If
you have read the Epilogue: Journey to My Johor Stories, a letter
written to my dad documented in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and
Now, you will be familiar with Mr. & Mrs.
Cheong, our friends Whye Choon and Swee Gim, who connected me with then MPH Group Chief Executive Officer,
Dato’ Ng Tieh Chuan.
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| The Cheong's, Whye Choon and Swee Gim with Dato' Ng Tieh Chuan and wife, Datin Meow Yin at the book launch of The Promise on Sept 17 |
Nobody, least of all me, expected My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real
People, Rich Heritage to go to the Number One spot in the MPH Non-Fiction
Bestsellers list in the first week of its launch in July 2017.
Thanks to all you readers, this book stayed on the Bestsellers list for consecutive
weeks and months, and at year end, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real
People, Rich Heritage was counted among the titles in the Best of MPH in
2017.
When I was in Kuala Lumpur for the Meet-the-Readers event hosted at the
MPH bookstore in 1Utama Mall in October 2017, it was also an opportunity to
meet with Dato’ Ng to thank him personally for his support of local writers
like me.
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| Ng Tieh Chuan [Standing Centre] with his brothers and parents in a formal family photo |
This remarkable experience with the Cheong’s and Dato’ Ng in the early
part of my book-writing journey, was duly documented in My Version of Great Expectations.
Fast-forward
to August 2023 – three My Johor Stories books later and Dato’ Ng had already
stepped down from his role with the MPH Group – when I received a WhatsApp text
message from Dato’ Ng who wanted to call me for a chat.
Needless
to say, I was pleasantly surprised but did not hesitate to reply with a welcome
for him to call.
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| Tieh Chuan with Meow Yin, the early years together in Taiping |
He
made a PROMISE to God that upon her salvation, he will share the story of His
goodness to him.
Born
to non-Christian parents, Tieh Chuan heard the good news of salvation at
Taiping Gospel Hall and became a Christian in 1972. He faithfully attended all
the meetings of Taiping Gospel Hall and took on leadership roles in church
events.
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| Taiping Gospel Hall |
But
when he learned that his mother was terminally ill, Tieh Chuan wanted to let
his mother know why he trusted the Lord.
He
was deeply troubled because he was not able to communicate fluently in Hokkien
dialect and if he did not make an effort to share the good news of salvation
with her, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
He
and his wife prayed fervently that God would grant him this wish that his
beloved mother would come to know and accept the Lord.
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| A copy of The Promise sent to me for a read and to review! |
Two
months later, on 3 May 2009, he received a handphone text message from his
brother who said that he had started going to church last Sunday.
On
June 4, he received the happy news from his brother that their mother wanted to
be a Christian and had asked to be baptized. That afternoon, he and his wife
were back in Taiping, overcome with joy as they witnessed his mother
acknowledging the Lord in her life when she was baptized.
On
5 September 2009, his mother slipped into eternity peacefully at the age of 76.
 |
| Tieh Chuan in his rented room in SS2 |
I
was delighted that he wanted to send me a copy of this book to read and see if
I could write a review to publish in a Christian magazine to share with others,
God’s goodness and grace upon him.
While
many may know him as Dato’ Ng, a successful entrepreneur in the book industry, I
read that he struggled through a very challenging journey in his early years
and by God’s grace and favour, gained the confidence of people in the higher
echelons of society and had the privilege to publish their biographies and
books.
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| In his rented room; Note the number of fans to help with the ventilation inside the room! |
In
2012, he reached the peak of his career when he was received the award for Tokoh
Industri Buku Negara.
In
just 208 pages, Tieh Chuan shared a brief autobiography with highlights of significant
events in his journey from his youth to the present day in a faith-walk to
inspire others to trust and depend on God.
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| Dato' Ng Tieh Chuan, a montage of photos taken over the years |
The
invitation read: “See you on Sunday! It will be a night of fun and makan!
Casual night with no VIPs, only old friends and no programs. Just makan.”
And
so, it was a reunion of sorts where the guests gathered were mainly old friends
from Taiping, many who have not met for some 40 years.
In
the Preface, Tieh Chuan said, “I believe that as Christians, our lives must be
an open book for others to see Christ through us. Many may not have the
opportunity to read the Bible but they can read us.”
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| Tieh Chuan with the Tunku, the nation's first Prime Minister |
Written
from his heart in simple language and supported by a collection of precious
photographs, Tieh Chuan shared about his family, growing up in Taiping and his
education at St. George’s Institution there.
Late
one night, shortly after receiving his Form Five examination results and before
leaving Taiping for Petaling Jaya to further his studies, he knelt in prayer to
ask God to PROMISE him that, “should I stumble and fall, or backslide as a
Christian in the future, that HE would catch me before I hit the ground and not
let go.”
In
that era when higher institutions of education were only available in the
capital city, young people like Tieh Chuan who were seeking further education,
moved to Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya from all over the country.
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| A personal note from the Tunku |
After
attending 35 interviews, he landed his first job as an office boy with a small
book publishing company. His daily tasks included menial jobs like cleaning the
office and toilets, washing cups, wiping tables, wrapping and packing books,
and loading and unloading books.
In
the early years, he literally worked from the ground up, working his way to
become the van driver before going on to be a travelling salesman for books.
With
many setbacks and disappointments, it was not a smooth-sailing journey but Tieh
Chuan was determined to learn everything there was to know about publishing
books. In the production department, he observed and offered help to any staff.
Armed
with the right attitude, he soon learned to do paste-ups on the manuscripts for
new books, did typewriting on the IBM electric typewriter and also did
typesetting.
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| Tieh Chuan [Right] with Tun Musa Hitam [Centre] and Dr Bruce Gale |
It
was in early 1978 when Tieh Chuan experienced a new beginning in his job as
sales representative with one of the biggest book distribution companies in
Malaysia and Singapore. This marked the start of his career in book publishing.
His
first breakthrough in publishing kicked off with the publication of the Malay
edition of Living Crafts of Malaysia by Tan Sri Mubin Sheppard, Mekarnya
Seni Pertukangan Malaysia, launched in March 1981.
In
1980, Tieh Chuan initiated a book project to document the history of Taiping
Gospel Hall, the place where he heard the good news of the Gospel. This book, Reminiscences
– Taiping Gospel Hall, 1880 to 1980, was published in 1981.
One
of the most memorable days of Tieh Chuan’s life must be the book launch event
for, Lest We Forget, the first book he published for Tunku Abdul Rahman
Putra Al-Haj, the nation’s first Prime Minister, launched on 8 February 1983 to
coincide with his 80th birthday.
 |
| Tieh Chuan with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at his book launch event |
His
book publishing career continued to soar with publishing many quality books
that featured biographies, memoirs and historical records of prominent
personalities like Datuk Onn Jaafar before the founding of UMNO, Sultan Azlan
Shah, Tun Musa Hitam, Tan Sri Lee Siow Mong, Tan Sri Dr. Tan Chee Koon, Tun Dr.
Daim Zainuddin and Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
We
know that God was at work in Tieh Chuan’s life because He produces in the
ordinary something that was so extraordinary and inspiring.
Blessed
with a son and a daughter, Tieh Chuan and Meow Yin wanted them to attend Sunday
School and be brought up in a church environment. Their children grew up in
Bandar Sunway Gospel Centre, an outreach project of the Petaling Jaya Gospel
Hall, the church he and his wife joined when they first came from Taiping.
It
was always satisfying to receive recognition for one’s efforts and for his
contributions to the publishing industry, Tieh Chuan was honoured by business
awards, a federal honour from the nation’s King, a state honour from a Sultan
and the appointment as a Justice of Peace.
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| The Promise is available in English and Chinese versions |
“It
had not always been easy, but I have always tried to conduct my business
affairs in a way that would be pleasing to God.”
As
Tieh Chuan kept his faith and obedience to God through some of the roughest
times in his life, God’s unseen hands were guiding him. Even though he stumbled
along the way, God remained faithful and vindicated him with countless
blessings.
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| Dato' Ng Tieh Chuan with his wife, Datin Meow Yin |
The English version of The Promise has also been translated into
Chinese.
Priced at only RM20.00 each, The Promise is truly a labour of love.
Get your copies of The Promise available
from Canaanland Christian Bookstores in Selangor and online from canaanland.com.my
Canaaland Christian Store, 23-25
Jalan PJU 1A/41B, Pusat Dagangan NZX, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya, and
Canaanland @DUMC Dream Centre, 2, Jalan 13/1, Seksyen 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya.
Note: Old photographs from The Promise used with permission from Dato' Ng Tieh Chuan.
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