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Ho Thian Cheh was called to the Bar States of Malaya on 9 Oct 1965.  He set up his own practice in Johor Bahru and practised more as an advocate than a solicitor at the Johore Bar.  He spoke admirable English.  It was obvious from his diction and language that he must have indulged in poetry and literature.  He was famous for his awful Britishness, but for someone who had read law in Singapore, he had an even more pronounced accent than the English themselves!  Young Ho Thian Cheh may have been influenced and was thereafter imbibed by the tongues of Prof L A Sheridan, Dean and Founder of Singapore University’s Law Faculty, and of his other English law professors, namely Prof L C B Gower, Prof Derham and Prof L C Green.  Ho Thian Cheh was a very eloquent advocate and a meticulous lawyer.  He took all points in favour of his client and articulated them to the best of his ability.  It can be said that he was a profound lawyer and a remarkable conversationalist, one who shunned publicity, kept a low profile and disdained the prudent dictates of self-interest.  He enjoyed a rambunctious brouhaha and was at times loquacious, given the right company.  Amongst his prodigies was YA Justice Dato Syed Helmy b Syed Ahmad, who now adorns the Malaysian Court of Appeal.

Ho Thian Cheh may have appeared aloof, reticent and overbearing to the uninitiated, but he rarely made junior Members of the Bar feel irrelevant or out of place.  Although he may have appeared to be a reticent mystery to some, he was at all times staunchly devoted to his calling.  Many juniors Members had witnessed Ho Thian Cheh in “action” at Court with his thrilling performance and eloquent advocacy.  The introduction of Bahasa Malaysia into the Courts took an inevitable toll on Ho Thian Cheh’s court performances.

Ho Thian Cheh had not been too well the last few years.  He passed away peacefully in his sleep on 31 Oct 2011.  The funeral took place in Johor Bahru on 4 Nov 2011.

To Ho Thian Cheh’s widow, Chee Chwee Keng, and children, we offer our heartfelt condolences.  Ho Thian Cheh’s daughter, Ho Su Lian, a law graduate of University of Cambridge, lives and works in London, but not as a Barrister.  His son, Ho Hwei An, a law graduate of his alma mater, is not a practising advocate and solicitor either.  It appears that both Ho Thian Cheh’s children, though law graduates, have kept a safe distance from the arena of battle and toil known at the Bar.

The Johore Bar expresses its heartfelt condolences to Chee Chwee Keng, the children and the family of Ho Thian Cheh.  May his soul rest in peace and find solace in the words of Khalil Gibran from Mirrors of the Soul:

Rest in peace, Ho Thian Cheh.