The Tan family meets with Dato Rahim

For our meet-up with Dato Dr Haji Abdul Rahim Ramli, President of the Johor Council of Royal Court, I gave members of the Tan family clear instructions on how to enter the compound to his office, housed within the majestic Sultan Ibrahim Building on Bukit Timbalan.

 

Dato Rahim Ramli with the Tan family

When we entered the building, a guard escorted us to the lift lobby. I paused to point out to the visitors, the wooden frame around the elevator doors that featured the iconic pepper and gambier motif, economic crops that earned its place of honour in Johor.

 

At level one, the sheer beauty of the building’s architecture always caused visitors to pause and take in the grandeur of this landmark building in Johor Bahru. It did the same to the members of the Tan family.

 

We were warmly welcomed into the office and in an informal meeting, the Tan family members had a very fruitful time with Dato Rahim talking about Mejar Cina Tan Hiok Nee and his relationship with the Johor royal family, a relationship that deserves far greater recognition than it has received.

 

A photo memento of our visit
to the Sultan Ibrahim Building

Over cups of tea, Dato Rahim shared his knowledge about Tan Hiok Nee and the Teochew clan who were the dominant dialect group among the Chinese who first came to Johor.

 

Having read, Prince of Pirates by Carl A. Trocki, the members of the Tan family were familiar with the history of the Temenggongs and the development of Johor and Singapore from 1784 to 1885.

 

Armed with this knowledge, what ensued was a lively discussion about the people of Johor – the rakyat fondly known as Bangsa Johor – who has a unique relationship with the Johor ruler.

 

In the 19^th century, Chinese planters in Singapore and the Riau islands had exhausted the land they were cultivating and were ready to relocate.

 

And when Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim invited the Chinese to open the land in Johor to plant pepper and gambier, the planters readily accepted. In 1844, Tan Kee Soon led the Teochew into the new land and when they arrived, they called it, sin sua, Teochew for ‘new hill’ or ‘new mountain.’

 

Cover design of the photo memoir of
the Tan family, compiled by Suzanne Ng

Dato Rahim emphasized that in Johor, the early Chinese who came to cultivate the land under the kangchu system were ‘welcomed guests’ of the Johor ruler and never considered as pendatang.

 

At the demise of Tan Kee Soon, the leader of the Ngee Heng Kongsi or society, Tan Hiok Nee succeeded him as leader in 1863.

 

One of the earliest records showed that the Johor ruler issued Surat Sungai or permits to two kangchu, Kapitan Seah Tai Heng and Seah Ling Chai of the Ngee Heng society, to develop plantations on the banks of Sungai Skudai.

 

Dato Rahim agreed that there was much folklore about the close relationship between Sultan Abu Bakar and Tan Hiok Nee as they worked in close cooperation in the cultivation and export of pepper and gambier.

 

We had a fruitful time with Dato Rahim
in his office, within Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim

The Tan family who had also heard from Tan Chai Puan, a cultural activist and a Teochew, was aware that there was a great deal of folklore and legends about Tan Hiok Nee that were passed down through generations by word-of-mouth.

 

As Tan Hiok Nee and the Johor ruler worked in close economic cooperation, they held a monopoly of the international trade of gambier.

 

The peak of the gambier trade lasted from the 1830s to 1850s when Johor was the world’s largest producer of gambier, with Europe as a major market. This recognition put Johor on the world map.

 

The Johor ruler appreciated Tan Hiok Nee’s services to the state and responded by giving him the largest land concession in Johor which was recorded as, “a huge tract of land that spanned from the left of Sungai Johor (Kota Tinggi) to Pulau Ubin (Pasir Gudang).”

 

Suzanne and the Tan family handing over the
manuscript to Dato Rahim for his review

The traditional relationship between the Johor ruler and the Chinese immigrant community was firmly established when a plot of land was awarded to the Chinese to build their place of worship at Jalan Trus.

 

This temple, uniquely named Johor Gu Miao or Johor Old Temple, united the five main Chinese dialect groups and bears the name of the state in honour of the Johor ruler.

 

The Johor ruler, in his benevolence, acknowledged the Chinese tradition of ancestor worship, where he not only presented land to build their temple but also gave them land for their burial grounds.

 

Tan Hiok Nee (Kangkar Tebrau) was the first leader in the Chinese community in Johor to receive the honour to be appointed Mejar Cina in 1870. Another Chinese leader from the Teochew clan, Seah Tai Heng (Skudai) received the appointment as Kapitan Cina.

 

Dato Rahim looking at the coloured
illustrations documented in his books

Their roles as Mejar Cina and Kapitan Cina were especially significant because Tan Hiok Nee and Seah Tai Heng also represented the Chinese community in the Johor State Assembly and had the responsibility to relay royal decrees to the Chinese community.

 

Since the pioneer years, the cooperation and relationship established between the Johor Rulers and the immigrant community – Chinese, Indian, Arab, Javanese and others – was further strengthened through the concept of Bangsa Johor in Johor’s multi-cultural community, during the reign of Sultan Sir Ibrahim.

 

It was heartening to hear it confirmed that both Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim and his son, Sultan Abu Bakar, held Tan Hiok Nee in the highest regard, with Sultan Abu Bakar going on to grant him river concessions and conferring on him the First Class, Grand Commander of the Order, Dato’ Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ – Order of the Crown of Johor).

 

As the leader of the Chinese business community in Johor, Tan Hiok Nee organized the collection of funds to build the Dewan Cina or Chinese Hall, a building adjacent to the Istana Besar or Grand Palace in the Istana Gardens.

 

Looking through pages of his reference books
on Dato Rahim's desk

Officially declared open in 1875, this grand hall was used as a meeting place for the Johor State Government and where Chinese leaders would meet with the Johor ruler to discuss matters that concerned the Chinese community in Johor.

 

In 2016, present-day Johor Sultan, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, revived this tradition and hosted an event with 50 representatives from the Chinese community in the refurbished Dewan Cina. Suzanne was pleased to tell Dato Rahim that she has a copy of the book on Dewan China, recently published by the Tiong Hua Association.

 

Suzanne shared that the widespread members of the Tan family often gathered for anniversary celebrations to honour Tan Hiok Nee’s legacy and to stay connected.

 

When they saw that 2027 will mark the 200^th birthday of Tan Hiok Nee, the family decided that they should have a grand celebration, not only within the family but as a community event – not just in Singapore – but in Johor and back in his hometown in China.

 

It was important to confirm how the Johor
award for SPMJ should look when it was worn

The Tan family presented Dato Rahim with a copy of their family history book, that mainly featured old photographs and newspaper reports, compiled and written by Suzanne to celebrate Tan Hiok Nee’s life.

 

They recognized the value of such a book that briefly documented their family history for their own family’s reference and decided that a more comprehensive version should be published to commemorate the Bicentennial celebration.

 

Susanne had spent some 10 years doing the research from documents, books and word-of-mouth resources in Singapore and China to compile the information into this commemorative book, titled: Tan Hiok Nee – The Man of Four Worlds.

 

So they were back to Johor Bahru with the manuscript to seek feedback and comments from the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association, the Teochew Association of Johor Bahru and from Dato Rahim, who is an authority on Johor history, heritage and the Johor royal family.

 

Dato Rahim graciously answered their queries
about how the SPMJ award
should be officially used

The Johor Council of Royal Court has stood for close to several decades, advising the Sultan on matters personal to the royal family and safeguarding the ceremony and protocol of the palace.

 

Given that this comprehensive book on Tan Hiok Nee has references to Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim and Sultan Abu Bakar, a copy of this manuscript was presented to Dato Rahim for his review to verify historical records before it goes to print.

 

Dato Rahim graciously accepted the manuscript and assured them that he will review and provide his comments by November 2026.

 

After a group photo session, Dato Rahim pointed to a photograph displayed on the office wall which featured members of the Johor Council of Royal Court where each member was dressed in full uniform, decorated by their official rank and order.

 

The decorations on the smart uniforms were of particular interest to the Tan family because Mejar Cina Tan Hiok Nee was the first Chinese to be conferred with the oldest royal order by any state in Malaysia, the First Class, Grand Commander of the Order, Dato’ Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ – Order of the Crown of Johor).

 

Dato Rahim was gracious to answer their queries and referred to his books that document valuable information and coloured illustrations for reference and better understanding on the official use/wear of the collar chain, sash and medals.

 

While chatting on such an interesting topic, time had certainly flown by. With a better understanding of the official use of the SPMJ decorations, it brought our meet-up with Dato Rahim to a comfortable close.

 . . .

After a series of important meetings with members of the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association, the Teochew Association of Johor Bahru, Mejar Cina Dato David Wong, cultural activist Tan Chai Puan and Dato Rahim Ramli, the Tan family came away with a clearer direction as they continue working on the plans for the Bicentennial celebration that will be held in Singapore, Johor Bahru and China next year.