Members of the Malaysian Culture group were given a tour of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Memorial Museum by close members of his family. We were introduced to Tunku Khadijah, the Tunku`s eldest child, a beautician before marrying Dato Syed. He enjoyed a long and successful career including being in the Prime Minister`s office and later in the Malaysian Diplomatic service with international postings. Tunku was a boss as well as a father in law to him. Tunku Maukminah`s father , Tunku Jewa, was Tunku`s elder brother and Tunku Khadijah grew up during the time of Malaya`s independence and is about to launch a book of the Tunku`s favourite recipes. Cooking Malay food for his friends was a great way of bonding people and his family knew that a well cooked meal would always delight him. They would jostle to be given the honour of cooking for him. It was apparent from going around the memorial that he enjoyed life with his children and grandchildren and extended family. His wives were Chinese, English and Malay.
The Tunku was an extraordinary man with a unique set of characteristics that were good for leading Malaya to Independence in a peaceful and successful way, despite a variety of religious and racial groups. He was born the son of Sultan Hamid of Kedah and Che Manjelara of Siam but he had the quality of personality to put people at their ease regardless of race or social class. As a boy he was often caught sneaking out of the palace grounds to play football with local boys as well as socialising with Thai and British students during his education. His love of sports brought him into contact and gave him an informal forum for discussions. He made visits to local people as District Officer of Padang Terap and Sungai Patani. The genuine warmth that the people felt for him is shown by the 95% support he received for his parliamentary election in the Sungai Mudu seat.
The friendships he made throughout life were international and helped him to win over hearts and minds to his tolerant point of view. His old London student friend and co founder of the Malay society of Great Britain was Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Negri Sembilan, first King of Malaya, who became a key ally in persuading the Malay rulers to accept Tunku`s plans and an assurance of the protection of their rights. The British had made it clear that without the agreement of the Malay rulers they would not accept Tunku`s proposals.
Lord Ogmore became friends with Tunku when they revised and sat their bar exams together in London, and it was he who made it possible for the Tunku to have discussions with Lyttelton in 1954 and build up support within the House of Commons in Britain for Malayan Independence.
He was a man of courage, as shown when he drove from Alor Star to Singapore with Syed Omar in 1942 after the Japanese invasion in an attempt to locate his sister`s missing husband. It nearly cost him his life and that of Syed Omar who at one point was prepared to lay down his life for Tunku during an altercation with the Japanese. They also gave a lift to an afflicted leper and it left such a lasting impression that he and Tun Sharifah Rodziah adopted two infants from leper parents and every year sent gifts to lepers.
Tunku was a man of great compassion and set up a camp, Rumah Miskin when the first escapees of the Burma death railway staggered back to Kedah in 1943. This camp provided medical aid and food for these people which was prepared in his own house.
His sense of wit and humour helped in tense situations and was used in difficult independence negotiations. He was a strong Muslim and Malay and gained support from the Malays as a Sultan`s son. He was religious and paused for prayer in meetings and founded the first mosque in London. But fundamentally was a peaceful and moderate man.
Tunku was very independent and stood up to his bosses. When the Japanese invaded Kedah, the Regent, Tunku Badlishah and the British Advisor instructed that his father, the sick Sultan be moved to Penang. But Tunku knew from his British friends at the Butterworth airbase that Penang was expecting severe bombing raids. With the assistance of Syed Omar, he intercepted the convoy to Penang and moved his father to a safe place. When Tunku was threatened with arrest by the Regent he replied for them to come and take him over his dead body. These words were remniscent of his mother, Che Manjelara, when the Regent wanted to remove the Sultan to a mental hospital outside Kedah after a stroke in 1912. His mother fought to care for the Sultan herself.
Tunku was the 20th of 45 children of the Sultan Hamid. Che Manjelara was the 6th wife and they bore 13 children together. There were 92 grand and great grandchildren. But interestingly, the only pictures of the Sultan and Che Manjelara with their grandchildren are of Tunku Nerang and Tunku Khadijah, who were his favourites. This may be due to Che Manjelara`s compassion for the two children whose mother died of malaria when they were under a year old. Che Manjalara became Sultan Hamis and was widely acknowledged as a favourite wife. Her grandchildren remember her as a strict forceful woman not easy going as the Tunku.
Tunku inherited his fathers sense of ceremony and enjoyed weddings and sophistication of events, which raised his spirits and created respect. He prepared the country for Independence, created an anthem and instigated the building of the National Stadium. He inspired the location of the Residency and the National Mosque, these were symbols of unity, pride and respect for the country. One of the lasting legacies was the excellent relationship with former colonial power which was unique at the time.
When Kedah signed the agreement with the British in 1909 Che Manjelara realised that Alor Star would develop greatly so she purchased and developed land around Jalan Bahru. She was said to be the shrewdest woman in Kedah and her financial success allowed the Tunku to study at Cambridge.
Tunku`s foresight and clarity of vision allowed him to see the need for evacuation of long houses in 1941 in Kedah and for an immediate force of order to prevent the communists from taking over after the surrender of the Japanese in Kedah in 1945. he even prepared his daughter, Tunku Khadijah, should his independence activities in the early 50`s send him to jail or deportation.
There is a wonderful story about the Tunku`s arrival in the world. He said he was born under a lie. Whilst the Sultan was sick, the Keeper of the Ruler`s Seal had abused his office to amass personal wealth. The Sultan ordered the keeper to be executed and the right thumbs of the Keeper`s wife and children be chopped off. The sobbing wife pleaded with Che Manjelara to help. She told the Sultan that she was pregnant and according to Malay custom, a husband should do no evil whilst his wife is pregnant for fear of a dark spirit entering the womb and child. For fear of his unborn child he committed the Keeper to imprisonment. Luckily Che Manjelara became pregnant soon after and the child Tunku Abdul Rahman was born. His mother believed the compassion and mercy associated with his birth allowed for an auspicious start in life. Compassion and fair justice were the skills portrayed by the Tunku in the skills associated with Independence, creating a new nation, Malaysia.
The Tunku became a nation builder of great stature with a remarkable set of personal qualities that allowed him to negotiate a peaceful transition to independence from Britain. He helped steer the nation towards prosperity and strong nationhood.
Cindy was involved in not only a cultural exchange but, having commented on Dato HJH. Tunko Mukinah Jiwa`s soft black briefcase type bag and it`s contents, agreed to swap her tan leather handbag for the Dato`s claimed black 'bag of secrets'. No doubt Cindy will enlighten us on the content at a future date!!
A wonderful, warm welcome was received at the memorial and all the attendees came away with a greater sense of history in the building of the country of Malaysia.
Many thanks to Emma Davidson for her eloquent lecture and for releasing her notes to me to write this article.
- Lynne Samuel
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