State Chinese (Penang) Association

Jack Ong had been my colleague in Ban Hin Lee Bank way back in the late 1990s. That was before the bank was swallowed up by Southern Bank at the start of the present millennium. Although so many years had passed by since the initial consolidation of the banking industry, we had on occasions bumped into one another. We generally kept in touch through social media but once in while, face-to-face until the pandemic brought all such latter activities to a near standstill.

Last night, I received a message from him urging me to look at a video he had produced in conjunction with the centenary celebrations of the State Chinese (Penang) Association. The intention to set up this association was voiced in 1920 and it was first mooted as the Penang branch of the Straits Chinese British Association of Singapore in November of that year. 

But in January 1921, the association in Penang declared itself to be independent of their Singapore counterparts. "It is stated on the best authority," reported the Malaya Tribune in their copy of 5 January 1921, "that it has now been definitely laid down that the Straits Chinese British Association is not....to be described or regarded as a branch of the Straits Chinese British Association of Singapore, but as a sister-association affiliated with that in Singapore, enjoying exactly the same status and rights, and in no way dependent upon Singapore." Blah, blah, blah, as can be ascertained from the first illustration on the right. (Note: This was originally a Straits Echo story, as can be seen from the "S.E." initials at the end of the news item.)

The Straits Chinese British Association (SCBA) was very influential politically and had a powerful voice in society. Its membership was made up of well-known members of the Chinese community in Penang. The first president was a prominent businessman, Lim Eu Toh, one of those rare breeds who had studied in both Penang Free School and St Xavier's Institution, and thus was eligible to join both The Old Frees' Association and Old Xavierians' Association when the two Old Boys associations were established. If I'm not mistaken, he could be a member of Penang Free School's management committee but that would need further investigation.

The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, in its copy of 26 June 1930, printed a story about an SCBA committee meeting. One item caught my eye: the association had decided to make representations to the Director of Education on the "subject of constant changes in the personnel of the senior staff of the Penang Free School." That the SCBA would interest itself in the affairs of the Free School was very interesting but understandably, it could be nothing unusual if the majority of the committee members were the Penang babas who had studied in this premier school.

This issue definitely alluded to the frequent movements of the school's headmasters. Ever since Ralph Henry Pinhorn retired as the headmaster in 1925, there had been no less than four persons appointed to this important role by the time this SCBA meeting was held: William Hamilton from 1925, David Swaine from 1927 and Leslie Arnold briefly in early 1929 until replaced by DW McLeod later in that year. Understandably, this was because the colonial British government had taken control over Penang Free School in January 1920. Pinhorn stood tall among his peers and was regarded as untouchable but once he was gone, the appointment of headmasters was left to the mercy of the British civil servants in control of Education. And there were many Directors of Education and Acting Directors of Education that came and went away.

Despite the SCBA's representations in 1930, the rapid transfers of Penang Free School's headmasters continued unabated until 1934. McLeod lasted as headmaster until 1931. Edgar Stowell crossed over from Bukit Mertajam High School temporarily for a few months in 1931, and then he was replaced by MR Holgate later in the year. J Bain came along in 1933 and finally, Arnold returned this time as a long-term headmaster in 1934 until the onset of the Japanese Occupation when the British community quietly evacuated to Singapore in the still of the night and left Penang as an open town. I won't elaborate more as this story about the headmasters' musical chairs was already detailed on Pages 132 and 133 of my book, Let the Aisles Proclaim.

On 14 January 1964, the SCBA formally changed its name to State Chinese (Penang) Association (SCPA) and threw its membership open to all Malaysian citizens of Chinese origin.

Meanwhile, back to my original intention of writing this story, which was to bring attention to this message from Jack Ong. In order to promote the SCPA centenary last year, the association had held an international colloquium earlier in 2021 with various online talks organised on the Penang baba nyonya community and culture. This first video has now been posted to YouTube. It is very informative and a way forward to lure every baba and nyonya with origins in Penang back to their roots. However, if you were to subscribe to their YouTube channel, there are more videos of similar nature to watch.