Thursday, June 30, 2011

The patriarch: Kwa Geok Choo's father


Year 1932, GROUP PHOTOGRAPH OF FOUNDING OF OCBC SHOWING:
FRONT ROW: KHOO SOO HONG (SECOND FROM LEFT), TAN CHIN TUAN (FOURTH FROM LEFT), YEO THIAN SIEW (FIFTH FROM LEFT), TAN ENG KIAM (SIXTH FROM LEFT), ONG PIAH TENG (SEVENTH FROM LEFT). 
BACK ROW: YAP PENG GEK (LEFT), KWA SIEW TEE (THIRD FROM LEFT), CHEW HOCK LEONG (SIXTH LEFT) AND MR TEO (RIGHT)


Powerful and Influencial Figure
Little known Kwa Siew Tee (柯守智), Kwa Geok Choo's (LKY wife) father was immensely rich and one of the most powerful man in Singapore. He had been appointed the Municipal Commissioner in 1947, and Public Service Commissioner in 1953. Both are extremely powerful position and in theory, held the power to appoint and dismiss top civil servants.

Forex Trader 
Kwa was a senior bankster in OCBC doing things related to forex trading. Banksters do not produce anything, they simply feed on productive host economy. Wonder PAP's perpetual policy to increase asset price screwing the working class, is due to all these bankster relative.

Inter-marriage between powerful families
  • Kwa Siew Tee's wife Wee Yew Neo, is daughter of Wee Theam Seng, a senior OCBC Bankster.
  • Kwa Siew Tee's brother-in-law is Tan Chin Tuan, who married Helen Wee, another daughter of Wee Theam Seng.

OCBC Alumni
OCBC influences on Singapore are comparable to  Goldman Sachs on USA. A large disproportional number of powerful office holders are connected to OCBC. To name a few below.

Lee Kuan Yew PM
-  father-in-law OCBC senior bankster

Yong Pung How Chief Justice
- 1976-1982 work in OCBC

Teo Chee Hean Deputy PM
- father Teo Cheng Guan OCBC chairman 1989-1991

Tony Tan Deputy PM
- family is one of OCBC founders

2nd Generation Kwa, many illustrious figures
2 out of 3 survivng sons of Kwa Siew Tee hold perm sec position and many of important appointments. One of the son-in-law was made minister in LKY's cabinet. The 3rd generation are less prominent in public office but do not under-estimate their hidden wealth and influences.


Sons
Kwa Soon Hock 柯顺福
-Died Young

Kwa Soon Lock 柯顺禄
-Killed by Japanese

Kwa Soon Siew 柯顺寿
- no info

Kwa Soon Chuan 柯顺全
-Perm Sec and many other top appointments

Kwa Soon Bee 柯顺美
-Perm Sec and many other top appointments

Daughter
Kwa Geok Neo 柯玉娘
 -

Kwa Geok Lan 柯玉兰
- married Yong Nyuk Lin 杨玉麟 who later became minister of various ministries

Kwa Geok Choo 柯玉芝
- married LKY, PM of Singapore

Kwa Geok Lian 柯玉莲
- married Earnest Lau, a school principal

Kwa Geok Eng 柯玉英
- no info

Kwa's family and LKY road to power
Without the Kwa family network of powerful families, it is questionable whether LKY can emerge as the leader of PAP in 1950s given then, there are many other extremely capable and charismatic leaders in the party. The nexus of Kwa family probably also helped LKY to win the trust of British, which handed over to him the control of security apparatus. That is the key LKY is able arrest his political opponents.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why don't you do a family tree?

Veritas said...

This is a good idea. Will consider it later when I work on other powerful families of Singapore.

Anonymous said...

http://luntan.zaobao.com/viewthread.php?tid=141252

资政夫人玉芝与柯氏家族


柯玉芝,又名柯玉珠,这是因为英文拼音Geok Choo的缘故,珠是常见的中文名字英文拼音为Choo,李氏夫妇不曾纠正媒体的错误,所以长期被称为柯玉珠。柯玉芝生於1920年12月21日比丈夫李资政大将近三岁,两人在英国剑桥攻读法律系,后来夫妇俩连同李资政的弟弟、已故李金耀及已故律政部长巴克一起,在1955年9月创办了李及李律师事务所,自李资政从政后,李夫人一直保持低调。

柯玉芝父亲柯守智,前华侨银行总经理,大约 1888年出生于印尼三保垄,来新加坡的年代不详,其姐妹柯恭娘(Kwa Kiong Neo)是同乡吴文灿(和丰饼干、肥皂的创办人)的媳妇,他们相信在同一年代来新加坡发展,不过可以确定的是他在1913年之前已经在新加坡 ,他相信是名会计师,任职于本地著名的公司Chan Sze Onn & Co.,后来成为公司合伙人,他主要提供客户秘书服务,是多家公司的秘书。1926年他成为东方保险的经理,1931年成为和丰银行经理。

1932年和丰华商与华侨合并,他代表和丰银行处理合并问题,华侨银行则是陈传振(Tan Thuan Chin),有趣的是华商银行的总经理是他的岳父阮添成(Wee Theam Seng),陈传振则是他的同门禁兄弟。

1947年柯守智受委为municipal commissioner,不过两年后因为工作压力而辞职,他后来也曾出任公共服务委员会总监(Public Service Commissioner),他也时活到老学到老的经典人物,在柯玉芝考或法律学位之后,他获得博士衔头,在1977年89最高龄去世。

柯守智夫人阮有娘(Wee Yew Neo)是阮添成的长女,阮添成还有两个女儿(第三和第四)嫁给吴文灿第三和第四的儿子吴克瑞和吴克就,他们年轻的时候和宋旺相一起加入华人义勇军,柯恭娘的丈夫吴克信是吴文灿的长子。来自马六甲的阮添成和吴文灿又是好友,阮家吴家和柯家又具有当时甚为流行,所谓亲上加亲的错综复杂亲属关系。阮添成次女嫁给商人杨瑞Yeo Chiang Swee,五女嫁给相信是印尼华桥的Lauw Pek Tjin,最小的女儿嫁给陈传振(Tan Tuan Chin)。

阮添成相信没有男性儿子,所以认阮再兴(Wee Chye Hin)为儿子,他是阮成筹的儿子,阮添筹相信是阮添成的弟弟,他是当时著名的律师,与林文庆与宋旺相合称为新加坡维新三杰,阿米尼亚路得道南学校原是阮添筹的产业,该地段后来卖给黄仲涵,后者转送给道南学校。

柯受智共有十个子女,五男五女,儿子依序柯顺福、禄、寿、全、美。顺福(kwa Soon Hck)相信在青少年时去世,次子顺禄(Kwa Soon Lock)早年攻读银行系,具有摄影和绘画天分,不过后来顺禄成为本地公务员,当时殖民地政府通常委任英国人或从印度调派人员出任殖民地的高级职务,他是当时罕有(3人)的本地公务员。他与本地富商及传教士李创锚(CM Lee或Lee Chong Miow)的次女Regina Lee结婚,日据期间顺禄被屠杀,Regina过后改嫁,他们相信遇有一子。

顺寿相信是名比较低的商人,妻子Mable Lim,与有一子一女,柯宗源(Kwa Chong Guan)现为博物院院长,女儿柯金华,她甚少在外界活动。

柯顺全继顺禄之后受殖民地政府栽培的公务员,在1950年代第一批被委任为行政官员的本地人,曾在保送到英国参加专门培训本地公务员的 Devonshire Course,回国后受到重用。1959年之后新加坡由行动党执政,由于他和李光耀是妻舅关系,李委任柯顺权为土地局的副局长,被当时的市长王永元指责裙带关系,他们因此闹上法庭。他在1977年55岁的时候退休,最后职位是文化部常任秘书。顺全和妻子林淑贞(Ivy Lim Seok Cheng)在1949年结婚,她是林义顺的外孙女,忠邦的次女,子女不详。

柯顺美是名医生,曾任中央医院医生和院长,他官运亨通一直到升上卫生部常任秘书,退休后任动物园,百汇集团(Parkway)等董事职位。他与潮州富商廖正兴(Leow Chye Heng)孙女。廖永盛之女Lucy Leow结婚,儿子柯宗德(Kwa Chong Teck)也是名医生.

柯玉芝的大姐玉娘(Kwa Geok Neo),婚嫁不详,鲜少在本地活动,或许居住外地。二姐柯玉兰(Kwa Geok Lan),她嫁给杨玉麟(yong Nyuk Lin),杨玉麟曾出任部长职位,后来出使英国,之后任职保险公司。柯玉芝排行第三,她嫁给李光耀,育有二儿子一女。四女柯玉莲(Kwa Geok Lian)嫁给本地著名神父Rev Lau E S之子Earnest Lau,他也是教会的活跃分子。幼女柯玉英(Kwa Geok Eng),在李光耀刚出任总理之后,曾经与李进坤夫人(蔡认娘)一同出席义卖会,婚嫁不详。

柯守智虽然娶了爸爸世家的妻子,不过为子女的取名却非常传统守,儿子以顺字为开头,女儿以玉字为首,有趣的是他儿子们虽然受西方教育,对下一代的命名依然很传统,儿子以宗字开头,女儿则为金,或许是以家族辈分排列。柯氏家族还有一名成员柯金丽(Kwa Kim Li),是李与李律师行的董事,此外外界传闻淡马戏副主席柯宗盛是柯氏家成员,不过尚未被证实。

中国方面的网站报道,资政夫人曾派宗侄柯木林去中国寻根,据说和菲律宾民族英雄也是国父的黎刹(Rizal y Mercado,Jos Protasio)是同脉宗亲,黎刹是菲律宾福建华裔原名柯南哥

Anonymous said...

Great post and pics ! Hope you have more to share. I did the following blog posting using some of the material in your postins.

http://singstatistician.blogspot.com/2011/07/dr-tony-tan-vs-dr-tan-cheng-bock-battle.html

Veritas said...

Re Aurvandil

Thanks, I am a fan of your posting also. Anyone is free to take anything from my blog. The important thing is Singaporean get informed.

We need to do our due part to prevent PAP from destroying our country.

Anonymous said...

This is a very valuable blog site of information.

Family (probably a huge one) trees with inter-links will give future Singaporean a good picture of our history under oligarchy rules.

This is a part of history which our future generation should and must know.

Tan Chin Tuan (url=http://www.tanfoundation.com.sg/Images/pdf/186044058022.01.2006-ST2.pdf) is uncle of Dr Tony Tan (currently a candidate for Presidency 2011)

Anonymous said...

can I just say, that as a woman, i'm quite offended by your list of the girl Kwas as "married, so-and-so". I actually do know what happened to the missing Kwa girls and guess what they became? Professional engaged and educated citizens, wonderful wives and contented mothers!

shame on you, seeking truth, yet with not a shard of perspective.

Veritas said...

Re August 19, 2011 2:40 AM:

My biggest aspiration is to seek the truth.

nanasis said...

Annoy-mous woman seems to be missing the point.

Anonymous said...

@Anon August 19, 2011 2:40 AM

Take a chill pill you hysterical feminazi. Nobody is oppressing your kind.

Anonymous said...

Im from the KWA family too..well i find it very rare to have KWA family name around the world aswell..maybe there might be alot.. but somehow somepeople just do not give a damm about their family name.. perhaps as from my point of view..its because the rich KWA is so diff than the poor KWA family. lol

Anonymous said...

I enjoy Veritas' website as well. Veritas presents the truth in a clear way. Though the one thing I don't like of Veritas is the use of profanity. Other than that great blog and keep up the work :)

Anonymous said...

guess u guys are jealous or missed the boat to succeed as u were probably lepak on the beach most of the time

Anonymous said...

Here in the following link, shows that Goh Chok Tong's mother was QUAH Kwee Hwa (or could it be KWA??)
Could his mother be one of the daughters of Kwa Siew Tee's lesser known brothers?
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/singapore/goh-chok-tong.htm