Tan Cheng Lock

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Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock (Simplified Chinese : 陈祯禄)
In office 27 February 1949 – 27 March 1958
Succeeded by	Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu
Majority	Chinese

Born	5 April 1883 Jalan Heeren, Malacca
Died	16 December 1960
Political party	Malayan Chinese Association (MCA)
Spouse	Yeo Yeok Neo
Children	1. Tun Tan Siew Sin (M) 2. Kim Tin (F) 3. Wee Geok Kim (F) 4. Alice Kim Yoke (F) 5. Agnes Kim Lwi (F)
Occupation	MCA Chairman member of the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements

Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock (Simplified Chinese: 陈祯禄; pinyin: Chén Zhēnlù; 1883–1960; born in Malacca), Malaysian Chinese, was the founder and first president of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), which represents the Malaysian Chinese population. He was a key public figure in Malaysia, who contributed his life significantly to the struggle of the Chinese community in Malaya, especially in the fields of politics, education and social welfare.

Under Tan Cheng Lock, the MCA played a vital rôle in negotiating independence from the British; he was also in charge as the MCA formed the Alliance in 1954 in coalition with the United Malays National Organisation and the Malaysian Indian Congress.

Tun Tan Cheng Lock, who was a member of the Malayan Anti-Japanese League, was its first president, but did not enter the cabinet on independence because his rival, Tun H.S. Lee, from Selangor, was in. As it is today though by personalities not states.

Prior to the independence of Malaya, he was also a member of the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements. In 1952, Tan Cheng Lock and the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) under Tunku Rahman’s leadership contested the election as partners. He was best remembered for his contributions in the business and political arenas and his work for integrating between the Chinese and the Indian communities to the nascent Malayan society.^[1]

His son, Tan Siew Sin, the former Finance Minister of Malaysia, took over as the president of MCA after his death. Tan also had three other daughters.

In April 2005, NUS received a generous gift of $4 million from Madam Agnes Tan (the daughter of Malayan founding father, the late Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock), to promote the study and preservation of Peranakan architecture and culture in Singapore.

1 History
2 Early life
3 Political career
- 3.1 MCA
4 Honours
5 References

[edit] History

Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock was born in April 1883 at Heeren Street (Malay: Jalan Heeren), Melaka, the third son of a family of seven brothers and sisters. He was the fifth generation of Chinese Malaysian, his great great grandfather migrated to Malacca from China in 1771.

He had five children. His son Tan Siew Sin was a Finance Minister in Malaysia. Madam Agnes Tan (his last surviving child), who made the gift for National University of Singapore (NUS) to honour her father's name. Tan Cheng Lock was a successful businessman in the Malayan rubber, tapioca and gambier industries. He died in 16 December 1960 at the age of 77.

[edit] Early life

Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock began his education in 1899 at Malacca High School, Malacca and was later continue at Raffles Institution in Singapore. After his graduation, he started as a school teacher which ended when he resigned in 1908.

Later on, he move back to Malaysia, where he had a job as an Assistant Manager for Bukit Kajang Rubber Estates Ltd., which owned by his cousin and was also nominated as a visiting agent to Nyalas Rubber Estate, Melaka. In 1909, he started up three company on his own, which were Melaka Pindah Rubber Estates Ltd., United Malacca Rubber Estates and Ayer Molek Estates Ltd.

In 1912, he was nominated as Melaka Council Commissioner by the British government, in the meantime, he was also nominated as the Justice of Peace Melaka. Months later, he was also nominated as the Commissioner of the Town Council for the towns and Melaka Port as well.

Two years later, in 1914, he resuscitated the Malacca Chinese Volunteer and became ordinary member until 1919, and following year in 1915, which the Strait Chinese British Association (SCBA) had been revive by him, then later he was elected as the President (SCBA). In 1923, he was elected as an unofficial member ot the Straits Settlement Council.

[edit] Political career

In 1923, he was made a nominated member of the Straits Settlements Legislative Council. Three years later and long before others did, Tun Tan spoke of a territorially unified and politically united Malaya in a speech to the council.

He also envisaged eventual self-government for a Malaya that would offer democracy, equality, and justice to all citizens.

Later, he joined the Malay leaders – first through the All Malaya Council of Joint Action, which he chaired, and then the Communities Liaison Committee headed by Onn – to fight for constitutional change and work towards inter-ethnic cooperation.

[edit] MCA

On the 27 February 1949, Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock founded the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) alongside with Tun Leong Yew Koh and Colonel H.S.Lee. Although he was 66 when elected to the position, Tun Tan was regarded as the only man able to bring the Malayan Chinese together in perhaps their most trying time.

The post-war years and the Emergency was a difficult and dangerous juncture for the community. The Chinese were deeply divided and their loyalty was under scrutiny. Among the Chinese, only Tun Tan had the stature to engage with senior Malays such as Datuk Onn Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman at a time of imminent constitutional changes in the country. Strongly anti-communist, he was also trusted by the British colonial officials.

The goal for the foundation of the Malayan Chinese Association was to unite the Chinese population in Malaya, including the protection of the rights and interests of the Chinese, also to work with the colonial government to stop the spread of communism and to work with other races to achieve the independence of Malaya. The MCA branches had been set up after their campaigns had attracted more than 200,000 members.

Soon later, in 26 September 1951, he had supported the idea of Dato' Onn to form the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP) in Kuala Lumpur with co-operation of various races as her theme of struggle. However, the formation was choppy, which due to the fact that Dato' Onn was not co-operative on the issue of citizenship.

In the end, Tun Tan decided that only a Chinese party could safeguard the interests of his community and that multi-ethnic cooperation was more likely to be achieved through partnership with Umno. With that, the MCA joined with Umno to form the Alliance, the precursor to the Barisan Nasional.

Today, Tun Tan is acknowledged as a founding father of independent Malaya, along with Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun V.T. Sambanthan.

[edit] Honours

1949: D.P.M.J. by Sultan Ibrahim, Sultan Johor.
1949: Komander Empayar British (Commander of the British Empire, CBE)
1952: Komander Kesatria Empayar British (The Knight Commander of the British Empire, KBE) by King George VI as "Sir"
1958: Tun by DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong