KUALA LUMPUR: More than six decades after her grandfather passed away, Datin Paduka Tan Siok Choo set out to understand the man she barely knew and, in the process, revisited the story of one of Malaysia’s founding political figures.
Tun Tan Cheng Lock passed away on Dec 13, 1960, when Siok Choo was eight, leaving her and her sisters with little opportunity to know him.
That personal gap was among the reasons that prompted her to undertake the biography, One Country, One People: The Life and Legacy of Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
“Two reasons prompted me to start this biography. The first was the need to know my grandfather.
“Second was a burning question that had been puzzling me – who was the founder of MCA?” she said at the book launch at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) here yesterday.
She said the biography revisits the question, with UTAR’s Assoc Prof Dr Chin Chong Foh conducting extensive research into the evidence surrounding Cheng Lock’s role in the party’s formation.
Siok Choo, who co-edited the biography, said work began in 2018, with researchers examining archives, newspaper reports and other documents in Malaysia, Singapore, India and China.
One question frequently raised, she said, was how a Melaka political leader of Baba Nyonya descent who did not speak any Chinese dialect could lead a predominantly Chinese political party.
“Despite this, many respected my grandfather for his strong adherence to Confucian values and deep understanding of Chinese culture,” she said.
Cheng Lock was also outgoing and formed friendships easily, including with Malay leaders and nationalists from different political backgrounds, she added.
“He was aware that in a new country of Malaya, all the communities would need to work together, and for that to happen, they would have to understand each other and be friends,” she said.
That approach was reflected in his advocacy of a shared Malayan identity at a time of deep communal divisions.
MCA was founded on Feb 27, 1949, with Cheng Lock as its first president.
The party later assisted Chinese communities affected by the Emergency, including through resettlement in new villages and the provision of food, medical and financial aid and basic amenities.
Cheng Lock also pushed for greater cooperation between the Chinese and Malay communities, believing independence and citizenship were closely linked to the future of the Chinese community in Malaya.
His political vision extended beyond one community, as he advocated a “true Malayan spirit and consciousness” and worked with Tunku Abdul Rahman and leaders of other communities in the struggle for independence.
The book launch was attended by TAR UMT and UTAR academics and former MCA ministers, including Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn and Tan Sri Ong Ka Chuan.
The book is priced at RM130.
Siok Choo said she chose not to distribute it through conventional bookstores so more proceeds could go towards the Tun Tan Siew Sin Scholarship Fund at TAR UMT.
Currently available only in English, she said Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese versions could be considered if suitable academics were available to translate it.
The book will also be launched in Melaka next week, followed by Penang and Singapore.
