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Chong Eu, The Father of Modern Penang, Passes Away Peacefully at Home
Chong Eu, The Father of Modern Penang, Passes Away Peacefully at Home
Chong Eu, The Father of Modern Penang, Passes Away Peacefully at Home
Reports by CHRISTINA CHIN, TAN SIN CHOW, WINNIE YEOH, FONG KEE SOON and JOSEPHINE JALLEH
PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, a giant in Malaysian politics, died last night.Dr Lim, who will always be remembered as the father of modern Penang, died at his Tanjung Bungah home at 9.07pm surrounded by his family. The former Penang chief minister was brought home at about 7pm from Penang Hospital, where he had been warded following a stroke about a month ago.
Dr Lim: Credited with implementing the Free Trade Zone and building the Komtar building and Penang Bridge. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Dr Lim would be accorded a state funeral. Dr Lim, 91, had led an intensely private life since retiring from politics after losing in Padang Kota to DAPs Lim Kit Siang in the 1990 general election. He made a clean and complete break from politics, declining to comment on issues, and turned to his passion, horse breeding. Dr Lim, whose name was synonymous with Penang politics and its development from 1969 through the seventies and eighties, had not given a single interview since retiring.
A bold and high-thinking pioneer of his generation, he earned his place in history when the Gerakan party he co-founded snatched Penang from the Alliance in the 1969 general election. But the pragmatist in him saw it fit to join the newly-constituted Barisan Nasional in 1973. The shrewd and strategic decision enabled him to power Penang from a struggling free port into a modern and developed state. Besides implementing the Free Trade Zone, he built the Komtar building and Penang Bridge in the face of widespread opposition. He can also claim the distinction of a political life quite untouched by scandal or corruption and resolutely refused a title until his retirement when he finally accepted a Tunship. Dr Lim, who studied medicine in Scotland, leaves behind wife Toh Puan Goh Sing Yeng, sons Chien Aun and Chien Cheng, daughters Pao Yen and Pao Lin, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
A simple man: The late Tun Dr Lim with his wife Toh Puan Goh Sing Yeng attending a high tea reception in a recent photo. Dr Lim also presided over Batu Ferringhis transformation into a tourism belt, cleared pre-war houses to build the iconic 65-storey Komtar and built the Penang Bridge. Born in Penang, Dr Lim attended Penang Free School. In 1937, he was a Kings scholar at Edinburgh University in Scotland and graduated in 1944 with a medical degree. Formerly a medical officer with the Chinese Armed Forces, he founded the Radical Party in 1951 which won the first municipal council elections in George Town. In 1954, he joined MCA and was a member of the Razak Commission for Education. Despite defeating the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock for party presidency in 1958, he quit MCA a year later following differences with Umno over the allocation of parliamentary seats in the 1959 general election. He formed the United Democratic Party in 1962 and co-founded Gerakan in 1968, which swept the Alliance ruling coalition out of office in the 1969 general election, leading to his appointment as Chief Minister.
However, in 1973, Gerakan, together with the Alliance Party, formed a coalition called Barisan Nasional. In 1980, Dr Lim stepped down as party president, saying there were many young and promising leaders in the party just as capable to hold the post, and was succeeded by (Tun) Dr Lim Keng Yaik in 1980. He continued as Chief Minister but retired after losing the Padang Kota state seat in the 1990 general election. He was succeeded by his former political secretary, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, as chief minister. His message to the party then was to always remember its roots and humble beginnings. After retiring from politics, he became a passionate horse breeder and turned his attention to business as chairman and adviser to several large corporations. In 2007, he was named founding chancellor of Wawasan Open University in Penang. Lims legacy will not be forgotten, especially by Penangites. My greatest rememberance and honour to our heroes. A true hero of Penang. He is Penangites Bapa Pemodenan dan Kemajuan. We owe him the respect and bereavements, as he is the true leaders that brought forth The Penang Bridge, FTZ, FIZ, Tanjung Bunga tourist belt, Komtar and modernity to Penang. Truly a man of his class, he never bothered to bodek the UMNO president during his tenureship as CM of Penang. It much regretted our dear fathers/mothers and elders voted him out during 1990. Yet, we will never forget your effort, your contribution and you Tun Lim, the son of Penang and also very the Father of Penang. We wish your last journey into the next life be blessed and peaceful. Goodbye sir.
I will miss him personally and his demise is a great loss not only to Penang but to the country, said the Bukit Gelugor MP. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Senator Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil fondly remembered Dr Lim for attending her wedding. God bless his soul. As a Penangite, I grew up under Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu. His legacy is enviable, she tweeted yesterday. Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir tweeted that the former Gerakan president built Penang into what it is today. Former Penang Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad tweeted that Dr Lim was his first boss after being elected into the Government, adding his former boss was a fantastic and visionary leader. Related Stories: The man behind Penangs economic transformation Chong Eu, the father of modern Penang, passes away peacefully at home
His transformation programme also led to the creation of new townships like Bayan Baru and Seberang Jaya, he said. The committee members of the Free Industrial Zone Penang Companies Association (Frepenca) praised Lim for developing the electronics industry to resolve the unemployment rate in Penang in the early 1970s. It credited Lim for working closely with the Federal Government to create two zones in Penang under the Free Trade Zone Act, 1971. In a statement, a Frepenca spokesman said Dr Lim worked tirelessly to invite foreign companies to set up plants in Penang. Meanwhile, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers Penang (FMM) credited Lim with the success of Penangs various industries, especially manufacturing. Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers northern branch region chairman Datuk O K Lee said Dr Lim courageously pioneered the transformation of Penang from an entreport and agrobased island state into a globally renowned manufacturing hub in the Far East, particularly in the field of electrical and electronics.
I have seen him before at functions after his retirement from politics but we have never spoken. It would have been wonderful to have talked to him and to know his thoughts, he added. Factory administrators Anisha Banu, 33, and Munira Halili, 30, thanked Dr Lim for his contributions to Penang. If not for him, we may not even be employed today. His death is a great loss to all Penangites, said Munira. We appreciate great leaders like Tun who helped to develop our nation. We have lost a great thinker. Our condolences to his family and we hope he will rest in peace, said Anisha. Housewife Rosa Wong, 45, said Dr Lim had set a good moral example for the younger generation. Her son, student Louis Phuah, 19, said current and future generations of politicians have much to learn from Dr Lim. Sales consultant Leow Guan Hai, 55, who had helped out during the election campaigns of Dr Lim and his son Chien Aun in the past, described Dr Lim as a great leader and a nice man. Tun was respected by people of all races. He contributed greatly to Penang, and we have him to thank for the existence of Komtar, Penang Bridge and the Free Trade Zone, which created a lot of jobs for the people of Penang and helped Penang to develop fast, he said. Lawyers See Liang Teik, 42, and Ramsun Ho, 43, said they were fortunate to have known Dr Lim as committee members of both the Old Frees Association (OFA) and the Penang Swimming Club (PSC) where Dr Lim was a trustee of both and also patron of OFA. Ho described Dr Lims demise as the passing of an era and noted that he should be admired for his steadfastness in not getting involved in politics after his retirement. See said Dr Lim was a wise man, a true statesman and a gentleman.
He was a visionary and always had new ideas even at 90. Even though we did not really know him that well, we have fond memories of Tun from the short time we knew him over the past few years, he said.
He believed that industrialisation was very important to our country because of its multiplying effects. For instance, a factory of 1,000 workers would create another 6,000 additional job opportunities because the new factory would create demand for food, housing, clothing, education and entertainment. One important thing that we can learn from him is that courage is a dominating factor in initiating changes. Dr Lim also displayed his wisdom as a political leader by joining the Barisan National because he knew the importance of unity and stability in fostering economic development. GOH HOE HOE, Kuala Lumpur.
Despite various constraints, he was firm and decisive in what he wanted in the interest of Penang and managed to get Federal funds for the Penang Bridge the third longest in the world when it was completed and the 60-storey Komtar complex-cum-state government operations centre. Dr Lim was also responsible for much of the states infrastructure, especially the road network; for turning the airport into an international passenger and cargo hub and upgrading the port to service the logistics needs of the high-tech industries operating out of Penang. True to the professional that he was, Dr Lim took to his retirement without making regular or even periodical press statements and refrained from political comments on his successors or peers. He delivered his best during his tenure and he allowed his successors and peers the same space he received from his constituents and coalition partners. Anyone who had had the opportunity to meet and speak with Dr Lim was always awed by his ability to remember faces and names. I had occasionally bumped into him and he always addressed me by name and asked about my father. Dr Lim was never too elevated in status that he forgot the layman. He blended in always, spoke to all and sundry and was always approachable. He did not accept any title offered to him throughout his tenure as the Chief Minister of Penang and only accepted the Tunship after his retirement. We salute you Dr Lim for your clear vision for Penang and I am sure all Penangites and Malaysians join me in saluting you. We know much sacrifice had to be made in your quest to make Penang a great place for Penangites and for Malaysians and the millions of tourists and industrialists that have criss-crossed our prized island state.