Tan Cheng Lock
The Chinese leader who founded the Malayan Chinese Association and promoted multiracial cooperation in the struggle for independence.
Life
Old Baba family
Tan Cheng Lock came from a prominent Baba (Peranakan Chinese) family of Malacca, worked in the rubber business, and served as a member of the Straits Settlements Legislative Council.
Malayan Chinese Association
In 1949 he founded the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and became its first president, joining with UMNO and the Malayan Indian Congress to form the Alliance Party, which won the 1955 general election. Together with Tunku Abdul Rahman and others he went to London to negotiate independence, and he fought for citizenship rights for the Chinese.
Independence negotiations
He died in 1960.
Legacy
Tan Cheng Lock is regarded as one of the heroes of Malaysian independence, and the model of interracial cooperation he established shaped Malaysia's subsequent political landscape.
Did you know? His son Tan Siew Sin later became Malaysia's Minister of Finance.
Key dates
- 1923Became a member of the Straits Settlements Legislative Council
- 1949Founded the Malayan Chinese Association
- 1955Alliance Party won the general election
- 1956Went to London to negotiate independence
- 1960Died