Lim Beng Hong (1898 — 3 February 1979) OBE,Khoo, Salma Nasuton ''et al.'' Giving Our Best: The Story of St. George's Girls' School, Penang, 1885-2010. Penang: Areca, 2010: 168—171. Print. who preferred to be, and was most often, referred to as Mrs. B. H. Oon, was the first woman to be called to the Malayan Bar 1927. She was also the first ethically Chinese woman to hold a degree from

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, the first Malayan woman to be called to the English Bar (1926), and the first woman representative on the Federation of Malaya Legislative Council (1948). According to press reports at the time, Lim Beng Hong and her brother Lim Khye Seng made

English legal history English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

when, in 1926, they became the first brother and sister to be called to the bar on the same night. History was made again when they were both called to the bar in Penang, on the same day."Penang's First Woman Federal Councillor." The Straits Times

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

19 February 1948: 6. PrintVoon, Phin Keong. Malaysian Chinese and Nation-building: Before Merdeka and Fifty Years after. Kuala Lumpur: Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies, 2007: 358—359. Print.

Early life and education

Oon was born in

Butterworth, Penang Butterworth is the largest urban town in the city of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It lies about east of George Town, the capital city of Penang, across the Penang Strait. , Butterworth has a total population of 107,591 residents. Butter ...

in 1903 during

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. U ...

. She reportedly came from a wealthy family as her father was a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

. After finishing her education at the Government's Girls' School in Penang, she returned to the school and taught there for 3 years. After that, she decided to go to England with her brother to get a law degree. After receiving her law degree from University College London, Oon and her brother applied to the Bar and they both got admitted to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. The two siblings were then called to the English Bar on the very same night in June 1926.

Admission to the Malayan Bar

She returned to Penang in 1927 to get married. However, marriage did not stop her from applying to join the Bar of the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

and the

Federated Malay States )Under God's Protection , capital = Kuala Lumpur1 , religion = Islam , legislature = Federal Legislative Council , type_house1 = State level , common_languages = , title_leader = Monarch , leader1 ...

. At that time in British Malaya, women were prohibited from joining the Bar, so the law was changed in 1927 for Oon to be admitted. Hence, she became the first woman to be admitted to the Malayan Bar. However, the legality of this amendment was not confirmed until 1935 by the Chief Justice of the

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Supreme Court.

Notable work and achievements

Smuggling letters during the war

After returning to Penang from England in 1927, she joined the law firm Lim & Lim Advocates and Solicitors. When the war broke out in 1938 and the Japanese invaded Malaya, Oon fled and went to live in

. However, Singapore soon fell into Japanese occupation as well, but sing the Asian population was allowed freedom, Oon decided to utilize that freedom and smuggle and deliver letters to

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

that were held captive in Changi prison.

First woman lawmaker of Malaya

After the war, Oon became the first woman in Parliament in Malaya. She was appointed as one of the two women representatives of the Federal Legislative Council and she remained part of the council from 1948 to 1955.

Politics

After 1955, Oon got involved with politics. She joined the Labour Party in her hometown as a councillor. She was also the creator of the "Woman's Charter" which was included in the Pan-Malayan Labour Party manifesto.

OBE Award

In 1953, Oon received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Award for her services. This is a very prestigious award that citizens in Commonwealth countries received before they gained independence. It was awarded to Oon as a recognition of the contributions she has made for the betterment of society in British Malaya.

President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)

Oon was elected as the President of the

International Federation of Women Lawyers The International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL), in Spanish ''Federación Internacional de Abogadas'' (FIDA), is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that enhances the status of women and children by providing legal aid, legal ...

in 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Beng Hong 1948 in Malaya Federation of Malaya People from British Penang British Malaya lawyers People from Penang Malaysian people of Chinese descent 20th-century Malaysian women politicians 20th-century Malaysian lawyers 20th-century Malaysian politicians 1898 births 1979 deaths Date of birth unknown Malaysian women lawyers 20th-century women lawyers