Tan Hiok Nee
Encyclopedia
Tan Hiok Nee (1827–1902), also known as Tan Yeok Nee, was the leader of the Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor
, succeeding Tan Kee Soon in circa 1864, he transformed the Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor
from a quasi-military revolutionary brotherhood, based in the rural settlement of Kangkar Tebrau, into an organisation of kapitans, kangchu
s, and revenue farmers, based in the state capital of Johor Bahru
.
China
in 1827, Tan Hiok Nee, a Teochew, started life as a cloth peddler and in the course of his frequent visits to Wan Abu Bakar's home in Telok Blangah
, Singapore
, had became a friend of the royal family. He subsequently extended his textile business to Johor Bahru where many textile shops still line Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, a road named after him, and where he used to stay. With the help of the Temenggong, Tan moved to Johor in 1853. He obtained his first surat sungai (river document) of Bukit Berangan, a tributary of the Johor River in 1853, then aged 26 in partnership with Tan Ban Tye. There, he began cultivation of pepper and gambier. This was to form the beginning of a vast holding of 9 such grants which made him the largest holder of kangchu
concessions, as well as the wealthiest and most influential Chinese in Johor. A map of Johor Bahru drawn in 1887 shows Tan Hiok Nee as the owner of several lots of land in the centre of Johor Bahru where he owned many shops and houses as well as started a market on an island called Pulau Segget, midpoint of Sungai Segget
. In 1854, he started develop the left bank of the Johor River
. Within 5 September 1863 - 11 September 1863, Tan Hiok Nee obtained four additional kang-chu rights within a one-week period. By then, he was the most prominent businessman in Johor with seven kangchu
rights. This meant controls over the entire left bank of the Johor River
which spanned from the south of Kota Tinggi
to Pulau Ubin
.
in Singapore. He held the opium and spirit farm for Johor for various periods but in 1870-79, he joined with Tan Seng Poh and Cheang Hong Lim to form the Great Opium Syndicate which managed to gain control of the opium and spirit farm not only in Johor, but also the vastly lucrative revenue farms in Singapore, Melaka, and Riau. Like Tan Kee Soon, Tan Hiok Nee was a trusted friend of Sultan Abu Bakar and with his enormous wealth, may even have been one of the Sultan's financiers.
and Kapitan Seah Tee Heng
in Johor Bahru
. In addition, Tan was also appointed as one of two Chinese members to the Council of State, and the first Chinese to received the title of S.P.M.J. ( Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia) Dato'
. However, what made him so powerful among the Chinese community in Johor was his position as the leader of the Ngee Heng Kongsi after Tan Kee Soon's death in circa 1864. By then, however, Md Salleh bin Perang had been appointed Chief of Police and the policing responsibilities that Tan Kee Soon had been entrusted with were now carried out by Johor officials. Under the circumstances, the Ngee Heng Kongsi was now more like an organisation of towkays who financed the plantations and operated the profitable revenue farms. Nevertheless, with his position as Kapitan Cina and head of the Ngee Heng Kongsi, as well as being a partner in the Great Opium Syndicate, Tan held all the levers of wealth and power available to a Chinese during his time.
Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor
Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor was a Teochew secret society that founded the earliest Chinese settlement in Johor. However, it did not have a clandestine image and has instead been accorded a respectable place in the history of the Johor Chinese...
, succeeding Tan Kee Soon in circa 1864, he transformed the Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor
Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor
Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor was a Teochew secret society that founded the earliest Chinese settlement in Johor. However, it did not have a clandestine image and has instead been accorded a respectable place in the history of the Johor Chinese...
from a quasi-military revolutionary brotherhood, based in the rural settlement of Kangkar Tebrau, into an organisation of kapitans, kangchu
Kangchu
The Kangchu system was a socio-economic system of organization and administration developed by Chinese agricultural settlers in Johor during the 19th century. The settlers organized themselves into informal associations , and chose a leader from among themselves...
s, and revenue farmers, based in the state capital of Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
.
Early life
Born in Jin Sha village (金砂寨), city of Caitang (彩塘镇) of ChaozhouChaozhou
Chaozhou is a city in eastern Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the South China Sea to the southeast...
China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1827, Tan Hiok Nee, a Teochew, started life as a cloth peddler and in the course of his frequent visits to Wan Abu Bakar's home in Telok Blangah
Telok Blangah
Telok Blangah is a district in Singapore to the south-west of the Central Business District in the southern part of the island. It is part of the Bukit Merah Planning Area, an urban planning zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority.-Etymology:...
, 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...
, had became a friend of the royal family. He subsequently extended his textile business to Johor Bahru where many textile shops still line Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, a road named after him, and where he used to stay. With the help of the Temenggong, Tan moved to Johor in 1853. He obtained his first surat sungai (river document) of Bukit Berangan, a tributary of the Johor River in 1853, then aged 26 in partnership with Tan Ban Tye. There, he began cultivation of pepper and gambier. This was to form the beginning of a vast holding of 9 such grants which made him the largest holder of kangchu
Kangchu
The Kangchu system was a socio-economic system of organization and administration developed by Chinese agricultural settlers in Johor during the 19th century. The settlers organized themselves into informal associations , and chose a leader from among themselves...
concessions, as well as the wealthiest and most influential Chinese in Johor. A map of Johor Bahru drawn in 1887 shows Tan Hiok Nee as the owner of several lots of land in the centre of Johor Bahru where he owned many shops and houses as well as started a market on an island called Pulau Segget, midpoint of Sungai Segget
Segget River
Segget River is the river in Johor state Malaysia. The length of the river is about 4280 meters....
. In 1854, he started develop the left bank of the Johor River
Johor River
Johor River is the main river in the Malaysian state of Johor. The river is 122.7km long and flows in a roughly north-south direction, originating from Mount Gemuruh and then empties into the Strait of Johor. Its major tributaries are Sayong, Linggui, Tiram and Lebam Rivers. Its banks are also...
. Within 5 September 1863 - 11 September 1863, Tan Hiok Nee obtained four additional kang-chu rights within a one-week period. By then, he was the most prominent businessman in Johor with seven kangchu
Kangchu
The Kangchu system was a socio-economic system of organization and administration developed by Chinese agricultural settlers in Johor during the 19th century. The settlers organized themselves into informal associations , and chose a leader from among themselves...
rights. This meant controls over the entire left bank of the Johor River
Johor River
Johor River is the main river in the Malaysian state of Johor. The river is 122.7km long and flows in a roughly north-south direction, originating from Mount Gemuruh and then empties into the Strait of Johor. Its major tributaries are Sayong, Linggui, Tiram and Lebam Rivers. Its banks are also...
which spanned from the south of Kota Tinggi
Kota Tinggi
Kota Tinggi is a town in the state of Johor of Malaysia, located around 42 kilometers north-east of Johor Bahru, on the road to Mersing. Hometown of Azizul Hanipah. Kota Tinggi can also be reached by ferry from Changi terminal in Singapore where tourists need to pass through the immigration check...
to Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin is a small island situated in the north east of Singapore, to the west of Pulau Tekong. Granite quarrying supported a few thousand settlers on Pulau Ubin in the 1960s, but only about a hundred villagers live there today...
.
Revenue farming and the Great Opium Syndicate
With his grants, Tan Hiok Nee went into pepper and gambier planting which led naturally to trading in these crops, and eventually became a major pepper and gambier trader at Boat QuayBoat Quay
Boat Quay is a historical quay in Singapore which is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River on its southern bank.It was the busiest part of the old Port of Singapore, handling three quarters of all shipping business during the 1860s...
in Singapore. He held the opium and spirit farm for Johor for various periods but in 1870-79, he joined with Tan Seng Poh and Cheang Hong Lim to form the Great Opium Syndicate which managed to gain control of the opium and spirit farm not only in Johor, but also the vastly lucrative revenue farms in Singapore, Melaka, and Riau. Like Tan Kee Soon, Tan Hiok Nee was a trusted friend of Sultan Abu Bakar and with his enormous wealth, may even have been one of the Sultan's financiers.
Levers of wealth and power
In about 1870, then aged 43, Tan Hiok Nee was appointed Major China of Johor, a governmental appointment that was assisted by an assistant treasurer, a head clerk, and a head inspector. The position was apparently created specially for him since Johor at that time already had two kapitans, namely Kapitan Tan Cheng Hung in TebrauTebrau
Tebrau or Teberau is a largest mukim in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia.-Townships:*Bandar Dato' Onn*Adda Heights*Taman Delima*Taman Daya*Setia Indah*Taman Mount Austin*Desa Tebrau*Taman Istimewa*Taman Bukit Mutiara...
and Kapitan Seah Tee Heng
Seah Tee Heng
Seah Tee Heng, also known as Seah Tai Heng, father of Seah Leng Chye, he was one of two Chinese members to the Council of State with Tan Hiok Nee. In about 1869, he appointed as third Kapitan China of Johor after Kapitan Tan Kee Soon and Kapitan Tan Cheng Hung. He held the kangchu concession for...
in Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
. In addition, Tan was also appointed as one of two Chinese members to the Council of State, and the first Chinese to received the title of S.P.M.J. ( Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia) Dato'
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
. However, what made him so powerful among the Chinese community in Johor was his position as the leader of the Ngee Heng Kongsi after Tan Kee Soon's death in circa 1864. By then, however, Md Salleh bin Perang had been appointed Chief of Police and the policing responsibilities that Tan Kee Soon had been entrusted with were now carried out by Johor officials. Under the circumstances, the Ngee Heng Kongsi was now more like an organisation of towkays who financed the plantations and operated the profitable revenue farms. Nevertheless, with his position as Kapitan Cina and head of the Ngee Heng Kongsi, as well as being a partner in the Great Opium Syndicate, Tan held all the levers of wealth and power available to a Chinese during his time.
Retirement
In the 1875, Tan Hiok Nee inexplicably gave up his connection with Johor entirely, selling off all his concessions and withdrawing completely from Johor to settle in Singapore. It was speculated that his political rivals had removed him during the Maharaja's absence due to their resentment of his prominence and power. After his flight, Tan's assets and kang-chu rights were repossessed by the Johor government. Nevertheless, he chose his timing well for he withdrew at a time when Johor was standing at the peak of its progress under the rule of Sultan Abu Bakar. However, for the Ngee Heng, it was the beginning of the slide downhill. The administrative structure of government was well established and was managed by a core of able and experienced officers led by the much respected Dato' Jaafar bin Mohamed as Menteri Besar. Even so, Tan Hiok Nee continued to have a towering presence in the Kongsi as his successor, Lim Ah Siang, was referred to only as Second Brother, the second most senior-ranking member in the secret society hierarchy. In 1885, he built himself a magnificent mansion in Singapore but eventually returned to China to become one of the few migrants who made good overseas and returned to end his days in his native village.Reference
- http://jbdirectory.com/Tan_Hiok_Nee
- http://kesultananjohor.blogspot.com/2011/05/keunikan-anugerah-datuk-johor.html
- http://chsbp.net.my/show.php?contentid=1117
- http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1118_2010-07-08.html Tan Hiok Nee (Tan Yeok Nee)