From Johor Bahru Directory
| Fast Facts
|
| Wong Siew Qui
|
| Born
| October 23, 1888 [1]
Singapore
|
| Died
| 1990
|
| Other names
| Dato' S.Q. Wong
|
| Spouse
| Ng Yung Chee
|
| Children
| 12 children
|
| Parents
| Wong Ah Fook and Chew Yew
|
|
|
Wong Siew Qui a.ka. Dato' S.Q. Wong (1888 - 1980) was the youngest and most eminent son of Wong Ah Fook. He served on the Council of State for Sultan Ibrahim for many years and had been honored with the title of Dato' for his services to Johor.
2. Born in Singapore, Wong studied law in England and was admitted to the Middle Temple and called to the Bar in 1911. He had accepted an appointment as Attorney General of Guangdong province, but the politics of the early years of the Republic of China were highly volatile and at his father's urging, returned to Singapore in 1913.[2] In any case, his presence was needed to help his father's many investments and his legal training became a valuable asset. He set up a law practice in Johor Bahru under the name of Cooper & Wong in Jalan Wong Ah Fook, but was soon attracted to business, especially tin mining and rubber.
3. Wong Siew Qui was the one of the first Chinese to move out of the traditional Chinese trading system into the corporate world and eventually became director of more than 20 companies and chairman of many of them.[3] He played an important role in promoting the amalgamation of the three Chinese banks to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation to strengthen Chinese banking. Wong also promoted the entry of the Chinese into the insurance business through participation in the Eastern United Assurance Company because he wanted to secure better insurance coverage for Singapore's trade with China and eventually became its chairman.[4] When a group of Chinese businessmen set up a third insurance company, the Oversea Assurance Corporation, he became one of its directors, bringing along with him his vast experience into the company. And through his involvement in the English language newspaper, Malaya Tribune, he promoted efforts to articulate another point of view to balance that of the Straits Times, as the no European sat on the board of directors or held shares in the company (unless he was a staff member).
4. Wong Siew Qui was appointed an Unofficial Member of the Johor Council of State in 1921 and his appointment was made on the personal instructions of Sultan Ibrahim. In his letter of appointment, the Menteri Besar, as President of the Council of States, explicitly stated that the appointment was made "in appreciation of the services of your late father, Towkay Wong Ah Fook, to the State of Johore".[5] He served on the Council until World War II and after the war, was reappointed a member in 1948. Wong was also appointed to many official bodies, the most important of which was the Singapore Municipal Commission, on which he served as Commissioner from 1921 to 1938. As he was a member of both the Municipal Commission and the Johor Council of State, he was a valuable link between the two bodies and probably played an important role in the negotiations with the Johor government for the construction of Singapore's waterworks in Johor. Wong died in 1980 at the age of 92.
