About Our Founder
​Early Life
He was among the three men (the others being Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak) who took part in the UMNO-MCA Alliance delegation to London in 1954 to demand for an effective elected majority in the Federal Legislative Council of Malaya.
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Born in Singapore, TH Tan attended St. Joseph's Institution and Raffles Institution. At Raffles Institution he was a contributor to the school newspaper, The Rafflesian, an experience which would later set him on a career path in journalism.​
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Career and Other Contributions
After his Senior Cambridge Examination, he became a cub reporter with the Malaya Tribune. He became acquainted with the then chairman of the newspaper, Tan Cheng Lock (later Tun), who would become his friend, mentor and later colleague in the pursuit of Malayan independence. TH Tan rose quickly up the Malaya Tribune’s ranks, soon becoming a sub-editor and editor of the Sunday Tribune. He later joined the Straits Times Group and became one of the leading writers of the Singapore Free Press and night editor of the Sunday Times despite his relatively young age.
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During the Japanese Occupation, TH Tan and his colleagues organized a news service for Commonwealth prisoners of war at Sime Road camp and Changi Prison. After the war, the English-only policy for top positions at the Straits Times led TH Tan to join the Singapore edition of the Tiger Standard, the paper established by Aw Boon Haw.
After leaving the Tiger Standard, TH Tan joined the MCA in 1953 as Chief Executive Secretary, a position that he retained for nearly three years. In May 1954, an UMNO-MCA Alliance delegation composed of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and TH Tan arrived in London to demand for an effective elected majority in the new Federal Legislative Council. However, the mission was unsuccessful, leading the Alliance leaders to push for a boycott of the Federal Legislative Council and other bodies to put further pressure on the British government to heed Alliance terms for independence. The boycott lasted three weeks and ended when the High Commissioner agreed to consult the leader of the majority party on the filling of five of the seven nominated seats in the Federal Legislative Council.
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(L-R) His Highness Tunku Abdul Rahman, David Rees Rees-Williams,
1st Baron Ogmore, and Mr TH Tan outside the House of Parliament,
London – May 1954
Shortly after, the Alliance registered as a political party – the Alliance Party. TH Tan served as the Secretary General of the Alliance Party until May 1971 and retired from active politics in 1975 after a series of heart attacks.
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In 1979, TH Tan published his autobiography, The Prince and I, which told the chronicle of his life centred around his relationship with His Highness Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Apart from his remarkable second career in politics, TH Tan also had substantial accomplishments in business and industry, as a key person in the establishment of Malaya's first integrated multimillion-dollar steel mill (Malayawata) and as the leader of the Selangor and All-Malaya Chinese Chambers of Commerce. He organized the first Sino-Malay Economic Co-operation Council in Malaysia. He was also chairman and member of the board of directors in many Malaysian companies, including Southern Bank Bhd. In terms of his charitable work, he was most prominently remembered as the Founder and first President of the Malaysian Leprosy Relief Association.
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A Buddhist by birth and, TH Tan was decorated by the King of Malaysia for his service in the propagation of Buddhism. However, in 1964, he was converted to Islam by Tun Abdul Razak who gave him the Muslim name “Mohammed Tahir”.
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TH Tan passed away on the 6th of November 1985 at the age of 71. The Malaysian Leprosy Relief Association is an enduring reminder of TH Tan’s remarkable charitable legacy to the people of Malaysia.
