Emulate Tan Cheng Lock’s leadership for all, urged MCA’s leaders of tomorrow
MELAKA: Tun Tan Cheng Lock’s vision of a harmonious Malaysia must remain MCA’s political compass, particularly for its younger generation of leaders, says party vice-president Datuk Lim Ban Hong.
He said the legacy of the man who played a vital role in the country’s path to independence demanded that the party rise above racial boundaries and serve every community.
“Tun (Tan Cheng Lock) was a visionary statesman who helped establish MCA, but his service was never confined to one community.
“He believed in cooperation among the races and devoted himself to building a nation in which every community had a place,” Lim told reporters after the state-level launch of the late pioneering figure’s biography titled One Country, One People at the Persatuan Peranakan Cina Melaka in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock here yesterday.
The book was launched by Cheng Lock’s granddaughter, Datin Paduka Tan Siok Choo, and witnessed by Baba and Nyonya Association of Malaysia chairman Datuk Ronald Gan, Persatuan Peranakan Malaysia president Peter Ong and the CEO of United Malacca Berhad, Young Lee Chern.
United Malacca, which was founded by Cheng Lock in 1910, bought RM20,000 worth of the biography during the event.
Lim said MCA has a responsibility to represent and safeguard the interests of the Chinese community while remaining committed to the welfare of Malaysians of all races.
“MCA will continue to defend the interests of the Chinese community while serving and protecting the welfare of all Malaysians.”
Lim said Cheng Lock was one of the founding fathers of modern Malaysia, alongside Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun V.T. Sambanthan.
“His commitment to moderation, cooperation and national unity remains relevant to Malaysia today,” he said.
Lim, who is also Melaka MCA chairman, recalled a tribute by Tunku Abdul Rahman – the country’s first Prime Minister – who described Cheng Lock’s unwavering loyalty to Malaya as a beacon that guided Malayan Chinese through a difficult period in the nation’s history.
Young MCA leaders must remain steadfast in upholding the statesman’s political philosophy and resist any attempt to narrow the party’s mission along racial lines, he said.
“They must remain true to his principles and continue serving all Malaysians. That is the most meaningful way to honour his legacy,” Lim said.
Lim described the launch as historically significant as it was held in Cheng Lock’s hometown and at an association where he had served as its third president in the 1900s.
The statesman passed away in 1960.
Siok Choo revealed that her grandfather’s first leadership initiative began in India in 1943 when he attempted to unite Malayan Chinese exiles by establishing the Overseas Chinese Association (OCA).
She said the little-known episode was among the historical accounts featured in the biography.
Her grandfather, she said, had sought to persuade Tun H.S. Lee, who was then living in Mussoorie in India to join the association.
“He sent my father, Tun Tan Siew Sin, to meet H.S. Lee.
“Following the meeting, H.S. Lee informed the Republic of China’s consul-general in Calcutta about the OCA,” she said.
Siok Choo said such little-known accounts demonstrated that history is ultimately shaped by people, their lives and actions.
She said work on the biography began in 2018 with researchers examining archives, newspaper reports and other documents in Singapore, China, India and Malaysia.
“The need to know more about my grandfather was the main reason I initiated this biography,” she said.
