Dr. Tan Chee Khoon's Legacy Proves Politics Need Not Be Race-Based, Says Economist Jomo

Economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram says that Dr. Tan Chee Khoon's legacy should inspire young Malaysians to realize that politics can be organized around ideas, reform, and the common good rather than race. Speaking at a public forum jointly organized by civil society group Aliran and Dr Tan's youngest daughter, lawyer Tan Pei Lai, Jomo said Malaysia's political landscape was once very different, with debates centered on competing visions for the nation's future.

A Different Era of Politics

Jomo said Dr Tan had been involved from early on with the now-defunct Labour Party, which was part of a broader progressive movement not defined by race. "It was a different era, with a different kind of politics. Politics and debate then were about different ideas and competing visions of the world," Jomo said. "The opposition then had a different character. The debates were about different conceptions of nationhood, and Tan was a very important part of that."

Jomo noted that the strength of the left-wing movement before and after independence has often been overlooked in Malaysia's historical narrative. He said that before such parties were outlawed in 1947 and 1948, one-third of all workers in the country had belonged to left-wing parties. He also cited the Socialist Front's victory in Penang in the 1958 local elections, and the 1962 Brunei election where the Parti Rakyat Brunei won 54 out of 55 seats.

Jomo said Dr Tan was one of only two Socialist Front MPs elected in the 1964 general election, as many of his political comrades had by then been arrested and detained. However, the crackdown on the Labour Party, the Brunei People's Party, and other progressive forces throughout the 1960s eventually transformed the character of Malaysian politics. Jomo said the period of repression in the mid-to-late 1960s was a decisive turning point.

"The point is that we basically see the politics of this era not only connected very much to Tan's political career and political life, but the entire era has disappeared," he said.

Racial Politics Not Inevitable

Jomo stressed that the shift toward race-based politics should not be seen as the defining feature of Malaysian politics since time immemorial. He pointed out that in the 1969 general election, the majority of Malays in Peninsular Malaysia voted for opposition parties.

Jomo also argued that this part of the country's history has not been adequately represented in the official narrative, and the way Malaysian history has been presented has reinforced race-based politics across generations.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this... this history is not in the textbooks. It's not the history that we know," he said. "Recognizing this, and reminding ourselves, understanding fully what Tan and what he represented, it's a profound reminder that Malaysian politics was once about a whole range of other issues," Jomo said.

"Most importantly, it was cross-racial. It was not racialized in the way it is now," he said.

Jomo said a fuller understanding of Dr Tan's political legacy would remind Malaysians that the country's politics once covered a broader range of issues.

Dr. Tan Chee Khoon: "Mr. Opposition"

Dr Tan Chee Khoon passed away in 1996 at the age of 80. He was a medical doctor and opposition politician known for his outspokenness, simple lifestyle, and principled stance. He was often referred to as "Mr. Opposition."

The former opposition leader served as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament from 1964 to 1969. He was elected as an MP for the Labour Party in 1964, for Gerakan in 1969, and for Pekemas in 1974.

A Call to Remember

Jomo said Dr Tan's political career serves as a reminder that there was once a different era of politics in Malaysia, where debates were framed around competing ideas and worldviews. He called on the younger generation to carry forward this legacy, urging them to recognize that politics need not be defined by race, but can instead be a space for debating ideas and shaping a shared future.