Photographer | The Unsung Hero

His photographs had been and will be published more than a thousand times. Every time we celebrate the Independence Day, the media will publish all these pictures again and again. Business enterprises, large-format picture printers, photo treatment companies will repeatedly claim credits as well as reaping cash of the pictures they use but the original artist remains uncredited. ( Shutter2History )

I was very lucky to have met Malaysia great photographer Wong Swee Lin at his house, not many people here in Malaysia knew or have heard about him but to those who were born after our Independence Day 1957 sure enough have seen historical photograph taken by him, he has covered three Malaysia Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn. As a Malaysia we truly appreciated what you have done for our country, without people like you we can only hear about the story without any pictures to see.

Michael Wong Swee Lin was born in Kuala Lumpur on October 3, 1926. His father was with the telecommunications department in Rasah, Kuala Kubu, Selangor area. His mother’s family lived in Kepong. When his father was transferred to Muda Hulu to Tapah Road, Ipoh, Wong studied at the Government English School and the Anderson School, Ipoh. (January 1, 1933 – December 12, 1938. When the Japanese occupied Malaya, Wong worked with the Tokyo Bus Company (January 1, 1939 – December 12, 1941, as a clerk, in charge of petrol for the company’s consumption.

When the British returned, he was employed as a temporary English teacher at a public Chinese school at Rasa from July 1, 1946 to December 31, 1946 earning $130 a month. Wong then taught English at Xu Hua Chinese School from January 1, 1947 to May 30, 1948, earning about $140 a month.

Joined the Department of Public Relations as a temporary clerk, earning $120 a month from August 26, 1948 to end of 1949 and was employed as a State Clerical Officer after passing a special examination. He was then appointed as Photographer in 1950 with the Public Relations Department after passing a special photography examination conducted by the government. During that time he had to support 8 people – his grandmother, mother, four sisters and two brothers.

Excerpt from Shutter2history