KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 15 -- In a moving tribute, Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong has revealed how an act of extraordinary generosity from a celebrated news anchor and his wife changed the course of his life, funding his university education when his family had no other means.

On social media, Liew said the story began in 1989 when he, then a 12-year-old boy selling lottery tickets in Petaling Jaya, met the late RTM Mandarin news anchor Fei Chong Ming and his wife, well-known radio broadcaster Cheah Keng Sin.

Fascinated by politics, the young Liew was thrilled to chat with the media personalities, who kindly spent time with the "street kid."

Years later, Liew's dream of pursuing a political science degree was nearly derailed by the ...