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Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon (Zh: 許子根; Xu Zi Gen) is the third and current Chief Minister of Penang. He was born in Penang in 1949.

He was first elected as a State Assemblyman and the in the General Elections of October 1990. He was re-elected to his second term in April 1995, third term in November 1999 and fourth term in March 2004.

Dr. Koh started his political career in 1982 with his election to the Malaysian Parliament. He then served as the Political Secretary to the former Chief Minister of Penang from 1986 to 1990. He joined Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional Coalition) in 1982 and served as the National Chairman of the party’s Youth Wing from 1983 to 1990. A National Vice President from 1991-2005, he is currently Penang State Chairman since 1996 and the National Deputy President since 2005.

Prior to entering politics, Dr. Koh was a lecturer and the Deputy Dean of the School of Education in Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang from 1975 to 1982. He graduated from Princeton University, USA, in 1970 with a degree in physics, and obtained his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1977 in economics and sociology of education. (Koh's PhD thesis title is Education, Entrepreneurial Formation and Entrepreneurial Behavior in Japan). He was also a Fulbright Fellow at Stanford University and the East-West Centre in Hawaii in 1981.

As Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh is the Chairman of the Penang Development Corporation, which is the development agency of the State Government responsible for the promotion of Penang’s manufacturing and tourism sectors, urbanization and human resource development programmes. He chairs the State Planning Committee and State Development Council. In addition, he is the Chairman of the Board of “Invest Penang” which promotes investment, technology and business for Penang.

Tan Sri is married to Puan Sri Chui Kah Peng and they are blessed with a son, Yu Cheng and a daughter, Yu Jun, who is currently attending Princeton University.

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