More than 500 people from all walks of life including the Gerakan leaders and party veteran pay their tribute to the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu during The Life and Legacy of the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu – A Tribute by
Malaysians organised by Gerakan and the Wawasan Open University (WOU).

Dr Lim, 91, former Penang chief minister, Gerakan president and co-founder of Barisan Nasional, died at his home in Tanjung Bungah on Nov 24 last year after spending 29 days in the intensive care unit of Penang Hospital. He was the first chief minister to be accorded a state funeral.

His youngest son, Lim Chien Cheng was moved to tears and had to pause several times to compose himself while presenting his speech.

He delivered a 50-minute speech, thanking the party and those who knew his father for their kind words.

“My late father was a man of great intellect and I miss the discourses we had,” he said here recently.

He and his wife Chan Moi Moi represented the family at the tribute for the former chief minister which also attended by Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

Koh in his speech said described Dr Lim as the father of modern Penang and was very much like the father of modern China, Dr Sun Yat Sun.

“Both received good education overseas and were brilliant medical students. Both had developed an enquiry mind, based on logic and science. Both could have gone on to practice medicine, amass huge personal fortunes and lead a comfortable life,” he said.

He said Dr Lim was a man of idealism and patriotism, with a sense of destiny, responsibility and filial piety which drove him to return to his homeland of Penang, after his studies in United Kingdom and service in China.

Wawasan Open University (WOU) vice-chancellor Prof Dr Wong Tat Meng, former Penang Development Corporation general manager Datuk Seri Chet Singh as well as Gerakan veteran members Ooi Ah Bee, Lim Soo Mun and Datuk Tan Poh Wah were among Lim’s colleagues and friends who spoke at the tribute.

Dr Wong recalled how the late leader excelled in Penang Free School and later at Edinburgh University in Scotland.

“Dr Lim’s voracious appetite for reading is legendary. Not only had he read all the books in the Penang Free School library as a school boy, he had also read all the books in the Penang state library during his term of office as Chief Minister.

“And according to some friends, he read them twice!” Dr Wong said.

They also renamed the WOU’s digital library to “Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Digital Library” in Lim’s honour.

Earlier, there were also video clips played for the audience as the testimonials from members of the public including those who had work as Komtar trader, factory worker, former Penang state executive councillor, and Gerakan life member’s council.

A group of Penang Musicians also joined to pay their tribute to Dr Lim on by their choir performance of two songs, namely “You raise me up” and Chinese oldies “Zu Fu”.

Meanwhile, there were also exhibition displaying the pictures of the Dr Lim at WOU.

by Editorial Desk
gerakan4u.com