Tribute to Lim Chin Chin – A noble fighter for workers’ rights


In 1969, Lim Chin Chin was the National Coordinator of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) Movement, working closely with Maureen and the team. As a committed leader, she mobilised and radicalised youths through the lens of Liberation Theology—drawing strength and purpose from the Bible in the fight for justice.

I was deeply moved by her grassroots activism and the powerful way she mobilised workers. Once, I met her shortly after her release from ISA detention. Her body was weak, but her spirit remained unbroken. She told me how the authorities had repeatedly asked, “Who is Saras, and what is she doing?” Despite the unbearable torture she endured, Chin Chin never revealed my name. She did this out of deep concern—she didn’t want me to be detained under the same draconian law and risk having my activism crushed.

Together, we travelled by motorbike to rural towns, meeting workers without a moment’s hesitation. There were days when workers failed to turn up for meetings, and I would begin to doubt our efforts. But Chin Chin never wavered. She would always say, “We shouldn’t give up.” I often wondered where her inner strength came from—what drove her relentless commitment to organising workers.

At the age 16 My family, being orthodox, often tried to stop me from meeting her .Chin Chin was Chinese, and my family viewed her with suspicion, questioning why she was so involved in my life. But our bond and shared mission in the YCW movement gave me strength to resist.

From 1970 to 1980, the YCW grew into a powerful workers’ movement, organising strikes and pickets across textile, food, machinery industries and workers issues . Many worker leaders were arrested by the police, yet the movement never crumbled. Instead, it evolved—turning its focus toward community organising.

Few remember or speak of the YCW’s noble struggle today. But the seeds of resistance and solidarity that Chin Chin helped sow continue to live on.

Chin Chin is no longer with us, but I am a grassroots organiser today because of her. It was through the YCW that we learned to recognise and fight the injustices faced by the working class. We eventually chose our own paths, but our struggle remained rooted in that foundation.

Her thoughts and interventions on grassroots organising still burn brightly in my life. Even today, I continue organising hospital cleaners—workers at the margins, often forgotten—just as Chin Chin taught us: with courage, dignity, and unshakeable solidarity.

Today, my tears fall for you, dear Chin Chin.

Rest in Peace.

My deepest condolences to Comrade Anthony and your beloved son.

In solidarity and love,

M. Saraswathy
Former Deputy Chairperson of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia
(PSM)

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