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Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Dr. Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...
Lim Chong Eu (; 28 May 1919 – 24 November 2010) was a
Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who served as the 2nd
Chief Minister of Penang The Chief Minister of Penang is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Penang. According to convention, the chief minister is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The chie ...
from May 1969 to October 1990. He was also the founding president of
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia The Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia ( en, Malaysian People's Movement Party, commonly abbreviated as GERAKAN or less commonly as PGRM) is a liberal political party in Malaysia. Formed in 1968, Gerakan gained prominence in the 1969 general electio ...
(GERAKAN). He was termed the "Architect of Modern Penang".


Early life

Lim was born in 1919 in
Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
. He is the older brother of Lim Chong Keat, the architect and botanist. He attended school at the
Penang Free School , motto_translation = Strong and Faithful , streetaddress = Green Lane, , city = George Town , state = Penang , postcode = 11600 , country = Malaysi ...
, where he was the
King's Scholar A King's Scholar is a foundation scholar (elected on the basis of good academic performance and usually qualifying for reduced fees) of one of certain public schools. These include Eton College; The King's School, Canterbury; The King's School ...
in 1937. He later obtained a degree in medicine and surgery from the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
in 1944.


Political career

In 1951, he was appointed to the Penang Local Council and in 1955, was appointed a member of the Federal Legislature. In the March 1958
Malaysian Chinese Association The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA; zh, 马来西亚华人公会; ; ta, மலேசிய சீனர் சங்கம், initially known as the Malayan Chinese Association) is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that seeks to ...
(MCA) party elections, he challenged Tun
Tan Cheng Lock Tan Cheng Lock KBE JP () (5 April 1883 – 13 December 1960) was a Malaysian Peranakan businessman and a key public figure who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and the social welfare of the Chinese community in Malaya. Tan wa ...
and won the presidency with a majority of 22 votes. During the one-year period when the MCA was under Lim, the party came under tremendous pressure from within and outside. After his victory, he called an extraordinary general meeting to amend the Constitution to consolidate the power of the Central Committee. This was met with strong resistance by Tun
Tan Siew Sin Tun Tan Siew Sin (; 21 May 1916 – 17 March 1988) was a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Minister of Finance, and 3rd President of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA, formerly Malayan Chinese Assoc ...
and his supporters. Although the proposal was passed with a single-vote majority, the move left the Party split. At the same time, the MCA under Lim also had severe political differences with the then Prime Minister
Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...
. The crisis worsened on the eve of the 1959 general elections when Lim demanded 40 parliamentary seats and also wanted to make Chinese an official language. The Tunku increased the seats allocated to MCA from 28 to 31 but this was rejected and their relationship worsened. Tunku Abdul Rahman rejected Lim's demands, prompting Lim to resign as president of MCA and he left for England for a vacation. Dr Cheah Toon Lock then became the Acting President of MCA. Lim returned to Malaya after a few years and formed a new party, the United Democratic Party, in 1962. He was one of the founding members of the Opposition Party Gerakan before the 1969 General Election. The formation of the Gerakan party threw the Chinese Malaysian aggregate into a dilemma, weakened their political strength and above all, eroded the political representation of the MCA as the only party for the Chinese community. Gerakan joined the ruling Barisan Nasional after winning the Penang State Government in 1969.


Chief Minister of Penang

Lim served as
Chief Minister of Penang The Chief Minister of Penang is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Penang. According to convention, the chief minister is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The chie ...
from 1969 to 1990. The iconic projects that emerged during Lim's rule included the 66-storey KOMTAR administrative tower and commercial complex, and the 13.5 km
Penang Bridge The Penang Bridge is a dual carriageway toll bridge and controlled-access highway in the state of Penang, Malaysia. The bridge connects Perai on the mainland side of the state with Gelugor on the island, crossing the Penang Strait. The bri ...
. When it was topped-off, KOMTAR was for some time the tallest building in Asia, and the Penang Bridge one of the longest in the world. Lim is best known for overseeing the emergence of Penang's Free Trade Zone (FTZ) – later renamed Free Industrial Zone – which evolved into one of Asia's most powerful electronics hubs. In the Malaysian General Elections of October 1990, a crisis occurred when Lim, serving as the chief minister, lost his state seat and
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia The Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia ( en, Malaysian People's Movement Party, commonly abbreviated as GERAKAN or less commonly as PGRM) is a liberal political party in Malaysia. Formed in 1968, Gerakan gained prominence in the 1969 general electio ...
(Gerakan) had fewer seats than
UMNO The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its ...
in the Penang State Assembly. A crisis was averted when Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik, the then president of Gerakan, was able to convince the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to allow an ethnic Chinese to continue on in the role of the Chief Minister.


Retirement and death

Lim had retired from politics and was concentrating on business. He was at the time chairman and advisor for several large corporations. In 2007, Lim was named founding chancellor of
Wawasan Open University Wawasan Open University, abbreviated as WOU, is a private university located in Penang, Malaysia that provides working adults with access to higher education via open distance learning (ODL). It was established in 2006 and enrolled its fir ...
. In late October 2010, he was admitted to the Penang Hospital after suffering a stroke. He later died on Wednesday, 24 November 2010 at his home in Hillside, Tanjung Bungah at about 9 pm. On Thursday, 25 November 2010, he was given a state funeral. The Penang state flag was flown at half-mast from 25 to 28 November for 4 days as a mark of respect. His body was cremated at Batu Gantung Crematorium on Sunday, 28 November 2010.


Honours


Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Sliver) (PPM) (1965) ** Grand Commander of the
Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on ...
(SSM) – Tun (1991) * : ** Knight Grand Commander of the
Order of the Defender of State Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
(DUPN) – Dato' Seri Utama (1990) * : ** Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DA) – Datuk Amar (1996)


Places named after him

The 17.84 km Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (highway ) comprising Jelutong Expressway and Bayan Lepas Expressway was renamed after him on 7 December 2010.Expressway renamed to honour Chong Eu
The Star, 7 December 2010 Other memorials included Bangunan Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, a main headquarters of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) located at Persiaran Mahsuri,
Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Lep ...
.


References


External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Chong Eu 1919 births People from Penang 2010 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Chief Ministers of Penang Members of the Dewan Rakyat Members of the Penang State Legislative Assembly Malaysian medical doctors Malaysian politicians of Chinese descent Presidents of Malaysian Chinese Association Former Malaysian Chinese Association politicians United Democratic Party (Malaysia) politicians Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia politicians Malaysian Buddhists Malaysian political party founders Penang state executive councillors Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak