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The Tan Chong squabble seems to have subsided, with Datuk Tan Heng Chew seemingly in control. Is anything brewing underneath?
SPORTING a new bearded look, Datuk Tan Heng Chew is unquestionably the man
helming the Tan Chong group now.
Eldest son of founder Tan Sri Tan Yuet Foh, Heng Chew has in the past
year displaced his uncle and cousins from the public-listed companies of
the family-owned Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd (TCMH) and Warisan TC
Holdings Bhd.
Has Heng Chew changed the Tan Chong group? Has the recent power struggle
and changes made an impact on the group's performance? These are some
questions raised by minority shareholders and industry analysts. But, as
one local analyst notes: `Family squabble or not, the business of selling
cars must continue.'
Interestingly, for all the mud-slinging in court, Heng Chew has kept
relatively silent on the issue. He rarely speaks to the Press and has
turned down numerous requests for interviews. However, the writer managed
to catch up with him during the recent launch of the new Nissan X- Trail in
Malaysia.
`I am confident that a minor reshuffle will not impact the group's
business performance,' he said to questions from Malaysian Business on the
removal of cousins Tan Hoe Pin and Tan Boon Pun from the group. `The
company will continue to grow and rejuvenate itself. The Tan Chong group
is a very forward-looking company.'
For him, the removal is not something unusual. `From time to time,
directors retire and some people come and go. It is a natural process. I
do not think the company would be affected. I do not think the company
should be dependent on me or...