1963 Tribute to Tunku

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T R I U T E

T O

D U L



TRIBUTE

TO TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN







Published by S. Durai Raja Singam,

29, Circular Road,

Kuala Lumpur ,



It is a source of particular pride to us that of the six states in the F

East formerly under British rule which have recently become se

governing three have a Cambridge graduate chosen to be head o

their gove rnm ent. Am ong them this man upon w ho m w e rejoic

to confer our honour to-day has already achieved a conspicuou

place, and he will leave a reputation which will deservedly las

For he undertook a truly Herculean role, to persuade the thre

commingled races who inhabited the great peninsula and were fa

from likely to coalesce, that they should sink their differences an

work for a common policy. Yet against all expectations this w

accomplished, and in a surprisingly short time that independenc

could be granted.

H ow , you may ask, did he effect this seeming m iracle? B

patience, certainly, and skill; also by justified outspokenness



Deputy Crime Minuter.

Federation

ef

Malaya,

Kuala Lmnjiur

FOREWORD

On

February 8, 1963 our illustrious Prime Minister

will be sixty. It l« almost unb«lievabl« for, to us all, the

Tunku ia always forever young, vivacious and versatile. On

that day he will recalrs many garlands of flowers many

heartfelt tributes and many congratulatory messages from

both within and outside the country. One of them

is

this

book ef tributes, entitled Tribute to Tunku Abdul Rahman ,

which is in fact a literary gift of many essay« writtsn by many

well -known writers and painstakingly compiled by Enche'

S. Durai Raja Singam. All there essays successfully portray

the various aspects of the Tunku'a adventurouB and colourful

life as well a* his illustrious career both as a political leader

and a statesman. It gives me, therefore, the greatest

pleasure to write this Foreword to the Volume.





1 am most grateful to the H onb le The D eputy Prime M inister,

Tun Abdul Razak Al-Haj S.M.N., S.P.M.J. for writing the Foreword.

I told Field - M arshal Sir Gerald Templer G .C.M .G ,

K.C.B, K.B.E, D .S.O, A.D .C. that I was producing this book

and

in

his reply he said.

"I am a tremen dous admirer of the

Tunku,

and we are

great friends. N o one know s better than I do how much

Malaya owes to him"

In his farewell speeches he m ad e frequent references in

similar terms. Ap pointed to end the Emergency and to restore

law and order he too k a wide view of his task and was m uch

helped in "the battle for hearts and minds" by the Tunku.





PREFACE

It might be considered rather odd for anyone to at tempt

to produce a book on the life of an em inent person w ithou t even

having met him once.

I only saw Tunku Abdul Rahm an, the M alayan Prime

Minister at an election rally

in Kuantan.

It was way back in

1954. Since then mu ch has happene d and in 1957 the Tun ku

led the nation into independence.



respect in the United N atio ns . Produ cing ab un da nt t in and rubb

it was able to finance large systems of communications, health an

educa tion. Tho ugh it has thrown up notable men in Adm in

stration like Tunku Kudin and Sultan Idris, it has not so far see

world figures in the A rts, Literature, Eng ineering, Science, Philoso ph

Religion or even in Heresy. In M edicine its record is of the highe

ord er. Sir M alcolm W atson was the first to apply th e field trea tm e

in the war against M alaria. D r. Lim Boon Ke ng and Dr. W

Lien— Teh did grand w ork in Ch ina, in com bating plagues. Th

Institute of Medical Research (founded in 1902) which discovere

the cause of beri-beri has an international reputation and doe

invaluable research.

But in the other fields our standard has a high average bu



CONTENTS

FRONTISPIECE.

F O RE WO RD BY T U N A BD U L RA ZA K A L - H A J

S.M.N., S.P.M.J.

PREFACE BY THE EDITOR . S. DURA 1 RAJA SLNGAM.

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE BOOK:



PACE 62. W ITH

THE

TUN KU IN EUROPE - FRANK SULLI -

VAN.

PAGE 77. W OR LD W IND OW .

S E C T I O N 4. FAC E T S AND ASPE C T S.

PAGE 82. SMILE AND

THE

WORLD SMILES WITH YOU -

P A U L M A R K A N D A N ,

PAGE 85. A DA Y IN THE LIFE OF THE PRIME MINISTER -

MALIK BIN ABDUL RAHMAN.

SE C T I ON . 5 . I M PR E SSI O NS AND R E FL E C T I ON S.

PAGE 90. TH E LEADER WITH THE GA ND HIAN TO UC H -

S, DURAI RAJA SINGAM.

PAGE 93. BAPA MALAYSIA - TU NK U AH MA D BIN TU N KU

M O H A M E D .





The Verdict of History

(Gerald Hawkins

O.B.E

)

The M use of H istory is an austere and forbidd-

ing female with a particu larly sh arp eye on heroes



TRIBUTE TO TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

would place him among the intelligently. H is aims are to spre

peace, good-will and plenty. T o him , politics is a busine

of practical experience, no t of the oretical ideas. He is t

apotheosis of the ordinary man.

His rise to fame and power was unsought and greatness w

thrust upon him. Ten years ago the leadership of a somewhat d

traugh t United Malay N ation al Org anisation fell vacant and rath

reluctantly he took it over. Th e United M alay N atio nal Organis

tion was re-organised and re-inspired. In 1952 it joine d w ith t

Malayan Chinese Association and the Malayan Indian Congress

form the Alliance Party and won handsomely the first Municip

election in Kuala Lu m pur . In 1957 the Alliance won M alay

first genera election w ith an almost comp lete cap ture of the sea



Across the Frontiers

Home



GERALD HAWKINS

A plateful of troubles.

The Emergency was draining away much blood and money.

Militarily, it was nearing its successful end. Psychologically, the

Tun ku's m eeting with Chin Peng at B aling smashed the pretence th at

it was rebellion

for

the freedom of Malaya by demonstrating that

freedom had been won and further resistance was pointless.

The dark cloud of a plural society lowered all over Malaya.

The Tu nku 's attitud e is that "G overn m ent is a contrivance of hum -

an wisdom to provide for hu m an wants'". Hum an wisdom must

hasten to contrive something that would provide employment,

happiness and

a

true home for

all.

A plural society is one in which the component communities




rights. The Chinese prin ciple - "w here ever bo rn, A Chinese

Chinese subject". - m ade it hard for them wh o paid the lar

par t of the taxes to have the feeling of really "b elo ng ing " t

co un try where they had no political power officially. Th e "O th e

as small minority groups, were suspicious and watchful but anxi

not to anta go nise . The re was no single satisfactory answ er to

questions.

Th e M alays have always been toler ant. They acted with m

generosity and com prom ise. Th e higher civil service was ope

to non-M alays . Th e language was m ade easier for foreigners

using the letters of the Roman alphabet instead of the Jawi scr

Citizenship was granted by registration and the issue of certific

on extremely generous term s. The re were com m on electoral r



GERALD HAWKINS

It is not pretended tha t the T un ku did all these reforms by

himself alone . The T un ku is aware of his lim itations and a m an of

his charm can readily obtain expert and expensive advice from the

leading authorities and, in due course, his practical common sense

gives to such advice the prac tical ap plic atio n most suitable for

Malayan conditions.

Of the other problems, rural development, education, housing,

medical services, trades unions, ports, industrialisation etc. the

daily press gives daily and exhilarating success stories.

For problems outside Malaya, the Tunku who also holds the

portfolio for Foreign Affairs has been more personally responsible.

The pending merger with Singapore, and the Borneo territories;

A.S.A. that joins in friendly co-operation Thailand and the Philip-



MALAYA'S MAN OF DESTINY

Y.T.M.

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Putra Al -Haj



FRANCIS COORAY

If the Tun ku were an am bitious m an, these two achievements

alone would have already earned for him praise and glory sufficient

to satisfy him . But he is m ade of sterner stuff and dom inati ng all

his political think ing is the fixed idea th at the pa th along which he

is leading Malaya shall lead nowhere but to the ultimate peace and

prosperity of the M alayan na tion . Therefore T am certain he w ill

not want to rest from his lab ou rs until he feels sure in his own m ind

that the happiness and peace of the people whom he has sought to

serve are firmly established on found ations w hich ca nn ot easily be

undermined by their enemies. W ho those enemies are the Tu nk u

has repeatedly and uneq uivocally ann oun ced for all the world

to hear.

This is not a biog raph ical record but an app reciatio n of the

achievements which are already to the Tunku's credit and a realistic




accepted his leadership Tu nku Ab dul Rahm an proceeded to in

his own realism into his closest friends and through them to

general Malay community.

The Tu nku realised very early in his po litical career tha t

Malay community had only belatedly and hesitatingly entered

the modern world, and therefore they had to work hard to catch

with the immigrant racial groups who had progressed much furt

At the same tim e however he also realised tha t the M alays co

not make any headway without the goodwill, co-operation and h

of oth er racial grou ps. Jt was, therefore , a stroke of genius to h

brought together the three main ethnic groups to share in

adm inistration ofthe country. From this sagacious arrangem

a political expediency no do ub t, has arisen every hop e of inte



FRANCIS COORAY

bou ndaries of their own cou ntries. It takes a statesma n to look

beyond the par och ial scene an d study and assess the effects of the

interplay of intern ation al politics on his own cou ntry. Cold war

tensions and ho t war thre ats have m ade a terrific imp act on the

Tu nk u's ou tlook and chara cter. His personal con tacts with some

of the outstanding statesmen of this highly explosive decade has

gradually created in him one ruling passion, and that is to ensure the

happiness and prospe rity of his co un try. H e is und oub tedly

convinced that he can not achieve that object w ithou t also ensuring

that M alaya shall never fall in to the han ds of the com m unists.

The Tunku is not only a bo rn leade r, wh ich is really an in-

herited qua lity, but he is also a courag eous fighter. W hether at

football, golf or politics you will find him a worthy opponent who




Secretary had lectured him on the indifferent pictu re of an u

known artist. I cannot imagine Tu nku Abdul R ahm an bei

taken in like that by his Priva te Secretary , or for tha t m atte r

any othe r Secretary. But it is true that Prim e M inisters are som

times show n no t only the wrong picture but also the wrong si

of the picture.

Th e T un ku has in han d the task of framing and implem e

ting the Fed eratio n of M alaysia in such a way that in whatev

he does or says there is no t the slightest hi nt that the Bo rn

territ orie s will jo in the Fe deratio n except as free and equal pa

ners.

Th e T unk u launched his M alaysia plan not with any id

of deriv ing benefit for M alaya bu t in the firm belief that clos

association between these territories and M alaya would help t



FRANCIS COORAY

The task ahead is trem end ous, the problems are many and

complicated, fears are genuine even where they are ill-founded

and Malaya is taking on serious responsibilities for the welfare

of the people of the new m embers of the new Fed eration . Tu nk u

Abdul Rahm an is tod ay the symbol of that new happiness and

prosperity which they expect. He will, therefore, need the

co-operation and goodw ill of all M alayans.

I am indeed happ y to pay this tribute to the m an wh o stands

head and shoulders above ma ny of his con tem pora ries in this

part of Asia and who has guided the Federation of Malaya to the

front rank of progressive nations.

W hat lies ahead of the Tu nk u is in the lap of the gods bu t

come wh at may he will always be the same loyal, generous and



Tunku Abdul Rahman

Supreme Leader And Diplomat

(G. H. KIAT O.B.E )



G. H. KIAT

and once that he mu st help m ake his cou ntry his ow n. This m ay be

the do m ina nt factor th at rules his life when he takes up the rein

of UMNO.

There are three poignant, vital, important and outstanding

events in the history of this country that will ever be remembered

by this and many generations to come and with each of these, the

Tunku has played a leading and an important part. The accomplish-

ment of such events of tremendous value were not thought possible

at one time and none could conjecture that they could be realised

so quickly and in such a short space of tim e.

Where Dato Onn failed, the Tunku succeeded in linking together

loosely the different communal parties and formed in 1952 the

Alliance of UMNO, the Malayan Chinese Association and the




interest of the country. After twelve long years of suffering, ha

ship and inconvenience, the Tunku together with his co-workers h

again succeeded in another great and outstanding task of freei

Malaya from the Communists, though there may be some remnan

left.

Now is the third phase and perhaps the final and the last of

Tunku's great contribution to this country. The idea of first merg

and then Malaysia was first mooted by the Tunku in early 196

Then came the news on the 16th September 1961 that Tunku Abd

Rahman and the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Ye

agreed that Singapore should join the Federation. Then arose t

almost insurmountable objection - by merger, Singapore citize

would be Federal subjects only and no t Fed eral citizens. O



G. H. KIAT

of an English education was a means or channel to earn a living,

he came to their rescue and publicly stated th at the English

educated were quite alright and that they were good citizens.

If one can point out with his finger the greatest deed of the

Tunku in his office as the Prime Minister, it is his great and almost

unbelievable ability and capacity to promote and create racial

harmony among the races and weld them together for the common

and greater good. If Communism is bad and destructive to the

country, racial d isharm ony and discord is wo rse. In this, the Tun ku

can lead the cou ntry to success. W hen M alaysia is fully realised a nd

is a reality, the Tunku has completed his biggest work and done the

greatest good to this cou ntry as no one else has. He is, und ou bte dly ,

both a real great leader and dip lom at. W hen the history of M alaya



Tunku The Man I Know

(R. Ramani)

Politics

been vario



R . R A M A N I

the real and the practical and not lose his head in the clouds

f the ideal and, secondly, that even the real is unattainable if

one develops inflexibility in his approach to any problem.

This is not to say however that one can go through political

life without a basic regard to principles by which one must

needs be held as if by an anchor.

In modern democratic socieities where it is possible to

postulate of any citizen of a state that given a modicum of

intelligence, education and articulation, articulation most of all,

he or she can rise to the heights of political power, it is

doubly necessary to cultivate the aptitude for compromise in

the effort to see clearly and see whole wh at is poss ible. N o

longer are hereditary attributes or any exceptional powers pre-

dicated for political lea dersh ip. In the final analysis therefore a




administrat ion

that

reflected the hopes and aspirations,

struggles and heart-aches of a whole people composed of a

pathetic racial groups that saw the future in terms of sepa

interests and had not been taught and given no opportu

to learn and see even at a distance the vision of a cohe

and purposeful nation standing on its own feet.

The Tunku therefore inherited an administration wh

however com pete nt, had had its efficiency sha rpen ed and tu

to considerations and circumstances that ceased to exit on

stroke of the midnight hour of the 31st August, 1957

opened the window s to the vision of a new dawn. After

fateful ho ur the ab ility to govern had to be m atched to

conscious desire of a people willing to be governed.



R . R A M A N 1

affect

he intellectual a ttitu de s th at can see a doz en difficulties

every simple solution. He arrives at solutions more by

intuition tha n the slower process of ratio na lisat ion . H e recalls

the classic example of a famous chief justice of the Supreme

Court of the United States who invariably collected his collea-

gues to tell them of his decision and left it to them as lawyers

to find all the good reasons for it W hatever else he m ay yet

achieve he has already left his foot prints on the sands of our

time and the vision of new realms that he so wishes to con que r

is forever sustained by the sole desire to enlarge for h imself the

areas of his service to his own people. H is talen ts as a po li-

tician are therefore no more than the projection on to a wider

stage, his personal qualities as a man and, these are the ideal

qualities that make for leadership in the modern world.



Without a Crystal Bal l

(J . S . H. Cunyngham-Brown

O.B.E.

M.C.S. frtd

"I cann ot aspire to encounter a Pro ph et", said

fucius; "all I da re ho ps is to meet a perfect ge ntle m en "

N ot having the h on ou r of close perso nal acquaintanc

with Yang Teram at M ulia Tu nku Abdul Ra hm an Putra A



J . S. H. CUNYNGHAM-BROWN

caused it to undergo a mutation, endowing it with law and order,

education, good health and an adm irable ad m inistra tion , whose

practical ap pro ach and eng ineering skills hav e interlaced its face w ith

roads and railways and whose commerciaJ interests have caused vast

areas to be cleared and planted and cities, towns and docks to sprout

like m ushroom s throu gh ou t the lan d; all these, con tributin g their

energy, their philosophy, their practical knowledge and their sense of

hum our, have been the welcome guests of am on g the m ost

courteous, forbearing and good -natured hosts the world has ever

known - the Malays.

The Malay contribution to the Malayan people and tempera-

ment, (a point which should never be overlooked,) is one therefore

which in the end proves more essential than all the others' put

together.




races. He sees his own people's con tribution to the M ala

population as the matrix in which all other races live and thrive -

in his successful efforts to preserve the country's peace and

'courtesy of M alay acc epta nc e', it has been necessary for him

make special provisions - often very important ones - for Ma

survival, well-being and progress; special provisions that must de

at times from his own ideal of equality of op po rtun ity for everyo

bu t which he has had the cou rage to insist up on , even at the risk

losing popularity among the non-Malay half of the population,

the very obv ious good of all. H e knows his own people and reali

kindly and peace-loving though they are, that in matters of t

good name, position and national honour they remain as sensit

brave and proud as the H ighlan d Scot. Let tha t fact be overloo

in word or deed and the air we breathe, the very medium in which

all live and flourish, would soon cease to support us.



J . S. H. CUNYNGHAM-BROWN

oromotes technical skills and has no false pride in calling to his aid

as many foreign instructo rs as are willing to assist to th at en d. H is

ambassadors to foreign countries are in general carefully selected

and able m en. He provides M alaya with as m uch , but only as m uch,

defence as it can afford. He know s instinctively that n eutralism in

this modern w orld is an attractive b ut highly dang erou s policy.

He is for peace, though not for peace at any price, but only for peace

if it is in any way ho no ura bly possible. And he is wise enoug h to

realize that a country is foolish to make a close ally of any country

much stronger than itself. In short the T un ku has no such ideas as

'Kadok melampau junjong;

but realistically surveys the world around

him and makes only such promises as he knows the country can

afford and fulfil.

The M alays are not good haters - not for long at any rate. Th e




The forthcoming Merger with Singapore, Sabah, Brunei a

Sarawa k is a natur al and highly necessary developme

in which the Tu nk u's characteristic share h as been to ann oun

it, publicise it, give everyone a chance to express his opinio

about it and to pay visits to see for himself what Malaya is like; a

though the untoward speed with which the scheme has progress

(a haste certainly forced upo n him by th e rising tide of 'left

opportunism that flared-up in Brunei) has in some respects marr

the ordered and unhurried pace which it would have been in li

with the Tunku's character to pursue if left in peace, the fact remai

tha t his whole app roac h to the concept of M alaysia has been th

roughly dem ocratic in act and intentio n and a refreshing con tra

to Mussolini's grab of Abyssinia, Hitler's rape of Austria, or Russi

seizure of Chekoslavakia, Poland and the Baltic States; all of whi

were carried out in 'blitzk rieg ' fashion by sudde n onslaug ht a



J. S. H. CUNYNGHAM-RROWN

In short - and it is scarcely possible to offer the Prime Minister

higher praise - his policies both at home and abroad are nothing

involved, elab ora te or fine-drawn. They rest on tho se simple ideas

of human decency and good-conduct which it would indeed be well

if the rest of the world would adopt and follow.

To offer a panegyric of blind hero-worship and adulation to

Malaya's Prime Minister would seem to me wrong in principle as

well as false to so sane and wise a per son . A sho rt, tru e acc oun t a s

seen by the man in the street, of his attitude to life as it appears to us

all from the daily record of his actions - of his practical, sensible

and kindly app roa ch to the various problem s that confront him - add

far more to the stature of the human picture that one desires

here to represent. Th ou gh th e Tu nk u is the last m an , one hopes of

whom it might ever be said - 'call him a god a nd y ou soon m ake h im

a devil', I should nevertheless, rather than endowing him with so



AN PPRECI TION

Dato Sir Alexander Oppenheim P.M.N., O.B.F.,

PH.D.

(Chicago) D.SC.

(OXON)

F.R.s. ED.)



DATO SIR ALEXANDER OPPENHEIM

or a display of rabid nation alism or re volu tionary em otiona lism

so fashionable in this day and age.

On the con trary , he has climbed to the heights of political

leadership through an acute acumen which enables him to act

at the correct psychological moment and because he is a

political realist who possesses the gift of finding ground for

compromise between opposing factions when all other are

blinded by the enormity of the problems which face them.

His leadership of the UMNO Party immediately after his

becoming President proved h is calibre in this dire ctio n. At the

time he took over the organisation was facing an extremely

critical situation and alm ost the entire lead ership had resigned

en bloc. Morale was then at its lowest ebb and internal



At the Imperial Palace, Tokyo

Photo: By courtesy of the Embassy of Japan. Kuala Lumpur




policy through which each international issue is considered on

its individual merits in the light of how it affects Malaya, her

friends and her neighbours. There is no blind anti-Com munist

front nor an avid pro-Western approach. Malaya is not

committed to pre-judge individual issues by a bloc stand.

She has condemned the Chinese in Tibet, the French in Algeria,

the Russians in Hungary, and the Americans in Lebanon.

The foreign policy is therefore Malaya orientated. The stability

of the Government has received recognition throughout the

world, created a favourable climate for investment and allowed

the population to reach the highest standard of living in

South East Asia. Such are the benefits which the country

has reached under the leadership of the Tunku.



At the Tokyo Race Course,

Photo:B courtes o theEm bass o Ja an K uala Lum ur



A TRIBUTE

(S. Rajaratnam)

In an age of revolutionary violence and leaders whose

bellies rumb le with ideological w rath Tu nku Ab dul Ra hm an,

Prime Minister of M alaya is the "o dd m an ou t" . He offers

no coheren t and complex ideology for his followers to an no tat e




For example, the Tunku is an anti-colonialist and like al

nationalist leaders in Asia and Africa he and his party wer

propelled into power and eminence on popular anti-colonia

sentiments. But after the attainment of independence, th

Tunku did not like lesser leaders seek to maintain his popularity

by continuing to exploit the well-worn anti-colonial slogan

whenever he felt that he had to rally the people around him

This is in contrast with some leaders who having made a mes

of things under conditions of independence; who having failed

to use the power and responsibility they had wrested

from the colonial rulers for the betterment of their people

return to beat the empty drums of anti-colonialism in an effor

to distract the people from their sorry lot.

The Tunku, like Nehru, realised that once the anti-colonial




Malay racialism. T her e are m any second rate and third rate

Malay leaders in the Fed eration w ho having neither the strength

of charac ter or intellect to offer t he p eop le any thin g w orthw hile

are openly and recklessly pandering to Malay chauvanism.

These stupid and dangerou s demagogu es know that this open

pandering to rac ialism and religious p rejudices can only result

in violence and chaos but these third rate leaders are only

interested in short cuts to political power and loot.

An undeniable source of the Tunku's greatness is that he

has steadfastly refused to win p op ulari ty by p laying to racial

and religious prejudices. But for his determ ined and courag eous

M alayan sta nd, the Fe dera tion m ight well have seen the

communal tragedy that has visited and ravaged many other

countries in A sia. Tho ug h socialists may n ot see eye with the



The Making of a Prime Ministe

(M .

SARAVANAMUTTU)

Cambridge and Penang Days

—

Independent Spirit of Kedah Roy

Family

—

The Ozair Incident

—

Kidnapping of Father

—

Disillusioned b

Japanese

—

Reaction to M cMichael Treaties

—

Leaves Home State

—

D.P.P. at Kuala Lumpur— President of UM NO

—

Prime Minister o

Malaya.



The High Com missioner, Sir Donald M acGillivray { centre ), the Chief Minister,

Tunku Abdul R ahman {3rd from left), and the Min isters of M alay a.



M. SARAVANAMUTTU

DanceHall nPena ng. It was the custom in those days for G ove rn-

ment officers in South Kedah to take advantage of the weekly Thurs-

day half-day and Frid ay holidays to run up to Penang and T hu rsda y

and Friday nights were usually spent at the Wembley Dance Hall

which was the only night club in those days. T he pro prie tor, the late

Mr Heah Joo Seang, kept an open table and most of us used to

gather at it.

As a result of these trysts, my acquaintance with Rahman ri

pened into a warm friendship, assisted no doubt by his earlier con

tact with my younger broth er. We had m any interesting talks and I

soon learned that the young Tunku was imbued with a very vibrant

independent spirit . In fact the ind epe nd en t cha racte r of th e Ked ah

Royal Ho use was already well kno w n in thos e days . It was said th at

the underlying reason for the first ab dic atio n of the late Sultan Abdu l



Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra All-Haj delivering his inaugural address at the

openning of the Federal Parliament (1962)




wild in those days. He used to write letters to the

Straits Ec

under the pseudonym of "Tunku Putra" and his present assumptio

of "P u tr a " in his name was due to his brin g know n by tha t pet nam

when he was a boy. My first direct imp act with this independe

spirit was in connection with his nephew, the late Tunku Oza

a son of Tunku Ibrahim.

Tu nku Ibrah im 's sons were all high-spirited youn g men and the

father's independence was in them enhanced by the rebellious spir

of m ode rn youth. Th is involved them in frequent clashes wi

Europeans in Kedah, some of whom were unable to shed the "Tua

Besar" comp lex. As a result the Ked ah Eu rop ean s resented th

pra nk s of the Ibrahim boys w ho , they felt, were unnecessari

throw ing their weight abo ut. T he climax cam e when T un ku Oza



M. SARAVANAMUTTU

Kedah once told Rahman that he was knocking his head against a

brick wall. Promptly came back the reply, "I will break it down

(meaning the brick wall) w ith my he ad ."

The Japanese invasion of Malaya followed soon after and poor

Ozair had a difficult time in Denmark cut off from the source of

funds in Malaya, but that invasion gave an opportunity to Tunku

Abdul Rahman to display again that same independent spirit as well

as a true appreciation of on e's prop er responsibility tha t m akes him

the ideal Prime M inister. T refer to his now famous "k id n ap p in g"

of his father, the late Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah of Kedah.

Even now one shudders when one remembers the speed with

which the invad er overran the co un try. Tn less than a week K eda h

had fallen; Penang was evacuated in eight days and three days later.




gether with his friend, Syed Abu Bakar Al-Idrus, waited fo

Sultan at K epa la Batas jun ctio n. Th e first car with the po

escort passed by and two minutes later came the yellow Ro

Royce of the Sultan. He stoppe d it, jum pe d into the car

forced the driver to take the tu rn to K ulim . It was o

when they reached Pe nan g tha t those following the Su

realised tha t they had arrived w ithou t the Ruler. After so

investigation, they found tha t R ah m an had his father w

him in Kulim.

The Regent, Tunku Badlishah, phoned Rahman up

asked him to bring the Sultan to Penang immediately or else

would order his arrest. Ra hm an replied tha t he could co

and take the Sul tan i f he l iked but i twouldbeonlyoverhisd

bod y. He was prepare d to fight it ou t. It was later tha t



M. SARAVANAMUTTU

what they were - the m ilitary clique who too k their co untry in to war.

It was no t long before he got in to troub le with them for refusing to

mobilise a labo ur force to p lant co tto n at P ad ang Serai and wa s de-

moted in service. W hen I went to see him at his hou se by the river in

1944 I found a very disillusioned person, longing for the end of the

purgatory that we were all goin g thro ug h. H e was in the right frame

of mind to receive his nephews w ith open a rm s w hen they were dro p-

ped behind the lines in 1945 and to assist their guerilla activities in

every possible way. Fo rtuna tely the ato m bom bs on H iros him a and

Nagasaki led to the surrender of the Japanese without the necessity

of a battle for the reconquest of M alaya and the liberatio n in Septem-

ber 1945 saw the Tunku a happy man again.

Then came the notorious McM ichael Treaties . In my enthu-

siasm for an U nited M alaya I supp orted them and w rote an edito rial

saying tha t it was nonsen se to tre at th e old treati es with th e Sultans as

sacrosant. 1 received a curt no te from my old friend, "S ara , do n 't




occupation and Badlishah was Sultan. It was an open secret that t

two brothers did no t see eye to eye. Th ere is no need no w to go in

their differences as they made it up over their father's grave whe

Rahm an was Chief Minister. But here again Tun ku Ab dul Rah m

showed the stuff of which he is m ade. W hen he felt the re was

room for him in his hom e state, he went back to L ond on to com ple

his examinations and be called to the Bar some twenty five yea

after he enrolled as a student at Inner Tem ple. H e then retu rne

to M alaya to take up a job as Depu ty Public Prosecutor at Kua

Lumpur .

Destiny, however, was knocking at his door. When Dato' On

becoming impatient that the Malays would not keep pace with hi

and change the name United M alay Nation alist O rganisation

United MALAYAN Nationalist Organisation, resigned from th

body, the Malays naturally turned to Tu nku as their leader. Am o



Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra AI-Haj

Some Personal Glimpses

(JAMES F. AUGUSTIN)

Although a statesman of international stature Tu nku

Abdul Ra hm an is at heart very much a hum an being. To m e,

throug h the years, he has always been the same likeable,



JAMES F. AUGUSTIN

His M othe r, Che M enyelara, a graciou s lady in advan ce o

her age, sent him to

the

school, and as it was no t mee

that the Sultan 's son should walk, he was daily carried pick

aback by an at tend ant named Idris .

CAMBRIDGE

In 1924 I met

the

Tunku at Cambridge where he wa

an un de rgr ad ua te at St. C atha rine 's College. It was my first

visit to En gland an d I had w ritten to say tha t I wo uld like

to visit hi m .

On the app ointed day he met me at the railway -station

and in his two-seater car he took me round the University

town an d showed me th e Colleges and th e sights - the river

the "B ac ks ", "t h e Bridge of Sigh s", Clare College Bridge, th

Gre at Co urt and K ing's Ga teway of Trinity College, and




the example of Thailand which had several hundred students in

the United Kingdom

At the same time he took up the question of an increase

in a student's allowance with the British Adviser and told him

bluntly that the amount given was not sufficient for a student

to move even in third-class English circles.

KEDAH CIVIL SERVICE

W hen he return ed from England after his studies he joine d

the K ed ah Civil Service wh ere he soon earne d for himself the

soubriquet of "sto rm y petre l", because his views of what

con stituted correc t policy did not coinc ide w ith those of others

in h igher places. H is forthright ma nn er of speaking, to o, was

frowned upon.

M atter s cam e to a head w hen he was D istrict Officer at




Japan ese would pass throu gh the District, he arranged for the

Sultan and his relatives to evacuate to a specially prepared

cam p at Kuala Sidim, som e miles outside Kulim town . His

last word s before I left to go south to the hills of G op eng

(where my brother-in-law, the late M r. C. A.. Rod rugue s,

was in charge of the hydro-electric pow er-station s belong ing to

Fre nc h T ek kah ) were bitter - "T hi s is wh at they call British

Pro tec t ion "

THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

To the Tu nk u, as to the rest of us, the Japanese Occupa-

tion broug ht much ha rd sh ip ; but the Tun ku never lost the

respect of the Japanese to whom he was not always persona

grata,

for he was transferred from Kulim at twelve hours



JAMES F. AUGUSTIN

have convinced Lt. Tod a tha t I was a friend of the T un ku and

therefore a "g oo d" man.

B.M.A.

W hen the Japanese surrendered the M .P.A.J.A . attempted

to take over con trol. T he T un ku was wideaw ake to the

dangerous poten tialities of the situation and began to organise

opposition to such a takeove r. He spoke to me abo ut it, and it was

mainly due to his repre senta tions to For ce 136, then in N or th

Kedah, that the M .P.A .J.A. were restrained from m oving into

Alor Star and causing general anarchy.

Under the B.M.A. the Tun ku became Superintendent of

Ed ucation. I was H eadm aster of the Sultan Abd ul Ham id

College, and ow ing to his un der stan ding , my colleagues and



Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India's first President received the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, at Istana Tetamu, Kuala Lumpur.

Picture shows the President talking to the Prime Minister.




the breach. The Tunku subsequently received the Kedah Order

of Merit, the highest decoration the Sultan can confer. This

is the honour (K.O.M.) which comes first after the Tunku's

name.

FIELD OF SPORT

On the field of sport 1 remember the Tunku as a hard-

driving and stylish tennis-player. At hockey he kept gcal, and

on one occasion he was asked to settle a dispute between a

player and an umpire. Words on the field were followed by

acrimonious correspondence between the two and they appealed

to the Tunku who made them bury the hatchet.

Speaking of sport reminds me of the time when Selangor

came to play Kedah in an H.M .S. Malaya Cup Match at



India W il l Always Remember

The Tunku's Friendly Mission

(V. N . NAIR)



Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra and his wife, Puan SharifahRodziahwithPanditJawaharlalNehru nNewDelhi.

Photo:By courtesy information Servies of India,Kuala Lumpur.

ffpl 81111

I I




turn of events. There was an emergency in the co untry . And

the Tunku's first pronouncement on Indian soil was Malaya's all-

out support for India in its hour of crisis.

If the Tunku and party discovered India on their 11-day tour

of the country, India discovered a genuine friend in a few fleeting

minutes at the Calcutta airport.

It was a discovery that went right into the hearts of the peo-

ple.

The Malayan leader's informality, the tone of sincerity in his

statements, the spirit of crusade against communism he inspired,

won him 400 million friends and admirers.

It was a triumphant tour across India for the Tunku and party.



V. N . NA1 R

me work and undertake the heavy responsibility of Prime Minister.

I am a M uslim. My Fa ith is G od ."

On other occasions, the Tunku's talks with newsmen was

largely about Malaysia, the tremendous tasks that await the new

Federation. Every time he spoke proudly about M alaya and

Malayans.

"O ur people live happ ily. My country is one of the richest

in the wo rld. Ou r people are better fed, better clothed than m ost

others in our part of the world...."

His statements on Communist machinations, based on practi-

cal expe rience, were treated w ith great respect. They opened the

eyes of many people to the seriousness of the threat they were con-

fronted with.



With Queen Elizabeth

and

Commonwealth Prime Ministers

at

Windoor Castle. England

May 1960

Photo: By courtesy of British Information Services



With the Tunku in London

(Frank Sullivan)

Mr. President, Fellow-guests and mem bers of Ro tary :-

I do not intend to go into details a bo ut the Conference of

Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London, because all of you



FRANK SULLIVAN

unusu al; it is an accepted prac tice in mo st cou ntries , some of which,

particularly the Communists, are only too quick to insist on it.

The third im po rtant poin t is South Africa's policy of apartheid

The Government there has been carrying out this policy for twelve

years,

but in the nine months or so immediately before the Con-

ference apartheid was attracting general concern in many parts of

the world owing to the excessive rigour used in enforcing every

letter of the law. Th e Sou th African Go vernm ent obstinately re-

fused to listen to the protests, continuing to act with blind contempt

of the De claration of H um an Rig hts. Sooner or later the crescendo

of oppression seemed boun d to explode in to violence. Finally, it

did explode, at Sharpeville in m id-M arch . The shots fired there

rang arou nd the world ; the tragedy of Sharpeville was a bitter shock

to the conscience of free men.



With Queen Elizabeth and Commonwealth Prime Ministers a t Buckingham Palace, London, M arch 1961.

Photo By courtesy of British information Services




It is interesting to note that the South Africans quickly chan

their dip lom atic tactics. Previously So uth Africa declined to at

any discussion on aparth eid an d ignored any attacks. A

Sharpeville, she began to answer back, attended the Security Cou

meeting, and also announced that she would be represented at

Prime Ministers ' Conference in London by her Minister of Exte

Affairs, M r. Lo uw . Th is settled one qu estion because m any

begun to doubt if South Africa would appear at all in face of

tide of hostile criticism.

South Africa, however, had a particular reason for wan

to be there. The Governm ent had an nounced its intention

hold ing a referendum on South Africa becom ing a Rep ublic.

most extreme elements wanted a complete break with the Comm

wealth, but the Government was more guarded and left it



FRANK SULLIVAN

The public generally tends to simplify any important issue and

the Press is never slow in help ing it to do so. In the pu blic m ind,

therefore, the question of apartheid and the endurance of the

Com mo nwealth became linked, inextricably. As often h app ens

they hoped for the best b ut were prep ared for the wo rst. T hey w aited

for an answer to a question of their own making - if the Prime

M inisters do not discuss apa rtheid w hat is the value of such me etings?

It mu st be remem bered, to o, that the Conference in Lo nd on

was due to end just before the open ing of the mu ch-heralded

Summ it Talks in Paris. Th is left anoth er question ma rk hanging

in the air. If aparth eid exploded at the Lon don talks, wou ld it

affect Co mm onw ealth unity on major topics in P aris?

It was against the background of all these events and opinions

that the Prime M inisters converged on Lon do n. There was no




Tunku was committed by his own wish, by his own opinion, and by

a natio na l m an da te, an d this was the crux of his difficulties - unlike

the other Prime Ministers he was committed to action.

However, the Tunku did not let the handicaps ahead daunt

him in any way. He knew some of the Prime M inisters already,

bu t othe rs he had no t met. As it was his first Co nference, he had

no previous personal experience to guide him . Fo r the people of

M alaya apartheid was the only issue, but the Tu nk u w as well aware

there were many other important subjects on which he would have

to be the leader and spokesman for Malaya.

He lost no time in ma king his inten tion clear. Tn the middle

of the bubbling welcome at London airport, he spoke to the Press.

That night or next m orn ing the whole world knew tha t the Tu nk u



FRANK SULLIVAN

be no discussion o n apa rtheid by the Prime M inisters, but there might

be some soundings outside the Conference.

From this point on the Commonwealth Relations Office issued

a very short statem ent of proceedings each day , and a w hole team of

Press Officers w ere kep t busy for th ree or four h ou rs after sessions

ended briefing news men on the background either in person or on

telephon es. Th is was very necessary, otherwise apa rthe id would

detract from the many-sided work of the Conference throwing thl

record ou t of balance. Th e men from F leet Street ha un ted the

hotels where the Prime Ministers and their delegations were stayine

and gave full publicity to speeches and rallies made outside thg

Conference, for instance M r. Diefen baker's attack on raciae

discrim inatio n. Th e result of this Press activity was tha t by the

time the Conference ended it was the most widely publicised Pre-



TRIBUTE TO TUSK ABDUL RAHM AN

together with Mr. Louw at the end of the morn ing a nd afterno

sessions.

Informal ta lks on apartheid actually began next m orning an

were resum ed in the afternoon. But jus t after lunc heo n that da

Wednesday, May 4, Mr.

Louw

gave

a Press conference at Sou

Africa House in Trafalgar Square. As it turned out his action

doing so was to have r e m a rk * results. The re were abou t 15

journalists there by invitation; all of them were w hite, n ot one w

an Asian or an African, ldid

not receive

an invitation but I attended

arrivin g a little late. There was some discuss ion as to whethe r

could go in . But I got my way: I did no t really see ho w the

could refuse.

1 shall never forget the experience. The atm osp here w as lik



FRANK SULLIVAN

"not a person in the roo m who regarded (him) w ith

anything but fascinated, even astou nded dissapp roval.

Grudgingly one had t o m arvel at his single-mind ed tenacity.

Here we had a pure undisguised fan atic" . . . "T he only ques-

tion which left this remarkable performer flummoxed was a final

one from a wom an reporter. 'Can you po int to any other country

that supports ap art he id ?' 'Th at is not a fair qu estion ', he splutte-

red. 'I would be disclosing confidential info rm atio n' "

"As we left the building in Mr. Louw's wake we overheard Mr. Bate,

one of his publicity minions, whisper aloud and with some feeling,

'Thank God, that is over."

I mentioned earlier that when the Tunku came to London he

would be facing a task w ith considerab le han dic aps. You can see




As I entered the T un ku 's suite, he said "S it dow n, I wan t

to take a statem ent". The Tu nku then gave me w ha t was to b

first draft of his famous Press statem ent. W hile he was doin

Enche Ghazali came in. The Tunku pointed to the newsp

repo rts of the Conference. H e wen t on with his statem ent and

instructed m e to go away and type it. Th is I did , retu rnin g in a

twenty m inutes. The Tu nku read it throu gh very carefully, so

times aloud but sometimes to himself, making a number of co

t ions,

add itions , re-phrasings. H e then asked me to go and ty

second draft. This I did, returning in abo ut anothe r twenty min

to find the Tunku beginning his breakfast.

He asked me to read the statement aloud, while he wen

eating he considered it, talking abo ut it with Ench e Ghaza li. W



FRANK SULLIVAN

Then he said, "W ell, in tha t case you had better come with me ".

I grabbed a songkok, put on my coat and joined the Tu nk u in his

car.

It was the eve of Princess Margaret's wedding and crowds of

sight-seers and cars were thro ng ing The M all. As we were driving

along, the Tunku read the statement over again, stopping occasion-

ally to thin k or to look out at the crow ds. The sentries saluted as

his car, with the Malayan flag flying, swept through the gate amid

waves of greeting and into the courtyard of the Palace, finally draw-

ing up at the doorw ay leading to the Qu een's A partm ents. The

Tu nku told me to wait there till he came dow n. 1 rang M alaya

House and asked for a typist and a telephonist to be standing by

du ring the lun ch ho ur, because it looked as if this might be necessary.




gave a quick digest of the story, and followed up with the full text;

that m eant that soon all the world wou ld know . The Press Associa-

tion man also telephoned the full text; that meant that soon every

newspaper in the U nited Kin gdo m would know . Satisfied that the

Tu nk u's views were well und er w ay, I walked back to the R itz H otel.

That is how the Tunku's famous Press statement came to be

pub lished. T tell this story jus t to pu t the record stra igh t, because

there have been minor criticisms, a few, both in England and here,

hinting that the Tunku's action was impulsive, taken on the spur of

the mom ent. Y ou will see from what I have said that his action

was far from being impulsive; his decision was carefully considered

and his method prepared with equal care.

When the Tunku was preparing the statement this was the



FRANK SULLIVAN

The British newspapers, however, amazed me with the amount

of inside information they published about this meeting, using such

terms as "Show-dow n". "C ris is" , "Ap artheid row " or "Flare

u p " .

Am azed me because I know none of their inform ation came

from the M alayan mission. The Conference lasted two hours and

was held in the Cab inet Ro om . "T he Daily Telegrap h" described

the meeting as the stormiest in the history of such Conferences.

Read ing these reports the public learned th at M r. Diefenbaker

objected to M r. Lou w's remarks because his cou ntry 's views on

apa rthe id were crystal clear. They were also informed th at several

Prime M inisters objected to M r. L ouw 's remark t ha t some had

supported him. And that afternoon Gha na announced th at it had

rescinded its invitation to Mr. Louw .

After this eventful day, the Conference resumed its normal




was no comm itment on what members of the Com monw ealth would

say if South Africa decided to become a Republic and asked to be

a member again. M r. Louw was not going home with a blank

cheque.

The Press conference given that afternoon by Lord Home was

the final scene ringing down the curtain on the Commonwealth

Prim e M iniste r's Conferenc e. W hen he had finished his general

review of the communique, Lord Home said he wanted to make it

quite clear that apartheid was discussed by all the Prime Ministers.

Newsmen asked, "W hat did the Prime M inisters say ?" Lord

Hom e replied, "I am no t at liberty to tell you wha t each Prime

Minister said, but I suggest you should ask the Prime Ministers

themselves. I do not do ub t for one m om ent that they will tell yo u"



FRANK SULLIVAN

Our Prime Minister faced a task of tremendous difficulty when he

went to Lo nd on. He said he was going to get aparth eid discussed

and he did, both formally and informally. He was the spokesman

for the conscience of mankind.

The Tu nk u is know n to be a man of m od eration , respected

for his tolerance, geniality and good humour, a man dedicated

to a philosophy of happiness. In Lon don he showed the world

what we in Malaya have always show n, tha t where fundam ental

principles are concerned such as the struggle for freedom or the

assertion of human rights, he is also a man of force and deter-

min ation. He went to Lon don bearing the faith, hope and trust of

the people of M alaya ; he came back from Lo ndo n returnin g

these - with ho nou r.

When I think of the personality and character of Tunku



W i t h the Tunku in Europe

(Frank Sullivan)

Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Fellow Guests and members

of Rotary:



FRANK SULLIVAN

with hardly a free moment to spare. The result is that you become

subjected to a vivid series of quick impressions which are apt to

become confused at the time and in retrospect. There is so much

to do, so much to take in, that sometimes you have to stand still

and think hard to remember what day of the week it is.

The Prime M inister and his party arrived in Hamburg to begin a

14-day programme in Germany, Belgium and Holland at an historic

time.

It was the day of the long-awaited, and as it turned out, ill-

fated Summit Talks in Paris. Immediately the Tunku was plunged

into an endless round of formal calls or official discussions; recep-

tions,

luncheons, banquets and parades with dozens of speeches;

tours of factories, projects, cities, ports, scientific and cultural insti-

tutions, or tourist attractions; and all these interspersed with perso-

nal,

Press or Radio interviews and the telephones always ringing.



H E. the Malayan Prime Minister and the Federal Chancellor Dr. Konrad Adenauer.

Photo: by courtesy of the German Embassy Kuala Lumpur




can make is that official tours, springing from real friendship and

goodwill, generate their own impetus, and are impelled by a kind of

paradox of voluntary compulsion, because both sides wish to give

their best.

The Tu nk u himself was quite remarkab le. Although he was

the constant focus of attention wherever he went, his energy and in-

terest never flagged. On occasions of dignity and formal ho no ur, he

was the epitom e of bo th . O n all occasions, formal or inform al, he

showed the human touch, his geniali ty and good humour came bub-

bling thro ug h. I m ight say, to give you an example of the crowded

programme, the Tunku turned to the Protocol Officer on his last eve-

ning in Ho lland an d asked, "W ha t does the D utch Gu ilder look

l i ke?" H e wanted to go shopp ing, he wanted to spend some mo ney

an d all 1 can say is he m ana ged to d o it.

FRANK SULLIVAN



his welcoming speech at dinne r in M alay. H e ha d worked in

Malaya for three years at the turn of the century, and for many

years in Indo nesia. Th e Tu nku was surprised and delighted. The

third was the Tun ku 's own rem ark following a 2-hour tour by boat of

the great harb our of H am burg . He said he looked forward to the

day when the Malayan flag would be flying on ships coming to the

por t of H am bu rg. This pleased the far-sighted and city-proud H am -

burgers very much indeed.

But it was the city of H am bu rg itself which left a deep impre ssion

on the M alayan par ty. N o less tha n 380.000 buildings were totally

destroyed or badly damaged during the war, yet there was hardly a

sign of this ob literation today . A whole brand -new city, a bustling,

driving, energetic city is there now , reborn from the ashes and hu m i-

liation of wa r. Fo r all of us the miracle of H am bu rg was a dram atic

introduction to the fabulous economic regeneration of Germany of



H.E the Malayan Prime Minister signing the Golden Book of Berlin. Look ing

on is the




tiful replica of the Freedom Bell, Herr Brandt told him this bell rang

out daily to remind Berlin and the world of the meaning of freedom,

bu t more im po rtan t than that to remin d them of their responsibility

under freedom.

Accepting the gift, the Tunku capped this occasion with a per-

sonal touch of quick-thinking repartee. He thanked H err Brandt

for the "Pe ace B ell". In a loud stage whisper Enche G hazali said,

"I t's the Freedom Bell, Sir". Like a flash the Tu nk u replied, "It 's

the same thin g. You can 't have peace w itho ut freedom, and you

can't have freedom without peace

1

' . Th e great room filled with ap -

plause, laug hter an d smiles. And if any on e can think of a briefer or

better way of expressing the whole philosophy of the free world, I

for one would be proud and glad to hear it.

The Tunku made extensive tours of both the West and East

FRANK SULLIVAN



The flags and bann ers were out in th e deserted K arl M arx Platz, bu t

there were very few an yw here else ; the pr op ag an da pos ters of Soviet

and East German leaders were out too, but not very many of them.

Half-hearted, grim, dour, it was a city of the Might-Have-Been, a

city with a kiss of death. The only inspiring and beautiful scene in

all this vast disa pp oin tm ent was the m ass cemetery in h on ou r of

5,000

Russian war dead

Tt was a relief to return to West Berlin, and coming back the

shock of co ntra st was even m ore striking. I saw four children

playing ball on the footpath, and suddenly I realised what I had

missed. In the who le of East Berlin I recalled only three children,

two watching bears at the entrance to the Zoo, and one boy playing

alone in the rubble. Th at solitary boy seemed to me now a symbol

of a city without hop e.




people wh o flee daily across the bor de r are genuine politica l refugees.

They keep a watch too for agents who may be planted by the Com-

m un ists, and also for crim inals w ith major reco rds. It is not suffi-

cient merely to be dissatisfied with con dition s in East Ge rm any ; you

have to prove to the satisfaction of the Commission that you are

genuinely suffering from political oppression contrary to your basic

beliefs. And it is no use trying to hood wink the Co mm ission, as the

members have been through it all, and know the answers, and their

interrogation does not take place until each case has been invest-

gated.

Seated next to the Tunku was one of the best interpreters in

Germany, who whispered in his ear every question and answer as

the hum an dram a of interrog ation w ent on. But it was hardly

necessary to know G er m an ; the crisis was w ritten on the faces

FRANK SULLIVAN



a m an they did no t kno w . H e brou ght them to East B erlin,

hab oure d them in his house . H is wife gave the farmer's wife her

ide ntity car d, wh ich is essential to get ratio ns in East Berlin. Early

next morning they locked the farmer in the boot of the taxi; she sat

in front pretending to be the taxi driver's wife, pretending to be ill

and on her way urgently to a special ho spita l in W est Berlin. They

had tense moments at the border check while the police examined

their pap ers; they let them throu gh. The taxi driver drove the

farmer and his wife to Marienfelde camp, took the identity card

back and returned to East Berlin.

There they sat now being interrogated, the farmer and his

wife. H e was calm, confident, occasionally showing cold ang er;

she was anxious, worried whether the husband was putting a good

enoug h case, wh ether they would be allowed to stay. Once or

twice she tried to inte rru pt, as if to say, "B ut dear, yo u've for-




right to live as free men and women in freedom, almost trying to

justify their right to live at all. I put it to yo u. H ow m any people

here, how many people in Malaya, how many people anywhere in

the free world would like suddenly to be called upon to prove their

right to live in a democracy, prove it or lose everything.

T said it was an u nforgettable experience; it was m ore tha n

that, it was a sha tterin g experience. In the free world are we not

inclined to take our freedom too much for granted; are we not

inclined to think too much of benefits, and too little of responsibility?

Th at is the great lesson of W est Be rlin; ther e freedom and security

are living realities, because the re day in a day ou t they are next do or

to Communist reality, where there is no freedom and no security.

For anyone who believes truly and deeply in domocracy, there is no

doubt at all that the future of Berlin is the future of the free world;

FRANK SULLIVAN



in their conversation after the speeches that the German Protocol

officers were manifestly worried because the dinner was lasting half

an hour longer than expected, and there were hundreds of important

guests w aiting outside for th e official State Re ceptio n. It was a

most enjoyable evening in that famed hotel overlooking the winding

Rhine, and ending past mid-night.

T should like to m ention finally that the Germ an Go vernmen t

has almost completed a colour film of our Prime Minister's visit,

and it is expected tha t this will be shown in M alay a in the near

future.

After the long distances and expanse of West Germany, it

was a great contrast to spend three and a half days in small and

com pa ct Belgium. Th e Belgians set themselves out to show the

Tunku as much as possible in that short time of their industry,




im po rtant initiatives" taken by the Tu nku . Th e first was M alaya's

proposal in the United Nations to set up a Charter of Investments,

and the second was his prop osal for closer co-o pera tion, econom ical-

ly and otherwise, between the States of Sou th-East Asia. H e also

paid tribute to the Tunku's statemanship in the international field.

I must me ntion one aspect of Belgian life, and that is the food.

Except for breakfast all our meals were eaten in different places,

and each restaurant or repast seemed to be even more splendid and

varied than the one before. I have often heard Belgians say w ith

quiet certitude that they have the best restau rants in Eu rope. They

must feel very sure of themselves, seeing they are next to France.

But [ can say now I am m ore than prepared to take their word for it.

We were particularly interested in the roads in Belgium, and in

the fact that they had managed to construct great highways - they

FRANK SULLIVAN



While we were in Brussels, the Press reported that Malaya had

refused permission for two Dutch aircraft to land here on their way

to West Irian . Th at was the day before we left Brussels by air for

Amsterdam, and naturally we expected that the Press would be

asking questions of the Prime M inister when he arrived. Of course,

they did, but I will say m ore on this later.

The Tunku's tour of the Netherlands was most admirably

arranged, and from the very first moment it was clear he was most

welcome. In fact, the Tu nk u told the Press at the airp ort, "I have

only met your Prime Minister,

Prof.

Le Qu ai, for a few m om ents,

but I am sure we are going to get along very well together", and

tha t remark an ticipated subsequent events. N ot only was the

Tu nk u received with full hon ou rs at Schipol airp ort , but he also

received a full-dress welcome in the Press , as nearly every D utch




thriving land, wh ich has the densest po pu lation in the wo rld, so

much so that cities and towns and countryside all merge into one

another, and seemingly without a single square yard not being put

to some productive use.

He spent a most interested and interesting morning at the

Hydraulic Research Laboratory in Delft, which is a special kind

of headquarters for designing and solving all Holland's battles

with its eternal enemy, the sea. A no ther afternoon was devoted

to touring the gigantic Shell Refinery in Rotterdam, the largest

in Europe, and a third in visiting the equally vast radio and electro-

nic works of Phillips.

I regret with a sigh, a very personal one, to report that the

intensely practical Dutch, wishing to show the all round development

of their industrial economy, could not fit in a spare moment or two

FRANK SULLIVAN



yo u read the papers any m ore ? The Malayan Prime Minister is

Bob by." So that evening when the Tun ku was with the Ind ian

Ambassador he telephoned Jonkvrouw Van der Wyck, and there was

a happy reunion. "A re you married no w ?" she asked. The

Tunk u laughed and said "O h, T am a grandfather no w ." "W ha t

happened to W ally?" "O h, he is a Burgom aster n ow ". "An d

R h y n ? "

"O h, he died last year, I am sorry but you have missed

him. He was our M inister in Venezu ela." And so they talked for

half an ho ur. W hen the Tunk u returned to his hotel the telephone

rang, with Burgomaster Wally on the phone to invite him to tea

next day. The Tu nk u prom ptly accepted and arranged for the

visit to be add ed to his crowd ed schedule. So next day they m et.

That is the story of how the Tunku found his old friends after forty

years.



;

Courtesy, Malayan Times




the Champs Elysee to lay a ceremonial wreath on the tomb of the

Unknowm Warrior at the Arc de Triomphe, the Tunku paid an

official call on President de Gaulle at the Elysee Palace, and then to a

mo st genial lunch with the Prime M inister, M . Deb re, at the H otel

Matignon, with no less than eight members of the Cabinet present,

and later the two Prime Ministers talked privately for an hour.

If there is any need to establish the esteem in which the Tunku

and Malaya are held in France, then it is most evident in his recep-

tio n by Preside nt de G aulle. Th e Press learned from the Elysee

Palace, in fact they were officially inform ed, t ha t it was "a n unu sua -

lly long c onv ersa tion." The Tu nku and the President conferred for

more than an hour and a half with only an interpreter present.

Officials in the Elysee Palace made no attempt to hide their surprise

and delight abo ut what was obviously som ething un iqu e in their

official experienc e. I learne d tha t usua lly the Preside nt receives



World Window

We love

the

Tunku.

Cornelio . T. Villareal.

(Philippines)






acco m m odative. It is a result of political clima te born out

of sound leadership.

Ath iNahappan .

(Malaya) *

I have the greatest confidence in the Tunku and Malaya is

fortu nate to ha ve such a great statesman — Sir Jo hn Barlow

(England)

* # *

The Tun ku is a Prince with the com mo n touch. He is the

one man wh o believes in jus tice for all. I have learned a

good deal from the T un ku and have tried to em ulate his gift

of tact and patience. He is very dear to me.

Lee Kuan Yew

(Singapore)

WORLD WINDOW



Whether in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin or even a small

tow n like Stu ttgart, the people who did n ot know M alaya,

would, when the na m e of the Tun ku was m ention ed say, Ah ,

which m eans, " O h yes, now I get it. Ja, Ja, Ja ."

Malik bin Ab. Rahman

(Malaya)

The Tun ku saw the danger and the opp ortunity and

swiftly planned Pesta. H e sum m one d all the riches of the p ast

and showed us M alayans ou r cultural glory. H e hoped we

would feel prou d to be M alayan s. M any of us cam e and wen t,

ma rvelling at the strangeness, fascinated by the colo ur. Cu rious

some of us thought but a little archaical offerings from the

shadowy past replaced by, wh at the Chine se call "electrical




the conference from the morass of sterile argument into which

it has got stuck.

Peter Koinange

(Kenya)

* *

For Malaya's far-seeing Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul

Rahman, I have nothing but the highest regard.

Lord Lansdowne

(England)

* *

The Tunku was the only world leader who condemned

the Chinese aggression outright and offered every possible

assistance. Malaya raised the Tibet question in the United

Nations and the Tunku wanted India's support, I am sorry

WORLD WINDOW



if there was not such a liberal m an in po w er? This qu estion,

I think, perhaps summarises my impression of this statesman

who had led his cou ntry from prosp erity to even greater

prosperity.

P. Sithi - Amnuai

(India)

* *

Th e Tu nk u is a man of great knowledge and great under-

standin g. W e hav e benefitted mu ch from his wisdom .

Senator Mansfield

(U. S. A.)

* * *

If there is any abso lutely ha rd-h ead ed, level-headed m an

in South-East Asia, i t is Tun ku A bdul Ra hm an.





'SMILE AND THE WORLD

SMILES WITH YOU'

(Paul Markandan)

O ne of the qualities of a na tion al leader lies in his ability to

m ai nt ain a cheerful outlo ok in tim es of stress and str ain. In fact,

PAUL MARKANDAN



covered his U .S . tou r in 1960 for radio and T V and in D etroit, A kron ,

and New York, I watched him disarm men and women, ranging

from indus trial tycoo ns to W all Street giants with th at dazzling

smile, and informal approach.

Tn the 'Wa ldorf-Astoria

1

, New Y ork , where he stayed for a bo ut

five days, the hotel staff who came in conta ct w ith him, were

impressed by his genuine sincerity and interest - and the 'W al do rf

has in its time seen many a Statesman, King and Ruler.

At the many luncheons and dinners, he washed away whatever

misgivings the hard-boiled U .S. entrepren eur h ad, a bou t investing in

M alaya and replaced it w ith a feeling of confidence and interest.

His boundless energy - resulting in doing more than he should,

did not go by un-noticed. For, if there is anything an American

likes - it is the recognition of effort and dedication to duty. His

willingness to und erstand the other man 's po ints of view; his





The Prime Minister of Australia, the Rt. Hon. R.C. Menzies gave a dinner at Hotel Merlin. Kuala

Lumpur, on Friday night (December 11, 1959) in honour of the Federation Prime Minister, Tunku

Abdul Rahm an Putra, and his wife P uan Sharifah Rodziah. After the two Prime Min isters had

made their speeches, Dame Pattje Menzies stood up to thank the women of Malay a for their

hospitality and the warmth of their welcome, and proposed the singing of "Auld Lang Syne", which

brought th e dinner to a happy close. The guests at the main table with hands linked, singing "Auld

Lang Syne".

Dept. of Information Photo




possible, if not completely, the legacies and presence of the colonial

powers. This has often manifested itself in the nationalisation of

commercial organisations, owned by 'Expatriates', and generally,

discrimination against such. Again diplomacy has won in Malaya.

The Tunku and his government recognising the need for western

technology and finance, has placed it above any misguided sense of

nationalism. The true patriot looks to the welfare ofhis people and

welcomes tho se who can help in his task - be they former colonials

or not - patriotism, therefore, tempered with diplomacy, provides

the fertile soil for progressive th ou gh t. Th e smile, of course

brightens the picture.

Yes - indeed Tun ku, you have a powerful weapon in your

han ds, con tinue to use it and use it wisely. This natio n that is M alaya

with its close neigh bou rs form ing M alaysia, has achieved what has

seemed to be th e imp ossible, both in the field of politics and



A Day

In the Life of the Prime Minister

(Malik bin Abdul Rahman)

To almost every Malayan and many more outside the coun-

try, the Tunku is hailed as a great man,—the man who set the



Sir Garfield Barw-ck. (ri gh t, Au stralian Minister for External A ffairs is seen in here

discussing with the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, on general matters

concerning relation between Malaya and Australia, in Kuala Lumpur.

Photo: courtesy, Malayan Times




For example, What does he do hour by hour? Does he

have time to read the newspapers? What is his hobby? And

probably most important of all, Does he enjoy being a Prime

Minister?

To be precise, I have found out that it is not as simple as

it appears to be. The Prime Minister cannot just ignore his

duties or shut the door of his room and relax. Neither can he

ask someone else to do his work for him . The country wants

his attention and though we ordinary citizens can put off some-

thing until tom orrow, this would not be possible with the Prime

Minister. He has to attend to matters of state no matter whe-

ther he has the mood for doing it or not. In short, it means the

world around him never stops.

Thus the Tunku is not enjoying life, as some people think,

MALIK BIN ABDUL RAHMAN



many of them, some containing massive criticisms arrayed

against him which demand all his resources to manoeuvre. He

once related to me that this was a bit too much for him at

the beginning, but gradually he got used to it. There is no

denying about his courage. The Tunku has proved tha t he has

got all what it takes to be a great Prime Minister. This early

morning routine normally lasts until 6.30 or 7.00 a.m., and from

now he would either go for a game of golf or do a little

gardening to keep himself fit and enjoy the fresh air.

The following hour is spent for a bath, dressing up, break-

fast and glancing at the newspapers. Then, after rattling off a

long shopping list of personal needs, he is soon off,—on his

way to office.




ordinary about him. He can laugh and smile all the time, as

though he has no worries at all. He puts one at ease with his

ready wit and humour. He likes nothing more than to see

others happy and smiling.

In the office until midday, the Tunku attends to corres-

pondence, calls and to visitors and foreign dignitaries. On

some occasions he is never in the office at all, due to heavy

pressure of work outside.

This great leader, who has had no experience of politics

before he became President of the United Malay National

Organisation about ten years ago, would then return home for

his midday meal.

Some of the readers may now think that he has finally

MALIK BIN ABDUL RAHMAN

Equally difficult it is to define the Tunku at work and play.



The Tunku would at times be playing golf from 5.00 p.m.

until 7.00 p.m. but even during this period he would discuss all

matters arising, with a few of his Ministers at the golf club or

on the course, partly playing and partly working, to be more

exact.

To give a true picture of what he does from 8.00 p.m. to

midnight, is rather difficult. This is only perhaps possible by

taking a good look into his diary. But I can safely say this

much. He would lock himself in one of his rooms and attend

to the files until he is too sleepy to carry on.

There are numerous other incidents which I have not men-

tioned here. For instance, how he feels when he has to go

round and shake hands with hundreds of people, or after at-

. : - •

HI

•



£<••

The Tunku with India's President Dr



The Tunku—

Leader with the

Gandhian Touch

(S. Durai Raja Singam)

S. DURAIRAJASINGAM



Both the Mahatma and the Tunku are barristers of Inner

Temple. The former was the son of a Prime Minister, the

latter the son of a Ruler. Both have the regal and legal touch

about them.

Children surrounded Gandhiji. Love for children is a

passion with the Tunku as well.

Have you noticed the broad Tunku smile, above a load of

garlands? Often it reminds you of the Gandhian smile, except

that in the last years of Gandhiji, it was a toothless smile.

Yet, the smile of both these great men has the same quality

— that of instilling regard and affection in the minds of people.

Mahatma G andhi's wit and humour are well known. The



The Tunku and party visited Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi at R ajgha t where the Tunku placed a wreath and

paid homage to the Father" of Indian Independence. The Rajghat a rea was decorated to welcome the Tunku who,

with Da to Sambanthan , walked barefooted to the Samadhi and bowed low before the Gandhi Memorial. With the

officials in attendance, the Tunku talked of Mahatma Gaudhi's life and mission.

Photo: Courtesy, Information Services of India, Kuala Lumpur.


When Gandhiji sought independence for India, it was a



struggle that inspired and aided the freedom movement in other

Asian countries. The Tunku's achievement of Merdeka for

Malaya is already leading to the freedom of four other terri-

tories which merge with this country in Malaysia.

The Mahatma was often quoted as saying that his desire

was to retire to the Himalayas. And the Tunku often says

he would love to retire to Pulau Langkawi.

It would be absurd, ofcourse—the Tunku would be the

first to call it so—to pretend that the Tunku will have a name

in history the equal of that of Gandhiji.



BAPA MALAYSIA

(Tunku Ahmad bin Tuuku Mohamed)

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj is popularly known as

Bapa Malaysia. Like all leaders, Tunku Abdul Rahman has his

own streak of dogged determination and indomitable spirit,

though as a child he was not physically strong. Such charac-



Leaving Harada Airport Tokyo,

Photo: By cou rtesy of the Embassy of Japan, Kuala Lumpur


ever accuse him of being hau ghty or arro ga nt. H is cou rteou s-



ness and generosity has done more to win friends and influence

people than he could have ever hoped by po un din g a table and

expecting people to follow because of fear or intimidation

He has few verbal histrionics and his speeches, which some-

how hold crowds in rapt attention, are of the persuasive almost

pleadin g variety. H e can be firm b ut prefers the velvet glove.

He h as few m ann erism s. W hen talking he uses his han ds expres-

sively, palms together to express unity and agreement, a great

deal of waving to denote emphasis without raising his voice, a

slow no dd ing of his head for agreem ent. N o t a great one for

pomp and ceremony, the Tunku is much happier just being him-

self.

Th at a certain am ou nt of protoc ol does go with being a

Prime Minister is unquestioned but he shuns it whenever he

can. To day , the T un ku has wo n respect not only from the



Tunku-The Sportsman

(Alex Soars)






goodwill is founded the Tunku never misses an opportunity for fur-



thering the interests of and encou raging sport.

Born at A lor Star on 8th Feb rua ry, 1903, the scion of one of the

wealthiest families in Kedah he gave early indications of his leanings

tow ard s the playing fields. Th e K ed ah palaces had high walls but

these did not prevent the young princeling from playing, outside the

confines of the palace , w ith the children of com m on ers. Like m ost

youngsters of his age the young prince was full of harmless pranks

and

mischief.

H e spun his tops , flew his kites, kicked, hit or threw a

ball about in the Malayan sunshine.

When he grew older he won a pre-University scholarship and

went to England to study the A rts. Find ing life at Cam bridge too

restrictive for his blithe spirits the Tu nk u switched over to Law . H e

gradu ated from the Inne r Temple in 1949. Of his academ ic career

ALEX SOARS

the A sian F oo tball Con federation and was offered a top app ointm ent

in the International Football Federation which the Tunku declined.



Sports bodies in Malaya clamoured for this unique personality

with the 'golden touc h' . Asian Bad m inton Associations m ade him

their first President. They had formed the Asian Bad m inton C on-

federation on Thursday 30th July, 1959 at 10.30 am at the Tunku

A bd ul Ra hm an H all, K uala Lum pu r. Representatives from 13

nations attended the inaugural meeting.

One can go on and on showing the Tunku fostering and encou-

ragin g sp ort. H is pa tron ag e was eagerly sough t and given to

widely divergent sports like weightlifting to motor racing.

Golf was given a boost when the Tunku inaugurated the Asian

G olf C ha m pio nsh ips three years ag o. It is believed that the idea of

Malaysia was born on the Selangor Club golf links.




There was another occasion during the days when the Emer-

gency was at its highest. A Legislative Council meeting was re-



cessed for two hours and the Tunku unerringly found his way to the

nearest football match which was being played at the Tamilian

Physical Culture Stadium. Officials taken by surprise rushed

ALEX SOARS

around for chairs for the Tunku and his party but he quickly put

them at ease, "I will not be here long", said he and promptly sat



down on the wooden planking. Needless to say his party also did

the same. An elephant never forgets and the same thing can be

said about the Tunku when it comes to remembering his friends.

At the opening of the Football Association Malaya House the

Tunku remarked that he missed one of his friends, a founder

member of the F.A.M.— it was obvious who he was referring to.

Tunku Nomina ted

Asia's 'Man of Year'

The Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman,



Tunku Abdul Rahman arriving to open "PESTA" 1957



A Princely Patron of the Arts

(By Haji Abdul Mubin Sheppard P.P.T., C.M.G., M.B.E., E.D

By hearing the music of a Prince we know the characte

of h is Virtue .

More than two thousand years ago a great philosopher

made this observation and his pronouncement is still accepted


It is against this supremely unfavourable background,

covering more than fifty years of neglect and a decade of

terrorism that we should view what follows and, bearing these

obstacles in mind, assess the magnitude of the achievement.



Early in 1956, six months after he had been elected

Malaya's first Chief Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman

conceived the idea of organising a "Festival of Cultu re" in

Kuala Lum pur, in which the old Malay dances, dramas,

ceremonies, games and passtimes could be revived, and presented

side by side with those of Chinese and Indian origin.

He entrusted Enche Y a'acob bin Abdul Latif and the

staff of the Information Service with the task of discovering

the veterans of an earlier generation of actors and actresses,

dancers, musicians, puppeteers and the like and coaxing them

back to the foot lights.

Although burdened with a multitude of other problems,

The former Ministe

Education and now Min

for Health, Dr. A



Rahman bin Haji Talib b

awarded the degree of Do

of Laws by the Chancello

the University 01 Mal

Tunku Abdul Rahman.

{Photo: Courtesy, Mala

Times)

Prime M inister, Tunku Abdul R ahm an, being installed Chancellor of

University of M alay a in Kuala Lumpur on June 16, 1962. Picture shows

being installed at a ceremony at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

HAJI ABDUL MUBIN SHEPPARD

bu t even m ore in the ever wid ening ripple of Pes ta's reviving

influence all over M alay a, which can still be recognised in 1962.



A year la ter, am on g a host of subjects which dem and ed

a decision by the C hief M iniste r before the pro clam atio n of

Indep ende nce, two in par ticu lar called for impeccab le goo d

taste and a knowledge of the Fine Arts.

A N atio na l An them and Orders of Chivalry are the hall

marks of an independen t nat ion , but som eone m ust select the

mu sic of the anthem and design and appro ve the ribbo ns and

decorations.

Tun ku Ab dul Ra hm an gave orders for a com petition to

be held, open to composers from any part of the Common-

wea lth, and m ore th an 200. tunes were entered . Th e final


duced, and the result is a Sash of impressive dignity and re-

fined splendour. A handsome shade of royal blue is the



principal colour in the riband of all grades of the second

Order, with narrow stripes of yellow, red and white introduced

along the edges and down the centre. The Collar, Star and

Badge of both the D.M.N. and the Order of Pangkuan Negara

are talented examples of craftsmanship, but they owe much to

the artistic genius and originality of Tunku Abdul Rahm an,

who was personally responsible for the final designs of both

ribbons and decorations, after receiving suggestions from a

Committee of Honours and Awards.

A few days before the first investiture of Malayan

Orders and Decorations, which coincided with the first anni-

versary of Independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman made another

notable contribution to the cultural life of Malaya when he

HAJI ABDUL MUBIN SHEPPARD

The A rt Gallery houses the prod ucts of only one of the

Arts,

but in the "H all of the M us es" - (the Mu seum ) - all the



A rts can expect to find a place, an d so it had been, u nti l a

misdirected stick of Allied bom bs destroyed the K uala Lu m pu r

M useum in M arch 1945. In th e next fourteen years the Mu ses

remained homeless and patronless but in 1959 Tu nk u Ab dul

Ra hm an directed tha t plans should be prep ared for a new

N ation al M useu m . Later the same year he decided that the

building should be of M alay design and he entrusted the work

to a M alayan architect wh o was also a talented artist. Tu nk u

Ab dul R ah m an has since taken a close interest in every phase

of the plann ing and decoration of the M useum an d in the pre-

paration of its displays.



An Autobiographical Fragm ent

W h e n I was a Boy at School

(and satay cost one cent a stick)

(by Tunku Abdul Rahman)

(In a speech to the Penang Free School.)


dictation lesson; the wonderful sound of it when it rang to announce

the respite for fifteen minutes or the break for lunch and finally the

welcoming last toll which told you that your worry for the day



was over.

I wonder if you still have that bell.

It is a wonderful bell to which the teachers and the boys

alike pay the highest respect. Y ou r school ho urs have also changed

and so have the methods of teaching.

Gone are the old ice-carts with familiar faces of the men

behind them . G on e is the face of the old M am ak who used to

prepare the best mee I have ever tasted at the price of five cents a

plate with eggs thrown in and with his constant notes of warning

when disturbed "Nanti , Nanti" used to add to our pangs of hunger;

gone is the rice and fish curry stall that used to serve our hunger for

the p rice of 10 ce nt s; gon e is the

satay

th at used to sell 1 cent a stick.

TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

More notice was taken of the boys who could kick the ball the

farthest or who could use their fists the quickest and the hardest.



As I said earlier the boys in the schools were older than they

are tod ay. I myself join ed the Pen ang Free School in w hat was

then the second stan dar d at the age of thirtee n. To day the boys

of that age would be knocking at the door of Form Four or even

Form Five .

The boys in the upper classes in a few cases used to be as old as

the teacher himself. Neve rtheless th e word of the teacher was

to them a command.

There were Prefects who used to sneak in on the boys when

they smoked cigarettes in the latrines, and Prefects are Prefects

and the boys used to respect them in spite of the fact that they were

deprived of the joys of the cigarette.


movem ent. He is now in hap py retiremen t pro ud in the kno w-

ledge that he had done a good job in the cause of education.



Those were the great days, the good old days though I used to

dread the lessons and the sternness and strictness by which they

were applied.

I live today to remember with gratitude the good that they

have done to me.

I believe however when any of the old boys of the school give

lectures they m ust h ave said t he same th ing as T say now — those

days were the good old days—and I am almost certain that those of

you who are on the benches today will return here one day when

you have become famous to tell the boys of the future that your

school days were too the great days.

Let me assure you that while there is this feeling from among



A Study in Biography

(Frank Sullivan)

Tu nku Abd ul Rah m an Putra, Prime M inister of the Federa-

tion of M alaya, was born at Alor Star, the capital of the State of

K edah , on 8th Feb ruary, 1902. H e was the seventh child of

the reigning Sultan, Sultan Ab dul Ha m id Halim Shah, who was

then 39 years of age. H e died in 1943 at the age of 79 after hav ing


noo n. La ter he went to the Go vernm ent English School at Alo r

Star - now kno wn as the Sultan A bdu l H am id School.



When he was eight he was sent to Bangkok with his brother,

T unku

Yusof,

who was a captain in the Siamese Arm y. On the

death of his bro the r a year later, he returned to K ed ah . At twelve

he became a pup il of the Pen ang Free School an d in 1919, when he

was 16, he was awarded a K eda h State Scholarship which took

him to England to prep are for the university entran ce exam ination

Eventually he entered St. C ath erin e's College, C am bridg e,

where he ob tained his B.A. in De cem ber, 1925. H e was the

first K ed ah Prince to gain a degree in any British Un iversity.

After ob tain ing his degree, he return ed to M alaya, bu t his

elder b rother, Tu nku Ibrah im , who was then Regent of K eda h

FRANK SULLIVAN

In 1940, Tun ku Ab dul Ra hm an had become D eputy Direc tor

of Civil Defence for So uth K ed ah. In Decem ber 1941 as th e



Japanese advanced into Ke dah he was warned by his bro ther-in

law, Syed Om ar Sh aha bud in, who was State Fin anc ial Officer

at that t ime , that the Brit ish were prepa ring to evacuate and

plann ing to take the Sultan with them to Penang , and thence abro ad .

Accom panied by a Hea lth Inspector the Tu nk u intercepted

the convoy in which his father was travelling and succeeded in

diverting the Su ltan's car to Ku lim, because he believed th at his

father's rightful place was with his people in a time of na tion al

emergency.

Tu nku Abd ul R ah m an's actions as District Officer in Kulim

displeased the Japanese, and he was transferred to Alor Star where

they could more easily keep an eye on him . W hen Japa n ceded

TRITUTE TO TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

Th e second was the declaration of the state of Em ergency in the

co un try on Ju ne 16 of the same year following the ou tbre ak of



Communist terrorism.

Tu nku Abdu l Ra hm an returned to M alaya early in 1949,

and imm ediately accepted the cha irm ansh ip of the K edah Branch

of the United Malays Na tional Organisation (U.M .N.O.) which

had been prim arily responsible for the pressure of public opinio n

which resulted in the form ation of the F ede ration of M alaya.

H e was not able to retain this post for long, as he was trans -

ferred to K uala Lu m pur as a De puty Pu blic Prosecu tor in the

Federal Legal D ep artm en t, and as such could take no pa rt in

politics. Tw o years later , how ever, he resigned from the G ov ern -

ment service to become President of U M N O in succession to

Da to O nn bin Ja'afar. In 1952 he was appoin ted to bo th the

FRANK SULLIVAN

liaison co m m ittees between the local bran ches of the M .C.A. an d



U .M .N .O . through out the Federation. Shortly afterwards, the

Alliance evolved a com m on policy in regard to the hold ing of a

general election in the Fe dera tion.

Tun ku Ab dul Ra hm an presided at the general assembly

of U M N O in M alacca in April 1953, when the draft election

plan was adopted by U M N O delegates amid shouts of "M erd ek a"

(Freedo m ) and a una nim ous resolution was passed calling for

speedy Fe deral e lections . Sh ortly before the Federal Elections

the M alayan Indian Congress joine d forces with the U M N O and

MC A.

Th e first Federal Elec tions in July 1955 swept Tu nk u Ab dul

Ra hm an and the A lliance int o office. Th e A lliance gained 51 out


Lond on to negotiate with the British Go vernm ent for

self-



government and independence for M alaya.

Th e M ission in Jan ua ry, 1956 was com pletely successful.

It obtained for the elected Go vernm ent of M alaya contro l of

internal defence and security, finance and the "M alay an isatio n" .

of the pub lic service. It was also agreed tha t a C on stitutio nal

Com mission should be set up to recommend a new Co nstitution

for the coun try and that independence should come by 31st Aug ust,

1957.

On his return to Malaya Tunku Abdul Rahman assumed

the office of M inis ter for In terna l Defence an d Security in

add ition to the offices of Chief M inister and M inister for H om e

Affairs.

FRANK SULLIVAN

he had ma de to give than ks for Ma laya 's peaceful attain m ent of



independence, Tu nku Abdu l Ra hm an made a pilgrimage to Mecca.

His official style and formal title now became Tunku Abdul

R ahm an Pu tra Al-Haj. (A Haji indicates a man w ho has mad e

the pilgrimage).

In Sep tember he paid an official visit to the Ma lay State

of Brunei in Bo rneo, and in Jan uary 1959 he was a State Guest

of the Re pub lic of the Ph ilippin es. It was dur ing this visit

to M anila tha t the Tun ku first suggested, and President Garc ia

heartily endo rsed, the idea of forming an association for close

econom ic and c ultural coo pera tion between the countries of

Sou th-East Asia. Th is was the genesis of AS A.

Tow ards the end of 1958 the Fed eration of M alaya was host


to contest 104 seats in the Lower Hou se of the new Par liam ent.



the Alliance won 74 seats. Tunku Abdul Rahman became

Prime M inister of M alaya for the second time . Th e new Parlia-

ment of two Ho uses was formally opened by His M ajesty the

Yang di-Pertuan Agong in September.

In O ctobe r 1959 Tu nk u Abdul Ra hm an mad e an official

goodwill visit to the Co mm onw ealth of Au stralia, and in Decem-

ber of the same year this visit was returne d by the Prime M inister

of Australia, the Rt. Hon. R.G. Menzies.

In Jan uary 1960 Tu nku Abdul Rahm an went on a goodwill

visit to New Zealand for two weeks. A return visit was paid by

the Prim e M inister of New Ze aland, M r. W alter Na sh, to the

Federation of M alaya in June. In the following m on th,

FRANK SULLIVAN

had already been hon oure d w ith the same degree by the Unive rsity



of M alaya, the Un iversity of Sydney and the A ran eta University

in the Philippines. La ter he was to receive the same ho no urs of

D oc tor of Laws from the Un iversity of Saigon in 1961 and from

Aligarh Muslim University, India in 1962.

Tu nk u Abdul R ahm an returned to M alaya at the end of

Ju ne to receive a he ro's welcome for having carried out the na-

tional m andate to condemn apartheid.

In July, as Prim e M inister, he took the lead in the na tiona l

celebra tions which ma rked a declaration of the ending of the

12-year old state of Emergency and military victory over Com-

munist terrorism.


The year 1961 was packed with constructive efforts made



by Tunku Abdul Rahman. Immediately fol lowing the State

Visit to the Federation of Malaya made by President Garcia

of the Philippines in February, the Tunku and the Foreign

Ministers of the Philippines and Thailand issued a historic

statement in Kuala Lumpur stating their formal joint agreement

to go ahead with the establishment of the Association of South-

East Asia.

In M arch the Tun ku went to London once again, attending

the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference which finally

resulted in the decision of Sou th Africa, in the face of concerted

opinion, to withdraw from the Commonwealth. I t can be

fairly stated that the stand taken by the Tunku and Malaya on

the question of apartheid was an important factor in bringing

FRANK SULLIVAN

With the future of Malaysia in mind Tunku Abdul Rahman



visited Lo ndo n in Novem ber for talks with the British Gov ern-

ment which resulted in agreement to go ahead with the Malaysia

concept and to appoint a Special Commission to enquire into

public opinion in North Borneo and Sarawak.

While the Tunku was away in London the Yang di-

Pertuan Agong and his Consort made official State Visits to

India and Pakistan, a memorable journey in international good-

will.

The year 1962 saw T un ku A bdul R ah m an being as active

as ever both at hom e and abr oad. In February , his birthday

month, the Tunku celebrated his tenth year of leadership of

UMNO and was also honoured by being named as the first

Ch ancellor of the newly-formed University of M alaya .




a year of great challenge, a year of test and na tion al dete rm ina-



tion. Nevertheless, he declared that nothing would prevent the

formation of Malaysia or the development of ASA, because

M alaya firmly believed th at bo th M alaysia and ASA were essen-

tial to the future peace, prosperity and happiness of our region.

Tunku Abdul Rahman is a man of remarkable energy and is

known and loved thro ugh out the F ede ration for his geniality, gcod

hu m our, political sagacity and his personal talent for getting

along with people of every age and class.

He rises early to say his pray ers, and then reads th e news-

papers before coming down for breakfast between 8 and 9 o'clock.

H e spends one ho ur working on correspo nden ce in his office in

the official residence of the Prime Minister familiarly known as the

FRANK SULLIVAN

the first Presiden t (and still is) of the Asian Fo otb all Co nfe dera tion ,

wh ich was formed five years ago . F ou r years ago he was elected



Presiden t of the newly initiated Asian Ba dm inton Con federation.

A great believer in the value of spo rt, in build ing either the

character of people as individu als or the na tion as a whole, he

spends so m uch tim e in fostering spo rt th at he shou ld have little

to spare for exercise. In spite of thi s, he endeavours not to let a

day pass with ou t some form of physical exercise. H e is also

extremely fond of racing and is considered a very good jud ge of a

horse. He attend s race m eetings in various parts of M alaya as

often as his official du ties will allow him to do so. He has led on

his own winners on several occassions.

Tun ku Ab dul Rah ma n is also extremely interested in out-



The Malayan Prime Minister in

West

Berlin


Kin gdom and a mo ther of two children, the favourites of their

grand-father, the Prime Minister, and a son, Tunku Nerang, who is

a Ca ptain in the Federation Regim ent, and is married with two



children. Th e Prim e Min ister's first wife died shortly after h is

son's birth.

Tu nk u Abdul Rah m an has been m arried to his present wife,

Pua n Sharifah R od zia h, dau gh ter of a well-known family from

Alor S tar, for the past 23 years. A mo st attrac tive and charm ing

wom an , she has been a grea t influence in his life. They have had n o

children, but they have adopted two orphans, a Chinese girl named

M eriam , now aged 8 1/2, and a Malay boy named Suleiman, now

aged 7 years.

The Prim e M inister and his wife have also ano ther adopted

son, Syed Abdu llah bin Om ar, a 24-year old cam eram an in the

FRANK SULLIVAN

It is a personal tribu te to the "F ath er of the N at io n " that in

ordinary conversation if anyone mentions "the Tunku" there is



no do ub t at all a bo ut whom he is speaking. The same is true oe

new spapers. Th e headlines in p apers or bill posters simply usf

"T u n k u ". Even if half a dozen Tu nku s are speaking together and

they happ en to refer to "th e T u nk u" it does not mean anyo ne

presen t; it can only mean one person and the one person only, the

Prime M inister of the Federation of Malaya.

Tu nk u Abd ul Rah m an is dedicated to the service of M alaya

and her people, and in doing so he always expresses an unshaken

belief i n parliam entary dem ocracy, the value of the C om m onw ealth

and the world importance of the United N ation s.

A man of faith, he is imbu ed with deep tru st in Go d in H is

mercy and ju stice and unw avering confidence in th e fundam ental



P R O U D R E C O R D

Tunku Abdul Rahman

A Chronology

of His Life

S. DURAI RAJA SINGAM

1916 - Became a pupil of the Penang Free School in the second

standard at the age of 13.



1919 - Aw arded a K eda h State Scho larship which too k him to

England to prepare for the University entrance examination.

1922 - Student at St. Catherine's College, Cambridge University

on a Ked ah scho larship. (Octobe r 1922 to Decem ber,

1925).

1924 - G rad ua ted , Bachelor of A rts, Ca m bridg e University—the

first Kedah Prince to gain a degree in any British University.

1927 - Founder and first Secretary of the Malay Society of Great

Britain. Kesatuan Melayu Un ited Kingdo m (K.M .U.K .)

Tengku Abd ul Rah m an, la ter Tuanku Abdul Rah m an, the

first Ya ng di - Pe rtua n Ag ong was its first P residen t.


the M alay Rulers and States of all bu t nom inal autho rity

and too k a leading pa rt in the forma tion of the U nited



Malays Na tional Organisation (U M N O ), when the

M alayan Un ion gave way to the Fed eration.

1947 - Went to En gland to contin ue his law studies.

1948 - Th e shoo ting wa r against com m unist terrorists (The

Emergency) started.

1949 - Called to the Bar (Inner Tem ple) Lo ndo n at the age of

46.

Re turne d to Ke dah and was seconded to Fed eral Lega

De partmen t as a Depu ty Public Prosecutor. Became

Chairman of the UM NO , in Kedah.

1951 - Took over the leadership o fth e U nited M alay N ation a-

list O rgan isation (President of U M N O ). Resigned from

S. DU RA RAJA STNGAM

Emergency Operations Council which decided on policy

in fighting the M alayan Co m m unist Party.



1957 - Achieved M erdeka (Indep end ence ). The ti tle of BAPA K

KEMERDEKAAN (Father of independence) was bes towed

on him by the people. After Indepen dence on 31stl

August 1957 became Prime Minister and Minister for

External Affairs and continued to be C h ai rm an ,E m er -

gency Op eratio ns C ounc il. The University of M alaya

conferred the Honorary degree of Doctor of Laws

(September).

In Septem ber, M alaya was adm itted as a mem ber of the

United Nations .

1958 - M ade a pilgrimage to M ecca. Also m ade go od w i'

visits to Vietnam and Th ailand. In Janu ary of this year


then that the Au stralian Go vernm ent regarded M alaya

as th e m ost stable a nd reliable friend in this region of

the world. H e returned ho m e with a promise from the



Au stralian Go vern m ent of aid in establishing a faculty

of medicine in Ku ala Lum pur.

The Sydney University conferred a similar award (No vem ber)

1960 - Jan uary , found the Tu nk u in New Zeala nd. He

spoke there of the co m m on heritage linking the M alay

and Maori people, and returned with a $1 million grant

for a civil serv ants ' tra ini ng cen tre. In Oc tob er left o n a

mission of peace to C an ad a and Am erica. A few

m inute s before his dep arture , he disclosed that his

main purp ose in visiting the U .S. was connected with

the W est Irian dispute. On his way hom e, he stopped


Became also Minister for Information and Broadcasting

(June). Th e Un iversity of Saigon conferred the H on ora ry



degree of D oc tor of Laws (Octo ber). Headed mission to

Lon don to discuss and agree in principle proposed formation

of Federation of Malaysia (November).

Saw the formation of the A.S.A. (Association of South East

Asia) com prising M alaya, Th ailand and the Philippines - the

fruition of an idea pro po un ded by the Tu nku in 1959. Th e

Association aims at greater economic and cultural co-

operation between member states.

1962 - Op ened the Second M eeting of the A.S. A. Foreign M inisters

which included the Vice-President and concurrently

Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philip pines, M r. Em m an-


rated the "Save Democracy Fund" in a nation wide broad-

cast pledging M alaya's support for In dia. On N ovem ber 17th.

left for the Borneo territorie s on a goodw ill to ur and



for talks on Malaysia with the leaders and peoples of these

territories.

ORD ERS AN D DECO RATIONS OF THE PRIME MINISTER

T UNKU

ABDUL RAHMAN PUTRA

LOCAL:

Kedah

Kelantan

K .O.M . (Kedah Order of M erit)

May 1958.

D .K. (Darjah Kerabat Yang Am at

di-H orm ati (Al-Yunusi) - The

M ost Esteemed Roy al Fam ily

Order of K elan tan ) -M ar ch 1960.


Publications

:

Publication:

Mahsuri

(imaginary play of Malaya:

performed on stage in N orth M alaya throu gho ut 1941;



filmed in M alaya, 1958). Relevant pu blic atio ns: The

Architect of Merdeka

by A bd ul Aziz bin Ishak, W an

Kin Ch eong , Ian Kah Jee (1957)

Prince and Premier

(Biography) by H arry Miller (H arr ap ) 1959.

Recreations: golf, football, racing, tennis, walking, swim-

ming, mo tor-boating, photography (both

cine and still), collector of ancie nt w eapo ns,

particularly the Malay kris. President, Fo ot-

ball Association of Malaya, President of Asi-

an Football Confederation; President of

Asian Badminton Confederation; President



SELECTIONS

of G od, these difficulties w ill be overcome and that tod ay 's events,

down the avenues of history will be our inspiration and our guide.

*

H=

* *



We desire to build a coun try of which we can be justly and truly

pro ud , a cou ntry in which we can live and share ou r happiness in

bro ther ho od , a coun try to which we can all be truly loyal, in short,

a new nation of M alaysia, ade m ocra cy of man y races and creeds living

in peace and harm on y which a dem ocracy space can be an

example to the world.

* £ • *

W e do no t go by any 'isms or ideologies. W e are nationalists

and we will do whatever is good in the interests of the people. F or

this reason , I refuse to label ou r econom y as socialist or cap italist.

* • • •


M alaysia will be formed on the desire of the people themselves.

N ob od y will be draw n, forced o r coerced into it.



I have com e as a m an of peace. In the sho rt tim e tha t I have

been Prime M iniste r, I h ave travelled extensively - first to get to

know the va rious p eoples of Asia, and second to spread my

mission of peace and goodw ill.

We want a nation where there will be freedom, equality,

peace , justic e and prosp erity for all. N o one single race mu st

try to dom inate the others. The less fortunate of them are to

be given help , and th is is the reason for the reservations for

the indigenous races of Malaya and Malaysia.





OUR CONTRIBUTORS

G ER A L D HA W K IN S, O.B.E.- Entered the Malayan Civil

Service in 1920 and served in Penang, Selangor, Pahang, Negri

Sembilan, Joh ore, Singapore and Perak. Part Au thor of

Malaya

and of M alayan Pioneers, has broadc ast a nd is now retired in M alaya.

FR AN CIS COO RA Y.- Had the unique dis tinction of being a

veteran among journalists of two countries - Ceylon and Malaya.

In Ceylon where he was trained under the famous Fergusons who


M A LI K bin Abd ul Rahm an. On the staff of the

Malayan

Times, Kuala Lumpur .

M . SA R A V A N A MU TTU w as Ed itor , Straits Echo, Penang



(1931-1947); Ceylon Commissioner in Malaya (1950-57); Ceylon

M inister to Indone sia (1954-57); Is now retired and living in

Penang.

J .S.H, C U N Y N G H A M - BR OW N O.B.E. - Ret ired member

of the Malayan Civil Service, living in Penang; was last President of

the M unicipal Councillors, George Tow n. Ho bbies, boating , hill-

climbing, history, dram a and paintin g. Also travels a good deal in

Euro pe and Asia. H ono rary Consular Agent for France and Pre-

sident of L'Alliance Francaise Pe nan g; Ch airm an of M alayan Asso-

ciation of Discharged Prisoners' Aid Societies and serves on various

other committees, local and otherwise.

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

SABAPA THIPILLAI D UR A I RAJA SINGAM .- Born in

Port Weld and educated in Kuala Lum pur. Joined the M alayan

Educational Service in 1925 and has served in Pahang and Selangor.



No w retired. Au thor of Gandhiji, the Ever-Smiling Mahatma;

Homage to Ananda Coomaraswamy ; Malayan Place Names;

Malayan Tit Bits; Insignia Malayana; Munshi Abdullah to Anak

Singapura; India and Malaya Through the Ages: A Malayan

Heritage;

and othe r M alayan a. Lives in Ku ala Lum pur where

he continues to write various articles of Malayan interest and

broadcasts over Radio Malaya.

A LE X SO AR S.- Sports writer of considerable experience in

India and Malaya.

HAJI ABD UL M UB IN SH EPP AR D. P .P .T , C .M.G., M.BE

Obtained an Ho nou rs Degree in History at Cam bridge Un i-


T U N K U A HM A D bin Tunku Moham med. A free lance

writer living in Ku ala Lu m pu r.

V.N . N A IR . Delhi correspondent of the Free Press Journal,



Bombay; also

Malayan Times

correspondent in India.

DA TO SIR AL EXA ND ER OP PEN HE IM. P .M.N. , O .B .E ,

M .A, P.H .D . (Chicago) D.Sc (OX ON ) F.R .S.E d; Vice-Chancellor,

University of Malaya.

S. R A JA R A TN A M . Minister for Culture, Singapore. A

mem ber of the Peoples Action P arty and was assosciate editor

of the

Singapore Standard

(1945) and later on the editorial staff of

the

Straits Times.

Elected in M ay 1959 to the Sing apo re Le-

gislative Assembly and was app ointed M inister for Cu lture.

PICTURE CAPTIONS

1. Yang Teramat M ulia Tunku Abdul Rahm an Putra, Al-Haj ,

K.O.M., C.H. , B.A. , BAR-AT-LAW, HON.LL.D. (Malaya, Araneta, Sydney,

Cantab., Saigon, Aligarh)



(Frontispiece)

2. Tun ku Abdu l Ra hm an, leaving Adm iralty House Lon don, after

lunch and talks with Britain's Prem ier, M r. M acm illan. Acc om -

panying the Malayan Premier are Tun Abdul Razak (right) Deputy

Prime Minister and Defence Minister and Finance Minister Mr. Tan

Siew S in.

Photo: Courtesy,

U.K. Information Services, Kuala Lumpur.


7. Tunku Abdul Rahman receiving the Honorary Degree of

Doctor of Laws, Cambridge University, England.

Photo:

Courtesy, U.K. Information Services.



8. An historic picture taken outside Admiralty House, London,

following the signing of an agreement on the formation of the

Federation of Malaysia. From left to right are the Malayan Prime

Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Britain's Premier, Mr. Harold

Macmillan, Britain's Commonwealth and Colonial Secretary of

State, Mr. Duncan Sandys' and Singapore's Prime Minister, Mr. Lee

Kuan Yew.

Photo:

Courtesy, U.K. Information Services, Kuala Lumpur,









Documents

1963 Tribute to Tunku