Editing Tan Cheng Lock (section)

==The Malayan Chinese Association==

Tan returned to Malacca after the Japanese surrendered. On 27 February 1949, Tan founded the [[Malayan Chinese Association]] (MCA) alongside [[Leong Yew Koh|Tun Leong Yew Koh]] ({{zh|t=梁宇皋|p=Liáng Yǔgāo}}) and [[Henry Lee Hau Shik|Colonel Lee Hau Shik]]. Although he was 66 when elected to the position, Tan was regarded as the only man able to bring the Malayan Chinese together.

The post-war years and the Emergency was a difficult and dangerous juncture for the community. The Chinese were deeply divided and their loyalty was under scrutiny. Among the Chinese, only Tan had the stature to engage with senior Malays such as Datuk [[Onn Jaafar]] and [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]]. Strongly anti-communist, he was also trusted by the British colonial officials. He joined the Malay leaders – first through the [[All-Malaya Council of Joint Action]], which he chaired, and then the [[Communities Liaison Committee]] headed by Dato' Sir [[E. E. C. Thuraisingham]] – to fight for constitutional change and work towards inter-ethnic co-operation. Tan organized a hartal (general strike) in Malacca to protest against the British colonial government.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asad Latif|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/921296739|title=The life and times of Gerald de Cruz : a Singaporean of many worlds|date=2015|publisher=ISEAS Publishing, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute|isbn=978-981-4620-69-7|location=Singapore|oclc=921296739}}</ref>

The establishment of the [[Federation of Malaya]] did not go down well with the ethnic Chinese, as favourable conditions for obtaining citizenship for the Chinese and other non-Malays were withdrawn. Tan Cheng Lock frequently raised grievances over the citizenship terms that were set when the federation was established.<ref>Bayly, Harper, ''Forgotten wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia'', pg 502-3</ref> As a result, communal tensions between the Malays and Chinese surfaced, and [[Onn Jaafar]], who was then heading [[UMNO]] kept his distance from Tan. Tan encountered initial difficulties with meeting Sultan [[Ibrahim of Johor]], who was not accustomed to working with Chinese businessmen.

The goal for the foundation of the [[Malaysian Chinese Association|Malayan Chinese Association]] was to unite the Chinese population in [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]], including the protection of the rights and interests of the Chinese, to work with the colonial government to stop the spread of communism and to work with other races to achieve independence for Malaya. The MCA branches had been set up after their campaigns had attracted more than 200,000 members.

On 26 September 1951, he supported Onn Jaafar's idea to form the [[Independence of Malaya Party]] (IMP) in [[Kuala Lumpur]] with co-operation of various races as its theme. However, the formation was choppy, due to the fact that Onn Jaafar was not co-operative on the issue of [[citizenship]].

In the end, Tan decided that only a Chinese party could safeguard the interests of his community and that multi-ethnic co-operation was more likely to be achieved through partnership with [[UMNO]]. With that, the MCA joined with UMNO to form the [[Alliance Party (Malaysia)|Alliance Party]], the precursor to the [[Barisan Nasional]]. However some people do not agree that he acted in best interest of Malaysian Chinese as some felt that the marginalization of Malaysian Chinese would not be so severe had the British continued to rule citing Hong Kong as an example.

In 1952, Tan Cheng Lock and the [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO) under Tunku Abdul Rahman's leadership contested the election as partners. He was best remembered for his contributions in the business and political arenas and his work for integrating between the [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] and the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]] communities to Malayan society.<ref>[http://www.iseas.edu.sg/private.html "Private Paper"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516134855/http://www.iseas.edu.sg/private.html |date=16 May 2011 }}. (22 September 2002). ''ISEAS''.</ref>

Under Tan Cheng Lock, the MCA played a vital role in negotiating independence from the [[British Empire|British]]; he was also in charge as the MCA formed the Alliance in 1954 in coalition with the [[United Malays National Organisation]] and the [[Malaysian Indian Congress]]. Tan, who was a member of the Malayan Anti-Japanese League, was MCA's first president, but did not enter the cabinet on independence because his rival, Tun H.S. Lee, from [[Selangor]], was part of the cabinet.

Prior to the independence of [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]], he was also a member of the [[Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements]]. In 1952, Tan Cheng Lock and the [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO) under Tunku Abdul Rahman's leadership contested the election as partners. He was best remembered for his contributions in the business and political arenas and his work for integrating between the [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] and the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]] communities to the nascent Malayan society.<ref>[http://www.iseas.edu.sg/private.html "Private Paper"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516134855/http://www.iseas.edu.sg/private.html |date=16 May 2011 }}. (22 September 2002). ''ISEAS''.</ref>

Tan died of a heart attack on 16 December 1960 at the age of 77. His son, [[Tan Siew Sin]] became the 3rd President of MCA after his death.