Peter Lo Su Yin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Peter Lo Su Yin PPM PGDK JMN PSM
罗思仁
2nd Chief Minister of Sabah
In office 1 January 1965 – 12 May 1967
Governor	Mustapha Harun Pengiran Ahmad Raffae
Preceded by	Fuad Stephens
Succeeded by	Mustapha Harun
Personal details
Born	(1923-05-19)19 May 1923 Sandakan, North Borneo (now Sabah, Malaysia)
Died	1 January 2020(2020-01-01) (aged 96) Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Citizenship	Malaysian
Political party	Sabah Chinese Association
Spouse	Rosie Dorothy Funk ​ (died 2002)​
Children	4 (one son, three daughters)
Alma mater	Victoria University of Wellington

Tan Sri Datuk Peter Lo Su Yin (simplified Chinese: 罗思仁; traditional Chinese: 羅思仁; pinyin: Luō Sīrén; May 19, 1923 – January 1, 2020) was an important Malaysian politician. He served as the second Chief Minister of Sabah from January 1965 to May 1967. He was a member of the Sabah Chinese Association (SCA) political party.

Who Was Peter Lo Su Yin?

Peter Lo Su Yin was born on May 19, 1923, in Sandakan, Sabah. He went to St. Mary's School in Sandakan. Later, he studied at St. Anthony's Boys School in Singapore.

His Journey to Become a Lawyer

In 1952, Peter Lo won a special scholarship. This scholarship, from the Colombo Plan, allowed him to study law. He went to the Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. In 1955, he earned his Bachelor of Law degree. The next year, in 1956, he became a lawyer. This made him the first person from Sabah to graduate in law and become a lawyer.

After finishing his studies, he returned to Sabah. At that time, Sabah was known as the Crown Colony of North Borneo. From 1957 to 1961, he worked for a law firm in Sandakan. In 1958, he also joined the Sandakan Town Board. He quickly moved up to become the Deputy Chairman. He held this important role until 1961. In 1961, he started his own law firm called Peter Lo & Co. This was the first law firm in Sabah opened by a local person. It is still a working law firm today.

Helping Form Malaysia

Around 1961-1962, Peter Lo was appointed as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly of North Borneo. He also became a member of the Sabah Public Services Commission. At this time, there was an idea to create a new country. This new country would include Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak.

During the talks to form this new nation, the British government chose Peter Lo. He joined the Inter-Governmental Committee. He was part of two special groups within this committee. These groups worked to decide how Sabah would join the new nation of Malaysia. They made sure Sabah's rights and interests would be safe.

Peter Lo was very important in these talks. He had a strong background in law. He helped create a famous document called the "20-point agreement". This document listed the demands and conditions for Sabah to join Malaysia. He was also responsible for writing this important agreement. The new nation of Malaysia was officially formed on September 16, 1963.

Starting His Political Career

While working on Malaysia's formation, Peter Lo also prepared for a political career. He helped start a political party called The United Party. This party later joined with the Democratic Party. Together, they became the Borneo Utara National Party (BUNAP). When North Borneo was renamed Sabah in 1963, the party changed its name to Sabah National Party (SANAP).

In 1965, SANAP merged with The Sabah Chinese Association (SCA). The new combined party was also called the SCA. Peter Lo was the President of the SCA when he became Chief Minister.

Becoming Chief Minister

Peter Lo served as a Member of Parliament for Malaysia from 1963 to 1978. In 1964, he was appointed as a Minister without a specific department. He served in the Federal Cabinet under the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. He was the first person from Sabah to have this honor.

Later in 1964, the Sabah government faced problems. The two main parties, UPKO and USNO, had disagreements. The Chief Minister at the time, Donald Stephens, resigned. Peter Lo was then chosen to become the new Chief Minister of Sabah.

He started this important job on January 1, 1965. He was only the second Chief Minister of Sabah. He was also the first Chinese person to hold this position. His time as Chief Minister was a challenging period for Malaysia. He had to work to keep peace in a new country with many different groups of people. He also had to balance the needs of the federal government, the British government, and Sabah.

During his time as Chief Minister, Singapore left Malaysia in 1965. Singapore became an independent nation. This was a very big event for both Malaysia and Singapore. In 1967, Peter Lo lost his seat in the state elections. Mustapha Harun took over as Chief Minister. Peter Lo continued to be a Member of Parliament until 1978. After that, he focused on his legal career again.

Later Life and Family

Peter Lo Su Yin passed away on January 1, 2020. He was 96 years old. He died in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. He was married to Rosie Dorothy Funk, who passed away in 2002. They had four children: Jenny, Cynthia, Bonaventure, and Jacqueline. His children went on to have successful careers. One daughter became a BBC editor in London. Another daughter became a senior bank officer in Sabah. His youngest daughter became an accountant in London. His son became a lawyer in Singapore.

Awards and Honours

Peter Lo received several important awards for his service.

• In 1972, he was given the Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (PGDK). This state honor comes with the title 'Datuk'.
• In 1996, the King awarded him the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM). This national honor comes with the title 'Tan Sri'.
• On May 12, 2007, he received the Unity Award from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia's King.

Images for kids

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  Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold)

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  Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm

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  Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia

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  Commander of the Order of Kinabalu