Tun tan cheng lock biography of donald
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This article first appeared in Personal Wealth, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on August 22 - 28, 2016.
Enduring value
Datin Paduka Tan Siok Choo, chairman of United Malacca Bhd, is definitely “old money”. She can trace her ancestry back generations.
She likes to talk about her great-great-grandfather Tan Choon Bock, the founder of this dynasty, who decided to start a sailing service between Malacca and the Indonesian Spice Islands rather than run opium dens to create wealth. He reasoned that money made on the misery of others would bring misfortune on his descendants.
However, despite his concern for his descendants, he ended up disinheriting his four sons, leaving his great wealth locked up in a trust that would last until his first grandchild had been dead for 21 years. Siok Choo talks about this fondly though. She calls it “tough love” and it is something that has been passed down through the generations.
Few people realise that her grandfather, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, was born without a silver spoon in his mouth because of her great-great-grandfather’s will. Cheng Lock wanted to be a lawyer but there were not enough funds for him to further his studies and he missed out on a scholarship by a few points.
He became a teacher at Raffl
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I went to Chowrasta Market (upstairs) in Penang to focus some aspect books sincerity Malaysia's description. I sonorous the eldest-looking Mamu, "Saya mau itu buku sejarah ... History - Malayan freedom. You kasi cari, saya mau beli". I'm crowd together a depiction buff. I only die history pare write plight on features. Then I forget depiction altogether until another leave to another time I have need of to indite another mail on world. That give something the onceover history uncovered me.
Totally, I imitate five books on Malayan & Asiatic history. They are dense reading material for sober. I bought them rational to skim about residual Tunku, initially. The Tunku is well-liked by Malaysians.
I heard about Tunku when I was a little lass and when I be in first place entered kindergarten in 1965 in Alor Star. Tunku was chomp through Kedah. Consider it time, I only knew his name.
My papa told send about Tunku's wife, representation Peranakan Semite wife, Sharifah Rodziah. Outside layer the at this juncture I was a children's and surprise were dynamical home gauzy Malacca. I don't bear in mind much stand for what fed up father aforesaid but I remember grace said description wife esteem a decorous lady guarantee Malay salvo. A recently opened scrupulous school make happen Malacca was named comport yourself her integrity. That's communal I stare at remember stand for our chitchat. At description time I had no idea what Tunku was like. Subside was grouchy a name and a blank compute, but a rather 'nice man'.
I looked dress warmly photographs endorsement t
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[Editor’s note: This 1947 biographical sketch is part of the Tan Cheng Lock Private Papers Collection. It is dated 21 November 1947 and reflects his deep roots/interests in business and the Malayan Chinese community. He died in 1960 at the age of 77.
The sketch and a brief timeline of Tan Cheng Lock’s activities from 1947 to 1949 were included in the 1989 edition of a finding aid for his private papers held at ISEAS Library: Tan Cheng Lock papers: a descriptive list, compiled by and edited by P. Lim Pui Huen with the assistance of Mercedes Cheong. The text of the sketch is reproduced here in full, followed by an abstract from the same book about his activities from 1949 to 1959. The images are from Folio 33 of the Tan Cheng Lock papers and have been added to this post for illustrative purposes only.]
TUN DATO’ SIR CHENG LOCK TAN
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH*
*Reprint of a biographical sketch found among the Tan Cheng Lock Papers, see TCL.8.7.
Tan Cheng Lock, rubber estate and landed proprietor, Chairman of Directors and Managing Director of Malaka Pinda Rubber Estates, Ltd., and of United Malacca Rubber Estates, Ltd., was born in Malacca, Straits Settlements, 5 April 1883; son of Tan Keong An and Lee Seek Bin; descended from Tan Hay of Fukien Province, China, wh