E. E. C. Thuraisingham
Encyclopedia
Dato' Sir Ernest Emmanuel Clough Thuraisingham or E.E.C. Thuraisingham (28 August 1898- 30 March 1979) was the first local Member (Minister) for Education in the Communities Liaison Committee
formed to build communal fraternity in British
-ruled Malaya
, from 1951–1955. He is also the first Asian chairman of the Selangor Turf Club
.
Better known by his last two names, Clough Thuraisingham’s passion to do the best for Malaya was matched only by his love of horse racing and his large American car, a red Chevrolet Impala. He was also popularly known in the horse racing fraternity as "The Dato". His dream was to see a united Malaya and stood for racial equality.
origin, was born in Taiping (Perak) on 28 August 1898. He was the second son and child among five children of Kasinathar and Meenachi Clough.
After graduating on 19 December 1922 with a BA degree in Law & Political Economy at Cambridge University, and in order to practice law, Thuraisingham studied and did his pupillage at Middle Temple in the Inns of Court in London
and became a Barrister-at-Law in 1924. Thuraisingham played soccer, tennis and hockey at Cambridge and later played soccer semi-professionally with the Tylehurst-on-Thames Soccer Team in the Berkshire Soccer League.
Urged by his father, Kasinathar Clough, Thuraisingham set up a legal practice in Singapore
in 1925. He practiced law in a partnership with M.V. Pillai and Charles Peng Siong Wong, another Cambridge lawyer. Being so close to Johore meant that he could also manage his father's large rubber estate in Skudai
across the causeway as his parents and siblings had moved back to Jaffna
in Sri Lanka
by then.
Later Thuraisingham married Pearl Sayampanathan, a teacher at St. Mary's School for Girls, Kuala Lumpur
. He met her at a friend's house in Singapore in 1929. With the imminent Japanese occupation of Singapore
, Thuraisingham then moved with Pearl to Kuala Lumpur
in 1942 and set up home at 7B Treacher Road. He had three children with Pearl - Balendra, Patmalar and Thevendra. Pearl's death in 1947 from a medical mishap devastated him; she had a severe asthma attack and was unable to get timely medical help. This happened at a time when the politics of race was complicating the vision of Dato Onn for an independent multiracial Malaya. Typically, Thuraisingham managed to juggle family life with the many demands of his political endeavours and legal career.
Sometime later Thuraisingham married Thayamany Muthuvelu, a widow with a daughter Gowri, and between them they had three children - Raja, Chandramani and Meenachi. Together they raised seven children in a house often filled with visiting relatives, friends and political allies.
Datin Lady Thayamany Thuraisingham was a devoted wife to Dato Thuraisingham. She also nursed him lovingly during his ailing years at their home in Bukit Travers.
Sporting Gesture the First won the Selangor Turf Club (STC) Class 1 Division 1 Gold Vase in 1952. Another horse, aptly named Commotion, often created havoc before the gates were opened and ran like the thunder to win the mile (circa 1959) at the STC. Yet another horse, Bowdler, broke the 6-furlong sprint record at the STC (circa 1960) which remained unbroken for several years.
His love for horse riding and for horse racing was shared by the Sultan of Johor
; together they owned a Class 1 stallion, Heroden, winner of several cups in the 1930s. This alliance led Thuraisingham to Onn Jaafar
with whom he forged a close friendship that culminated in a political camaraderie that lasted over three decades. His camaraderie with Dato Onn strengthened with the Japanese occupation of mainland Malaya
fueling their common desire for Malayan independence.
Dato Onn was also a frequent visitor to Thuraisingham's house. Dato Onn's favourite posture was sitting with both his feet off the ground folded together on the armchair and drinking tea from the saucer while discussing political strategy with Thuraisingham in the piano room at the Treacher Road house. While together at the house, both loved to be casual often wearing the sarong.
. Among his clientele were rich Malaysian Chinese
businessmen whose trust he won which also enabled him to provide pro-bono (i.e. free) legal services to those who could not pay. His office was adorned with thank you plaques from his Chinese clients dating over three decades. For a time one of his partners was Senator Athi Nahappan, a well-respected younger member of the Indian community.
became the first leader of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). Onn, Thuraisingham and several others, which included Henry H.S. Lee and V.M.N. Menon, became the vanguard of the multiracial Malayan independence movement. In response to this movement and the specter of the UN anti-colonial stance, the British instituted self-government and Dato Onn became Member (Minister) of Home Affairs while Dato Thuraisingham became Member (Minister) of Education.
As the first Member of Education in the Federation of Malaya
, Thuraisingham established a comprehensive system of education beginning in 1951 to provide free education for all children between six and twelve years of age; thus implementing the recommendations of the Barnes and Fenn Reports he presented to the Federal Legislative Council
on 19 September 1951.
He stated:
Implementing the Barnes and Fenn Reports meant that more teachers were needed and so he established a teacher's training college in Kota Bharu
and also leased teacher's training facilities at Kirkby and Brinsford Lodge in England
. He also had more schools built, especially in rural areas.
In addition, Thuraisingham was one of the prime movers of the Social Welfare Lotteries System which financed the provision of welfare services to the poor of all races in Malaya.
and Thuraisingham, were firm believers of multiracialism in politics. Together they laid the ground-work for an independence movement to devolve power from the British. However, their egalitarian multiracial movement began losing ground to racial-based politics in the early 1950s to assuage Malay anxieties. This racial-based movement was led by rising star Tunku Abdul Rahman
, who entered national politics only in 1951, pushing for a wholly Malay-based UMNO party but in alliance with the Chinese-based (MCA
) and Indian-based (MIC) parties which was to later become an election-winning strategy.
Thuraisingham worried about the growing wedge between Onn and the Tunku, arranged for a meeting at his home in Treacher Road (now Jalan Sultan Ismail) for both men to settle their differences. The meeting, which took place in the piano room, lasted almost the whole day but the two could not come to an agreement. A second meeting was arranged and that too failed.
Disappointed with the racial slant in Malayan politics, Thuraisingham resigned as Member for Education in 1955.
Said his wife Datin Thayamany in an interview to New Sunday Times (31 December 2006):
Despite his failing health, he continued as Chairman of Malaysian Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis (MAPTB) till his death at age 80, as he took seriously the challenges of tuberculosis
prevention. The TB Diagnostic Clinic in Setapak
is named after Dato Thuraisingham.
, a popular position he held for over 20 years overseeing the massive development of the turf club from a small colonial racing club to one that many Malaysians were proud to participate in.
Thuraisingham’s leadership brought many momentous changes, as he nurtured the Club’s transition from a European concern to a local one. Among these changes were the construction of labourers’ quarters, improvements to the stables and an increased level of concern for the well-being of the Club’s staff.
It was also during Thuraisingham’s tenure that radio broadcasts of race proceedings began in Malaya
. This was in 1954.
Just two years later, Datuk Sir Thuraisingham added another notch to his list of achievements when he successfully replaced the Club’s old attap shed with a $1mil grandstand. Built to accommodate the growing number of race fans, the new grandstand was declared open by the Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman
, on April 3, 1956. This development helped to further improve the Club’s growing reputation for being an exceptional and professional facility.
The Club’s progress faced a slight hiccup in 1957 when the “Great Floods” hit Kuala Lumpur
. Water-logged roads made it difficult for outstation horses to reach the Club by land, but the Club surmounted the problem by arranging to have the horses brought in by ferries. Despite the fact that the grandstand was under less than three inches of water, the foreign riders refused to cooperate. Datuk Sir Thuraisingam decided to rope in the entire team of track riders and riding boys to carry on with the races instead.
. Tun Hussein Onn was Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1979 - one could say a befitting and poetic end to an important and utopian era in Malaysian politics.
Communities Liaison Committee
The Communities Liaison Committee was established in 1949 by the British rulers of Malaysia, comprising the top echelon of Malayan politicians from different communities, to address sensitive issues, especially those related to ethnicity...
formed to build communal fraternity in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-ruled Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, from 1951–1955. He is also the first Asian chairman of the Selangor Turf Club
Selangor Turf Club
The Selangor Turf Club is the major horse racing course in Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia. The main race course is located at Sungai Besi, 17 km from Kuala Lumpur city centre.-Horse racing:...
.
Better known by his last two names, Clough Thuraisingham’s passion to do the best for Malaya was matched only by his love of horse racing and his large American car, a red Chevrolet Impala. He was also popularly known in the horse racing fraternity as "The Dato". His dream was to see a united Malaya and stood for racial equality.
Early life
Thuraisingham of Sri Lankan TamilJaffna Tamil
Jaffna Tamil could mean*Jaffna Tamil person of Jaffna, in Sri Lanka origin.*Jaffna Tamil dialect used by a person of Jaffna Tamil origin...
origin, was born in Taiping (Perak) on 28 August 1898. He was the second son and child among five children of Kasinathar and Meenachi Clough.
After graduating on 19 December 1922 with a BA degree in Law & Political Economy at Cambridge University, and in order to practice law, Thuraisingham studied and did his pupillage at Middle Temple in the Inns of Court in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and became a Barrister-at-Law in 1924. Thuraisingham played soccer, tennis and hockey at Cambridge and later played soccer semi-professionally with the Tylehurst-on-Thames Soccer Team in the Berkshire Soccer League.
Urged by his father, Kasinathar Clough, Thuraisingham set up a legal practice in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1925. He practiced law in a partnership with M.V. Pillai and Charles Peng Siong Wong, another Cambridge lawyer. Being so close to Johore meant that he could also manage his father's large rubber estate in Skudai
Skudai
Skudai is a rapidly expanding suburb of Johor Bahru, the largest city in and the capital of the state of Johor in southern Malaysia. Skudai is part of the new growth corridor of southwest Johor, which includes the Senai International Airport, Tanjung Pelepas Port and the proposed new...
across the causeway as his parents and siblings had moved back to Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
by then.
Family life
Thuraisingham, while at Cambridge, married Ethel Mary Huggins in December 1920 and they had twin girls, Rani and Joan. Their marriage was a sad one because it was difficult for a Ceylonese Barrister to practice law in England at that time and, if they returned, difficult for an English woman married to a Ceylonese lawyer in Colonial Malaya. And so they reluctantly parted, Thuraisingham returning to Malaya in 1925.Later Thuraisingham married Pearl Sayampanathan, a teacher at St. Mary's School for Girls, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. He met her at a friend's house in Singapore in 1929. With the imminent Japanese occupation of Singapore
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
, Thuraisingham then moved with Pearl to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
in 1942 and set up home at 7B Treacher Road. He had three children with Pearl - Balendra, Patmalar and Thevendra. Pearl's death in 1947 from a medical mishap devastated him; she had a severe asthma attack and was unable to get timely medical help. This happened at a time when the politics of race was complicating the vision of Dato Onn for an independent multiracial Malaya. Typically, Thuraisingham managed to juggle family life with the many demands of his political endeavours and legal career.
Sometime later Thuraisingham married Thayamany Muthuvelu, a widow with a daughter Gowri, and between them they had three children - Raja, Chandramani and Meenachi. Together they raised seven children in a house often filled with visiting relatives, friends and political allies.
Datin Lady Thayamany Thuraisingham was a devoted wife to Dato Thuraisingham. She also nursed him lovingly during his ailing years at their home in Bukit Travers.
Hobbies and Friends
Thuraisingham loved horse riding and horse racing. He owned a stable of race horses which captured the imagination of the racing public.Sporting Gesture the First won the Selangor Turf Club (STC) Class 1 Division 1 Gold Vase in 1952. Another horse, aptly named Commotion, often created havoc before the gates were opened and ran like the thunder to win the mile (circa 1959) at the STC. Yet another horse, Bowdler, broke the 6-furlong sprint record at the STC (circa 1960) which remained unbroken for several years.
His love for horse riding and for horse racing was shared by the Sultan of Johor
Sultan of Johor
Sultan of Johor is a hereditary seat and the nominal ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a bendahara...
; together they owned a Class 1 stallion, Heroden, winner of several cups in the 1930s. This alliance led Thuraisingham to Onn Jaafar
Onn Jaafar
Dato' Sir Onn bin Ja'afar, KBE was a Malay politician and a Menteri Besar of Johore in Malaysia, then Malaya. He was the founder of United Malays National Organization and was also responsible for the social economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial Development Authority...
with whom he forged a close friendship that culminated in a political camaraderie that lasted over three decades. His camaraderie with Dato Onn strengthened with the Japanese occupation of mainland Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
fueling their common desire for Malayan independence.
Dato Onn was also a frequent visitor to Thuraisingham's house. Dato Onn's favourite posture was sitting with both his feet off the ground folded together on the armchair and drinking tea from the saucer while discussing political strategy with Thuraisingham in the piano room at the Treacher Road house. While together at the house, both loved to be casual often wearing the sarong.
Professional life
Dato Thuraisingham's law office for many years was above a general store at 71 Ampang Street before he moved (in 1968) to the Kwong Yik Bank Building nearby. Ampang Street (now Lebuh Ampang) was the business and retail center of the Malaysian Indian and Ceylonese community in downtown Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. Among his clientele were rich Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
businessmen whose trust he won which also enabled him to provide pro-bono (i.e. free) legal services to those who could not pay. His office was adorned with thank you plaques from his Chinese clients dating over three decades. For a time one of his partners was Senator Athi Nahappan, a well-respected younger member of the Indian community.
Political career
In May 1946, Dato Onn JaafarOnn Jaafar
Dato' Sir Onn bin Ja'afar, KBE was a Malay politician and a Menteri Besar of Johore in Malaysia, then Malaya. He was the founder of United Malays National Organization and was also responsible for the social economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial Development Authority...
became the first leader of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). Onn, Thuraisingham and several others, which included Henry H.S. Lee and V.M.N. Menon, became the vanguard of the multiracial Malayan independence movement. In response to this movement and the specter of the UN anti-colonial stance, the British instituted self-government and Dato Onn became Member (Minister) of Home Affairs while Dato Thuraisingham became Member (Minister) of Education.
As the first Member of Education in the Federation of Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, Thuraisingham established a comprehensive system of education beginning in 1951 to provide free education for all children between six and twelve years of age; thus implementing the recommendations of the Barnes and Fenn Reports he presented to the Federal Legislative Council
Federal Legislative Council
The Federal Legislative Council was the legislative body of the Federation of Malaya and the predecessor of the Malaysian Parliament. It was formed in 1948 after the abolition of the Malayan Union and the formation of the Federation, as part of the United Kingdom's promise to grant self-rule to...
on 19 September 1951.
He stated:
Implementing the Barnes and Fenn Reports meant that more teachers were needed and so he established a teacher's training college in Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu is a city in Malaysia, is the state capital and Royal City of Kelantan. It is also the name of the territory in which Kota Bharu City is situated. The name means 'new city' or 'new castle/fort' in Malay. Kota Bharu is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, and lies...
and also leased teacher's training facilities at Kirkby and Brinsford Lodge in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He also had more schools built, especially in rural areas.
In addition, Thuraisingham was one of the prime movers of the Social Welfare Lotteries System which financed the provision of welfare services to the poor of all races in Malaya.
Political Opposition
The two friends, Onn JaafarOnn Jaafar
Dato' Sir Onn bin Ja'afar, KBE was a Malay politician and a Menteri Besar of Johore in Malaysia, then Malaya. He was the founder of United Malays National Organization and was also responsible for the social economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial Development Authority...
and Thuraisingham, were firm believers of multiracialism in politics. Together they laid the ground-work for an independence movement to devolve power from the British. However, their egalitarian multiracial movement began losing ground to racial-based politics in the early 1950s to assuage Malay anxieties. This racial-based movement was led by rising star Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, AC, CH was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957. He remained as the Prime Minister after Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined the...
, who entered national politics only in 1951, pushing for a wholly Malay-based UMNO party but in alliance with the Chinese-based (MCA
Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity; it is one of the three major component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan Nasional in Malay, or National Front in English.Along with the largest...
) and Indian-based (MIC) parties which was to later become an election-winning strategy.
Thuraisingham worried about the growing wedge between Onn and the Tunku, arranged for a meeting at his home in Treacher Road (now Jalan Sultan Ismail) for both men to settle their differences. The meeting, which took place in the piano room, lasted almost the whole day but the two could not come to an agreement. A second meeting was arranged and that too failed.
Disappointed with the racial slant in Malayan politics, Thuraisingham resigned as Member for Education in 1955.
Said his wife Datin Thayamany in an interview to New Sunday Times (31 December 2006):
Contributions
Thuraisingham, the first leader of the Ceylon Federation of Malaya, a political party representing the small Tamilian community from Sri Lanka, was appointed a senator in 1957, retiring in 1974 due to ill health.Despite his failing health, he continued as Chairman of Malaysian Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis (MAPTB) till his death at age 80, as he took seriously the challenges of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
prevention. The TB Diagnostic Clinic in Setapak
Setapak
Setapak is a major suburb in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Formerly a tin-mining and rubber-growing area, in Malay tapak means 'step' so so Setapak means 'one step', probably referring to the close proximity of the suburb to Kuala Lumpur...
is named after Dato Thuraisingham.
Selangor Turf Club
Among the many committees Datuk Sir Clough Thuraisingham served on, he especially enjoyed being Chairman of the Selangor Turf Club on Jalan AmpangJalan Ampang
Jalan Ampang is a major road in Klang Valley region, Selangor and Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-Proposal to rename Jalan Ampang to Jalan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad:...
, a popular position he held for over 20 years overseeing the massive development of the turf club from a small colonial racing club to one that many Malaysians were proud to participate in.
Thuraisingham’s leadership brought many momentous changes, as he nurtured the Club’s transition from a European concern to a local one. Among these changes were the construction of labourers’ quarters, improvements to the stables and an increased level of concern for the well-being of the Club’s staff.
It was also during Thuraisingham’s tenure that radio broadcasts of race proceedings began in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
. This was in 1954.
Just two years later, Datuk Sir Thuraisingham added another notch to his list of achievements when he successfully replaced the Club’s old attap shed with a $1mil grandstand. Built to accommodate the growing number of race fans, the new grandstand was declared open by the Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, AC, CH was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957. He remained as the Prime Minister after Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined the...
, on April 3, 1956. This development helped to further improve the Club’s growing reputation for being an exceptional and professional facility.
The Club’s progress faced a slight hiccup in 1957 when the “Great Floods” hit Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. Water-logged roads made it difficult for outstation horses to reach the Club by land, but the Club surmounted the problem by arranging to have the horses brought in by ferries. Despite the fact that the grandstand was under less than three inches of water, the foreign riders refused to cooperate. Datuk Sir Thuraisingam decided to rope in the entire team of track riders and riding boys to carry on with the races instead.
Awards and recognition
- Thuraisingham received a CBE from King George VI in 1948.
- In 1950 the Sultan Ibrahim of Johore bestowed the title of Dato Paduka Makota Johore ("DPMJ") on Thuraisingham.
- He received the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) from the National University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
in 1953.
- Thuraisingham was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on July 10, 1955 for his services to the country and Malayan education and bestowed the title of Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
.
Death
Dato Sir Clough Thuraisingham died in the early hours of the morning of 30 March 1979. Among the many mourners attending the funeral was Tun Hussein Onn, the son of his dear friend Dato Sir Onn bin JaafarOnn Jaafar
Dato' Sir Onn bin Ja'afar, KBE was a Malay politician and a Menteri Besar of Johore in Malaysia, then Malaya. He was the founder of United Malays National Organization and was also responsible for the social economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial Development Authority...
. Tun Hussein Onn was Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1979 - one could say a befitting and poetic end to an important and utopian era in Malaysian politics.