Tony Wen
Tony Wen was an Indonesian historical figure, former football manager, and footballer.
Early life
Tony Wen, also known as Boen Kin To, was born in Sungailiat, Bangka, in 1911 to a well-to-do family. His father was a ditch chief at the Bangka Biliton Tin Maatschappij.Upon finishing high school, he continued his studies in Singapore, then U Ciang University in Shanghai, and then Liang Nam University in Canton. After returning to Jakarta, he became a physical education teacher at Pa Hoa School. He was also a highly skilled, agile, and energetic national football player. Before World War II broke out, he was a renowned player for the UMS team.
Career
Wen is regarded as an important historical figure in Indonesia for his role in helping Indonesia financially shortly after independence.During the Indonesian National Revolution, Tony Wen was known as the leader of the Chinese Rebel Front in Solo. Furthermore, as acknowledged by former Vice President Adam Malik in "Serving the Republic Volume 2", Tony was also a center forward for the then-famous PSIS team. Furthermore, as a trader, Tony Wen also provided logistics for the Indonesian army, which was in disarray at the time.
Following Indonesia's Independence, In the 1950s, he was appointed as a member of the Indonesian Olympic Committee and a member of the Football Association of Indonesia. In 1952, he became a member of the Indonesian National Party. From August 1954 to March 1956, he was appointed a member of the House of Representatives representing the PNI for the South Sumatra electoral district. He served in the Interim Democratic Cabinet and in 1955 was in the Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet. Tony also continued to be involved in sports. He was also active in the basketball branch. Tony became one of the founders of the Indonesian Basketball Association on October 23, 1951 and was the first chairman of Perbasi.