Tan Phock Kin
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Tan Phock Kin, also known as Tan Hock Hin was a former Malaysian MP and political detainee who spent 15 years in detention without trial.[1]
He was elected to Malaysia's first Parliament in 1959 as a Socialist Front candidate for the Tanjong parliamentary constituency. He also served as a legislative councillor in George Town as well as state assemblyman for Jelutong (1964-1969) and Air Itam (1971-1974).[2]
A former Labour Party of Malaya assistant secretary general, he was later a member of Gerakan and Pekemas.[2]
Originally a schoolteacher, Tan Phock Kin joined the Labour Party of Malaya and was one of those elected to the George Town municipal council in 1958. It was part of the Socialist Front wave led by D.S. Ramanathan who became mayor.[2]
In 1959, in the first elections following Merdeka, he won the Tanjong parliamentary seat. Tan secured 11,333 votes winning by a majority of 4,885 over G.H. Goh of the Alliance Party, while the People's Progressive Party candidate Khoo Yat See trailed in third.[3]
Tan was known as a fierce debater in Parliament and strongly voiced his objections to the proposed Internal Security Act which was drawn up in 1960.[3][4]
“With the advent of Merdeka, everyone looked forward with great hope to the ending of, at long last, the curtailment of liberty. But what do we find? Laws become more arbitrary, regulations become even more restrictive.
“Is this then an occasion for rejoicing and merriment? I feel sure that all thinking people will agree that such an occasion should be one for mourning and not for celebration," he said at the time.[3]
In 1962 he crossed swords in Parliament with Finance Minister Tan Siew Sin calling the minister's Budget speech 'most pathetic'. In their exchange the minister called him a liar but later withdrew that statement.[3][5]
In 1963, the Labour Party and its Socialist Front allies was hit by waves of detentions without trial. Tan was not one of those detained at the time but it spelt the end of the party as a force.[2]
In 1964, he failed to defend Tanjong, losing by 4,412 votes to Lim Chong Eu of the United Democratic Party in a contest that also featured All-England badminton champion David Choong and Tan Chong Bee of the PAP. He did however win the Jelutong state seat.
He was arrested in July 1967 for taking part in demonstrations against United States intervention in Vietnam and for protesting the Malaysian Government's decision to ban the United Malayan Estate Workers' Union.[1]
He was detained under the ISA under suspicion of threatening national security and being a Communist United Front agent.[1]
Tan was never formally charged, and had no opportunity to challenge the Government's allegations against him in open court. He spent many years detained at Batu Gajah Special Detention Camp and was eventually released in 1982.[1][6]
Uniquely he won the Air Hitam state seat from detention in 1969 while representing Gerakan. In 1972, he was among the former Labour Party leaders who left Gerakan to form Pekemas after that party joined Barisan Nasional.[4]
He contested Tanjong again in 1974 under the Pekemas banner, this time suffering a heavy defeat as Gerakan’s Lim Chong Eu and DAP’s Yeap Ghim Guan fought a close contest.[4]
Upon his release in 1982, Tan Phock Kim became a practicising lawyer.[4]
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | P036 Tanjong | Tan Phock Kin (Lab) | 11,333 | 56.98% | G.H. Goh (MCA) | 6,448 | 32.42% | 20,125 | 4,885 | 71.65% | ||
| Khoo Yat See (PPP) | 2,107 | 10.59% | ||||||||||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | P036 Tanjong | Tan Phock Kin (Lab) | 8,516 | 29.89% | Lim Chong Eu (UDP) | 12,928 | 45.37% | 29,165 | 4,412 | 83.90% | ||
| David Choong Ewe Leong (MCA) | 6,271 | 22.01% | ||||||||||
| Tan Chong Bee (PAP) | 778 | 2.73% | ||||||||||
| 1974 | P042 Tanjong | Tan Phock Kin (PEKEMAS) | 2,508 | 7.48% | Lim Chong Eu (Gerakan) | 15,409 | 45.99% | 34,312 | 1,440 | 73.44% | ||
| Yeap Ghim Guan (DAP) | 13,969 | 41.69% | ||||||||||
| Lee Kok Liang (PRM) | 1,622 | 4.84% | ||||||||||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | N12 Jelutong | Tan Phock Kin (Lab) | 4,999 | 46.68% | Khaw Kok Chwee (MCA) | 3,159 | 29.50% | 10,953 | 1,840 | 83.89% | ||
| Chang Lai Sum (UDP) | 2,552 | 23.83% | ||||||||||
| 1969 | N11 Ayer Itam | Tan Phock Kin (Gerakan) | 7,014 | 76.80% | Khoo Leon Hun (MCA) | 2,119 | 23.20% | 9,475 | 4,895 | 76.60% | ||
| 1974 | N22 Padang Kota | Tan Phock Kin (PEKEMAS) | 936 | 9.28% | Lim Chong Eu (Gerakan) | 5,543 | 54.95% | 10,385 | 2,240 | 78.81% | ||
| Khoo Soo Giap (DAP) | 3,303 | 32.74% | ||||||||||
| Lee Kok Liang (PSRM) | 306 | 3.03% | ||||||||||
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Report of an Amnesty International mission to the federation of Malaysia" (PDF). www.amnesty.org. November 1978.
- 1 2 3 4 "The Labour Party of Malaya, 1952–1972". Archived from the original on 2022-05-20.
- 1 2 3 4 "NewspaperSG". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
- 1 2 3 4 "When Parliament killed our democracy - Malaysia Today". www.malaysia-today.net. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
- ↑ https://repositori.parlimen.gov.my/bitstream/123456789/1670/4/DR-24021960.pdf%5B%5D
- ↑ "Review of the internal security act 1960" (PDF). www.suhakam.org.my.
- 1 2 3 "TindakMalaysia/HISTORICAL-ELECTION-RESULTS". TindakMalaysia. 2024-12-21. Retrieved 2024-12-26.