PAST PRESIDENTS

EARLY DAYS

When Chan Sow Lin became the second president of the Chamber, he registered the Chamber with the Ministry of Commerce of the Qing Dynasty and filed an application for the royal seal. The Chinese name and the rules of the Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce were revised immediately. The application of the Chamber was approved two years later and a grand ceremony was held to start using the seal bestowed by the Qing Emperor. After the establishment of the Republic of China, the Chamber shifted its focus towards economic and social activities of the local Chinese community, such as the anti-opium movement, helping to arrange for food, accommodation and jobs for the unemployed workers during the 1930s Great Depression, and assisting the colonial government in pacifying disturbances in Kuala Lumpur.

  • 6TH PRESIDENT
  • 8TH PRESIDENT
  • 9TH PRESIDENT
  • 1914-1922 - YAP LOONG HIN

    1914-1922

    Yap Loong Hin (1873-1937), a miner, was the eldest son of the fourth Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, Yap Ah Shak.

     

    In his tenure, the Chamber of Commerce set up a “general bookkeeping class” in 1915 to train account clerks, with 24 graduates in the first intake. Due to the great demand, the course was held for many years. During WWI, the Colonial government attempted to impose income tax to aid the British war effort, the Chamber proposed that it be replaced with a levy on rubber and tin, which was accepted.

     

    The Chamber also contributed to the Convalescent Home Fund for the British army and to the war lottery too. At the same time, the Chamber set up a few China flood relief funds to aid Canton (1915), Tientsin (1917) and Swatow (1918). In 1916, the Chamber also lobbied to the British government to add another Chinese member to the federal council, but it was only after 8 years that an addition Chinese member was appointed.

  • 1930-1932 - DATO’ LOW LEONG GAN

    1930-1932

    Low Leong Gan (1881-1945), a tin miner, was the third son of Low Boon Kim, a well-known revenue farmer and miner in Selangor. Low was appointed to the Chinese Advisory Board and Selangor State Council, and was the second Chinese installed as Dato’ Kurnia Jaya by Sultan Selangor.

     

    During his tenure, as a result of a severe worldwide economic depression, the Chamber set up a camp for the unemployed in the Cantonese Cemetery to provide accommodation, food and medical services. Although the Chamber was also affected by economic difficulties, it still contributed to the Raffles College Fund, the first college for higher education in the arts and sciences founded in 1928 in Malaya. After the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, the Chamber appealed to the League of Nations for justice and advised Chinese in Selangor to wear black till the evacuation of Japanese troops from Manchuria.

  • 1932-1936 - LAI TET LOKE

    1932-1936

    Sarawak-born Lai Tet Loke(1872-1953) was the son-in-law of Goh Ah Ngee, a pioneer tin-miner in Selangor. Lai himself was a miner and invented the“Tet Loke and Christie Puddler” which was widely used in Selangor and Perak mines.

     

    During his tenure, the Chamber together with other public bodies protested against the rice tax and Cecil Clementi’s decentralisation policy. The chamber moved to its new premise at Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in November 1933, and the hall was officially opened by the Sultan of Selangor in October 1934. The chamber also subscribed to the funding of University of Amoy when Dr Lim Boon Keng, the Chancellor of the University of Amoy visited Kuala Lumpur in 1935.

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