Hui is similar to the western idea of tontine which is an investment plan for raising capital, devised in the 17th century and relatively widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries. It combines features of a group annuity and a lottery.
In those days, the Foochow Hui funds were also known as "kootu funds" among the Malays.
Civil servants also play Kootu among themseves with raising funds in the group for specific purposes and members pick lots to collect the money. Each month they pay a specific amount. Most play kootu without interest. The luckier ones who pick their numbers earlier get to enjoy the collected funds first which they use to purchase something he or she likes. Sometimes the whole kootu group will collapse when the first few refuse to pay their month dues.
In the same way, in Sibu a huge collapse occurred when one or two women and even men collected the Hui money and ran away to Taiwan.
Some women have to sell their homes to redeem themselves. We know one aunty who lost her second house in order to pay her group mates in the major hui when a few of her other groups collapsed. She lost quite a tidy sum of money. There were lots of sad stories about greedy women who spent all their time playing hui and neglecting their children.
At one church gathering a very courageous pastor raised his concern about women playing hui.
Those ealier who played safe hui made money and used their earnings wisely to buy timber company shares.
And again these women were lucky and they became very wealthy.
Hui if properly played was a good way to save money. But to some women Hui was a dirty word.
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