
							Lim Kui Sang (IND)