Lim Chong Eu, a man of stories

By TAY TIAN YAN
Translated by DOMINIC LOH

Lim Chong Eu was a character full of stories. Unfortunately he wasn't one who liked to talk a lot or protruded himself.

So many of his stories would be left untold following his departure.

A highly principled man, Chong Eu nevertheless lacked some useful interpersonal relations and this had made him unable to withstand the undercurrents of time. As such, he missed the opportunity to realise his nationalistic aspirations.

Lim Chong Eu witnessed the turbulent times at different important stages of his life. He partook in these era-moving events, and was destined to become a character rich in colourful tales.

He went to Britain to study medicine when he was young, and was baptised by the Western civilisation.

He did not come back to Malaya upon his graduation, but headed to China instead to serve as a military doctor in support of the resistance forces against the advances of the Japanese Imperial Army in China. He later became the private doctor of Chen Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Nationalist government.

He went through the turmoil of resistance war against the Japanese, and witnessed the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalist government. He even married a young Chinese lady at the height of tension.

He came back in the dawn of Malaya's nationhood, and gave himself to domestic politics. He was elected a legislator and later set off to form his own party.

During such crucial moments of ethnic power struggle, he was made the MCA president, tasked with the mission to safeguard the Chinese community's rights.

In the midst of post-May 13 drastic changes, the Gerakan Party he led was thrown in the middle of a fierce power struggle, and the choice he made would eventually delineate the country's political domains for many decades to come.

At a time when the Chinese community saw their political power beginning to diminish, he was holding fast to his lone island, and became one of the very few Chinese politicians who could claim to be in real charge.

Sometimes he was able to take the initiative to strike, but often he appeared passive and pinned down. While he had scored a fair deal of successes and failures alike, his influences on the Malaysian society perhaps exceeded even his own imaginations as well as those of ordinary Malaysians.

That said, all these would now come to pass with his departure. As a low-key character and taciturn passerby, he chose to get drifted into oblivion with time, and not to expound the many historical queries and myths surrounding him.

Even then we all have seen the footprints he trod. Those were the footprints he had made step by step, not indiscriminately, and most definitely no aberrant moves nor unexpected turns.

His journey of life was one that was religiously principled.

The Chinese saw their political power peak during his stewardship in MCA. He locked himself in intensive tussles with Umno to fight for 40 seats for MCA so that the party could have a bigger say within the Alliance government.

At the same time, he was also insistently defending the Chinese language, fighting hard to prevent its status from being further eroded.

Nevertheless, Umno was determined to remove the cause of trouble, and he was left with no other option but to leave MCA.

Yet he never betrayed his principles. He was one of very few MCA presidents whom we should take pride in, although few would mention about him nowadays.

He later took the helm of Penang state. his pragmatic approach and lack of exaggerated moves made him a less impressive figure.

There were ups and downs as well as successes and failures throughout his life. He had some truly intriguing stories to tell, but more importantly he had a set of unwavering principles.

Sin Chew Daily