THE SAD DEMISE OF KELAB MELAYU LONDON
MY good friend Zaharah Othman’s heart-rending piece on the demise of Allahyarham Pak Ikhsan Sulaiman (“Goodbye, San and thank you for the memories” — NST, Feb 11) brings back memories of the first Kelab Melayu in England, then known as the Malay Society of Great Britain.
Established by my beloved uncle, Malaysia’s founding father Allahyarham Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj in 1926, its founding members consisted of a number of Malays who played a part in the birth of an independent constitutional monarchy of our treasured nation on Aug 31, 1957.
There are, as far as I know, only three non-political entities that JALAN Melayu (situated off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and within the vicinity of Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur);
KERETAPI Tanah Melayu;
KERETAPI TANAH MELAYU
Originally known as the Federated Malay States Railways, Keretapi Tanah Melayu is a consolidated railroad operator, with lines spanning from Singapore to Padang Besar, bordering the southern part of Thailand.
ASKAR MELAYU (THE MALAY REGIMENT)
The Malay Regiment, an allMalay military force, was established in Port Dickson, Malaya, on March 1, 1933, under the command of British officers.
The regiment is best remembered for its soldiers’ display of bravery and loyalty in the Battle of Pasir Panjang during the Japanese invasion of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Opium Hill or the Battle at Bukit Chandu.
It was during this battle that the Malay Regiment gained its reputation for courage, heroism and loyalty, as many of its men were killed in their defence of the Pasir Panjang Ridge.
The regiment lost 159 men, including seven Malay officers and 146 soldiers of other ranks. One of the casualties was Lieutenant Adnan Saidi.
Although he was seriously wounded in the battle, Adnan and his troops refused to surrender and fought the Japanese to the very end.
When he was captured, Adnan was shot, bayoneted and his body hung from a tree.
In line with the 1Malaysia concept, I am of the view that saving Kelab Melayu London from extinction would not be against 1Malaysia.
When Tun Abdul Razak Hussein helmed the government, he formed Barisan Nasional, a coalition of 11 parties.
It is interesting to note that many international broadcasting networks, such as CNN, BBC, ABC, Al Jazeera, CGTN, RT and CNBC, in their weather forecast segments, still refer to Peninsular Malaysia as the “Malay Peninsula”.
Historically, our country was recognised as a “Malayu Nation” as far back as 1276. Reference to this was made by Stamford Raffles in his English translation of The Maritime Institutions of the Malays, translated from the Malayu Language.
I am making a plea to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to consider reviving Kelab Melayu London, a Malay heritage of great significance .
Were the founders of the Malay Society of London still around, I am sure they would wish Kelab Melayu London to be revived. TUNKU PROF DATUK
DR SOFIAH JEWA
Adjunct professor, Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya