Founding father Tan Cheng Lock’s pantun diplomacy won hearts
The national figure's strong Peranakan roots and ability to recite pantun made him popular with the Malays too, says his granddaughter Tan Siok Choo.
MCA founder Tan Cheng Lock's diplomatic skills, rooted in his Melaka Peranakan heritage, helped unite Malaysia's Chinese community and foster ties with Malays, according to Tan Siok Choo, his granddaughter. Siok Choo, 73, detailed how Cheng Lock's Confucian beliefs, embodied in the woodwork and paintings in his ancestral home, resonated with the Chinese community.
Beyond his oratory talents, Cheng Lock's ability to recite Malay pantun also endeared him to Malays, as he could adapt the verses for different occasions. The biography "One Country, One People: The Life and Legacy of Tun Tan Cheng Lock," edited by Siok Choo and academic Heng Pek Koon, highlights the rubber baron's founding of United Malacca Bhd in 1910, one of Malaysia's oldest rubber plantation companies.
His later banking career, including a 30-year tenure on the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation board, further increased his visibility and community standing. Notably, Cheng Lock was praised by Umno founder Onn Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman for his ability to bridge racial divides through his Confucian values and pantun recitations.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Diplomasi pantun Tan Cheng Lock menambat hati freemalaysiatoday.com
