Lim Koon Teck (; 28 November 1904 – 29 October 1984) was a barrister-at-law, industrialist and politician in the Malaya and Singapore. He was the first Asian in the Straits Settlements to be appointed to the Colonial Legal Service. He was a magistrate at Penang and Crown Counsel, Singapore. After resigning government service, he joined the Lee Rubber Company. He was interested in introducing new construction methods, like lightweight concrete, to bring down building costs and was interested in helping to solve Singapore's housing shortage. These directed his commercial and political activities.The Straits Times, 2 April 1949, Page 8
Early life and education Lim was born to a Teochew family on 28 November 1904,Lim, B. (1994) A Rose on My Pillow: Recollections of a Nonya. Singapore: Armour Publishing Pte. Ltd. Page 24. in a small terraced shophouse at St. Gregory's Place, off Hill Street, opposite the Armenian Church,Lim Koon Teck, oral history interview, Oral History Centre, National Archives of Singapore, reel 1. in British Malayan Singapore, the eldest of the 14 childrenLim, B. (1994) A Rose on My Pillow: Recollections of a Nonya. Singapore: Armour Publishing Pte. Ltd. Page 15.The Straits Times, 14 August 1924, Page 8 of Lim Boon-Seng, a cloth merchant, and Tan Gek-Neo.
Lim entered St. Andrews School, before he was eight years old, passing his Junior Cambridge in 1920 and his Senior Cambridge in 1922. Although Lim had done well academically, but his family did not have the means to afford him education overseas. Liau Chia-Heng (廖正興), a pepper merchant whom his father was friendly with at the Teochew Club, made a gift of $5,000 to help fund Lim's education abroad.
While Lim was interested to study architecture, the family had not enough fund for the six year education overseas, he decided to take up law instead. In June 1924 he passed the matriculation examination of London University and left for England by the Hakusan Maru on 19 August 1924, for law studies at the University College London.
Lim passed his intermediate examination for the LL.B in 1925. He graduated with honours, was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in July 1927, and proceeded to return to Singapore.The Straits Times, 27 July 1927, Page 8The Straits Times, 21 January 1927, Page 10The Straits Times, 23 July 1925, Page 8The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 16 June 1924, Page 6The Straits Times, 28 April 1922, Page 15The Straits Times, 20 April 1920, Page 10 Upon him qualifying as a barrister, his father moved the family to a rented house at 119 Emerald Hill Road, next-door to Seow Poh Leng, to reflect Lim's status.
Career
Civil career Lim had been strongly recommended by Sir Song Ong-Siang, who was very fond of him.Lim, B. (1994) A Rose on My Pillow: Recollections of a Nonya. Singapore: Armour Publishing Pte. Ltd. Page 23.
After returning to Singapore, Lim was called to the Singapore Bar and was appointed deputy registrar of the supreme court, Singapore in January 1928.The Straits Times, 7 January 1928, Page 8 He was offered $500 a month but was not given housing and transport allowances.Tan, Y. L. (2008) Marshall of Singapore: A Biography. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing. Page 94 He was appointed to the additional responsibility of Sheriff for Singapore in 1928 and 1929.The Straits Times, 12 October 1929, Page 17The Straits Times, 30 June 1928, Page 8 His application to the Colonial Legal Service, however, was not approved.
Lim was appointed acting registrar during the absence on leave of Registrar W. A. N. Davies in December 1933, through 1935, and took on the added appointment of Sheriff in succession to D. F. J. Ess in August 1935.The Straits Times, 12 August 1935, Page 10The Straits Times, 27 July 1934, Page 18The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 15 December 1933, Page 8 By 1936, Lim, who was by then Senior Deputy Registrar, was again appointed Acting Registrar of the Supreme Court in the Straits Settlements Civil Service, upon the departure of W. A. N. Davies and at this time it was thought that he would be eventually appointed Registrar.The Straits Times, 31 January 1936, Page 12The Straits Times, 15 February 1936, Page 12The Straits Times, 29 November 1935, Page 14The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 18 February 1936, Page 6The Straits Times, 3 February 1936, Page 2The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 1 February 1936, Page 6
Lim sat for and passed in Malay in August 1936,The Straits Times, 17 August 1936, Page 17 and was appointed Registrar of the Straits Settlements High Court in January 1937.The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 5 January 1937, Page 3The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 5 January 1937, Page 7 He was then made Deputy Public Trustee, Singapore in the middle of 1937,The Straits Times, 7 June 1937, Page 2 and was then transferred to Penang to serve as Second Magistrate there.The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 27 September 1938, Page 5 By January 1939 he was moved down to Third Magistrate.The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 9 January 1939, Page 3
In May 1940, Lim was transferred from his position as Third Police Magistrate in Penang to Malacca to act as District Judge and Registrar, Supreme Court.The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 20 May 1940, Page 2 Lim's accommodation at Malacca is a large bungalow house at 1 Pringgit Hill, was just below the house of the Resident. The houses of all other civil servants were situated below Lim's and they were not happy with that. In July, it was announced that Lim that he would be transferred back to Penang.Lim Koon Teck, oral history interview, Oral History Centre, National Archives of Singapore, reel 2 On 27 September, Lim resumed his duty as the Third Police Magistrate at Penang.The Straits Times, 28 July 1940, Page 9 In October, he was appointed Magistrate at Penang.The Straits Times, 4 October 1940, Page 12
In 1941, Lim was promoted to Colonial Legal Service, the first Chinese in Malaya in the service.
After World War II was over and the British returned to Penang, the local government was reformed with the previous administration except for Lim. After reestablishment of the local government, the British Military Police took Lim away for investigations relating to collaboration with the Japanese. He was freed after about five hours in solitary confinement in an area usually reserved for condemned prisoners awaiting hanging. His wife, Betty, had called up a Judge, who in turn called the Chiefs of the Military Police and the British Military Administration. Lim put his case for wrongful imprisonment before a Judge who cleared him of all suspicion and praised him for having saved the lives of British soldiers.Lim Koon Teck, oral history interview, Oral History Centre, National Archives of Singapore, reel 4
There were not enough Public Prosecutors right after the Japanese Occupation and at one time there was an eight-month backlog of cases. Despite all that had been done to him and the way he had been treated in the past, Lim responded to the Government's appeal and voluntarily went back, on a part-time basis, working for about six months, as Crown Counsel or Public Prosecutor - he was paid half what full-time prosecutors got. But he did not accept the Attorney-General's invitation to return full-tile to the legal profession – even with the promise of the Solicitor-General's position a few years after rejoining, Lim could make $100,000 a year outside compared to, at most, $12,000 a year back in Government service.Lim Koon Teck, oral history interview, Oral History Centre, National Archives of Singapore, reel 5
He was member of The committee, appointed in April 1947 by Governor Sir Franklin Charles Gimson, to report on housing in Singapore and draw up a preliminary plan for building to relieve the housing shortage. The committee was chaired by C. W. A. Sennett (the then Commissioner of Lands and Chairman of the Singapore Rural Board). Other members of The Committee included E. C. Cooper representing the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, R. Jumabhoy representing the Indian Chamber of Commerce, S. I. O. Algasoff (Municipal Commissioner), and Teo Cheng-Tian. Lim represented the interests of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.The Straits Times, 19 April 1947, Page 1The Straits Times, 23 May 1947, Page 3 The Committee issued its report in August 1948.The Straits Times, 18 August 1948, Page 4 The committee's programmes for 1950–1953, were approved by Sir Patrick Abercrombie, British town planner.The Straits Times, 3 February 1949, Page 1 By June 1947 The committee had inspected possible sites for their $50,000,000 plan to re-house 50,000 low-income members of the population.The Straits Times, 15 June 1947, Page 1
By December 1947 Lim was made deputy public prosecutor. He was then informed that he would be appointed Ipoh District judge, but, a month after that, still prejudiced against him being local, Lim was informed that he was being posted to Seremban as registrar of the high court, there, instead – the lowest post in the Malayan Civil Service. Lim objected.The Straits Times, 24 January 1956, Page 7The Straits Times, 18 December 1947, Page 5The Singapore Free Press, 16 August 1947, Page 8 Lim wrote a letter of complaint for being sent to the lowest possible post despite all he had done to keep order in Penang, the lives he had saved, and his being cleared of all charges of collaboration. He also noted his ill-health. A copy of the letter was sent to the acting chief justice in Kuala Lumpur. In less than a week he received a letter putting him on early retirement at full pension, at just 42 years of age, which was unheard of. He provided the same testimony before the Malayanisation Commission in January 1956
Military career Lim had joined the Volunteer Corps at the same time as he joined Government service in Singapore. While he started as a Private, owing to the high position he held, he was given special training and was promoted, in October 1929, to Second Lieutenant in charge of a Company of 40 men, just a month later.Lim Koon Teck, oral history interview, Oral History Centre, National Archives of Singapore, reel 3The Straits Times, 26 October 1929, Page 12 He was promoted to Lieutenant from 25 October 1932.The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 10 November 1932, Page 3
After World War II started in 1941, the British started withdrawing from Malaya. On 13 December 1941, fearing the very real possibility of execution for being a magistrate and an officer of the Straits Settlements Volunteer Corps “C” Company, Lim and his family prepared to board a ferry and leave with the rest of the troops only to be refused entry and told that the ferry was for "whites" only.The Straits Times, 17 December 1947, Page 6 After the departure of the British, Lim Cheng Ean and Lim cordoned off the main shopping and harbour districts in order to stop looting.Cooper, B. (2001) Decade of change: Malaya and the Straits Settlements, 1936–1945. Braham Brash. Page 213.
Before the British left, they asked Lim to stay back to keep law and order among the people, and to hand Penang over to the Japanese when the latter arrived.
As the Japanese army reached Penang, Lim Lim and his volunteers of Company “C” were to become the accepted backbone of law and order in the village of Ayer Itam. On 17 December 1941 Lim organised 80 members of "D" (Chinese) Company of the 3rd Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps) to look after 80,000 evacuees who had fled to Ayer Itam from George Town.The Straits Times, 19 March 1950, Page 1The Straits Times, 18 December 1954, Page 4The Straits Times, 24 December 1961, Page 4