Hong Kok Tin (Chinese: 方國珍; pinyin: Fāng Guózhēn; 1910 – 29 June 1989) was a nobleman, businessperson and politician of Chinese descent that previously was among the appointed members of the Legislative Council of Brunei.
Hong Kok Tin | |||||||||||
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| 方國珍 | |||||||||||
 Pehin Hong in 1965 | |||||||||||
| Member of the Legislative Council | |||||||||||
| In office 28 August 1963 – 12 April 1970 | |||||||||||
| Monarchs | Omar Ali Saifuddien III Hassanal Bolkiah | ||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||
| Born | Hong Kok Tin 1910 Kuching, Kingdom of Sarawak, British Empire | ||||||||||
| Died | 29 June 1989 (aged 78–79)[1] Kuala Belait, Belait, Brunei | ||||||||||
| Profession |
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 方国珍 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 方國珍 | ||||||||||
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Early life and career edit
Hong's early life was covered by his activities in Sarawak, starting when he was just thirteen years old and working as an apprentice in a relative's bicycle business in Sibu. Years later, he visited Kuching, Miri, and Labuan in search of new employment and career prospects. Finally, in 1931, he focused his attention on Kuala Belait, which at the time was a fishing village that was quickly developing into an oil town to accommodate the need for oil field employees hired by the then-Malayan Petroleum Company after it discovered oil in the Belait District in 1929. He made the decision to relocate to Kuala Belait, where he opened his first store selling bicycles and other imported items under the name "Chop Seng Hup Hin." For almost three years, business was robust and looking up before it was unexpectedly stopped by Japanese occupation.[2]
Following Brunei's liberation by the Australian Army in 1945, Hong Kok Tin, like all other store owners, discovered that their establishments had been entirely destroyed by the indiscriminate bombing conducted by the aircraft of the Allied Forces. As a result, he resumed his previous career of selling bicycles and household goods while also taking a chance on the transportation industry by purchasing a fleet of lorries and hiring about twenty people. Chop Seng Hup Hin was a well-known company by 1960, selling a variety of Philips products to consumers with growing spending power as a result of cash from oil production.[2]
Political career edit
In 1955, Marsal Maun called for Hong to be appointed as the Registrar of Chinese Marriages for Belait District.[3] After becoming a member of manteri in the country's social hierarchy, he was chosen to serve on both the Executive Council and the Legislative Council in 1963.[4] He served on the Executive Council, which succeeded the State Council following the ratification of the 1959 Constitution. He was then made Assistant Head of Medical and Health Services from 1965 to 1970,[5] and given an official apartment in the capital in 1965. However, his detractors said that he failed to support those so-called "stateless" Chinese who have been in Brunei since the time of the British Resident, whether in the Executive Council or in the Legislative Council, in their quest for citizenship.[2] In 1967, he stated that the construction projects of modern hospitals in Brunei Town, Kuala Belait and Tutong had begun and called for the salary increase of medical and health workers.[6]
Other works edit
Hong Kok Tin was chosen to the Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan (CHMS,BSB)'s Management Committee in August 1945 together with other well-known residents of the area. He was chosen as the Chairman of the School Management Committee in 1955 and the following year. He was re-elected as the school's chairman in 1959. Five years after being named Pehin, in 1965, he was once more chosen to lead the School's Management Committee. The Management Committee unanimously decided to make Pehin Hong the school's permanent honorary chairman in May 1971 in honor of his enormous contributions to the institution.[2]
In the middle of the 1950s, he was chosen by the British Resident to serve in the Belait District Chinese Affairs Advisory Committee, which was established by him to organize the community's active elements to help him handle Chinese affairs and to make any necessary representations or advice to him.[2]
In 1969, Hong gifted the Brunei Museum a suit of samurai armour for educational display.[7]
Honours edit
Pehin Hong was bestowed the manteri title of Yang Dimuliakan (The Exalted One) Pehin Bendahari China Kornia Diraja on 24 May 1960.[2] Pehin Lim Cheng Choo asserts that the Brunei Royalty has a custom of appointing three Chinese officials, citing Hong Kok Tin, who plays Pehin Bendahara, and Lim Teck Hoo, who plays Kapitan Cina, as the other two.[8] Additionally, he has earned the following honours:[9]
Order of Setia Negara Brunei Third Class (SNB); Fourth Class (PSB)
Order of Paduka Seri Laila Jasa Third Class (SLJ)
Omar Ali Saifuddin Medal (POAS)
References edit
- ^ 章魚 (taconet). "烈嶼人物群像 - 汶萊-00.jpg @ 烈嶼影像 :: 痞客邦 PIXNET ::". taconet.pixnet.net (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pehin Hong Kok Tin 方国珍 – Biography". Memories of The Way We Were. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ CHINESE MARRIAGE ENACTMENT, 1955
- ^ "Ahli Baharu2 Majlis Meshuarat Negeri Brunei" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 7 August 1963. p. 8. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Li Li, Pang (2015). Minority Participation in an Islamic Negara (PDF). Policy Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. p. 54.
- ^ "Perlunya Tolak Ansor Dalam Kesatuan Sekerja Berjuang Bukan Untok Anggota2 Saja" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 6 September 1967. p. 1. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Baju "Samurai"" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 29 January 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Li Li, Pang (2015). Minority Participation in an Islamic Negara (PDF). Policy Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. p. 54.
- ^ Brunei (1975). Annual Report (in Malay). H.M. Stationery Office. p. 448.