Tok Chu

I spent the entire day today outside the house. I met with Tok Chu (husband & wife), the parents of Prof. Ahmad Murad Merican. This was the first time we met.  We met at his residence in Ayer Itam, and I interviewed both of them. Tok Chu knows a lot about Penang history. He can remember street names, people and events.

HOW I MET TOK CHU

25 May 2012 - I left a note in the Facebook account of Datuk Jenaton group. 

26 May 2012 - I received a hp# of a lady (Kak Yang Kalsom).

26 May 2012 - My husband Affandi called Kak Yang Kalsom as I had the pictures to edit and upload. She SMS and informed of Tok Chu, who would have the key to Datuk Jenaton's graveyard in Minden Heights. Since it was about 1 am, I didn't call the # provided. It was a good thing I did not call.

27 May 2012 - Affandi called Tok Chu and asked about the key to the graveyard. Tok Chu said to come and see him. We went over to Tok Chu's house in Ayer Itam. Earlier after breakfast I checked Google Map for directions to his residence. The landmarks he gave were Kuil India and Kg Melayu. 

HOW TO GET TO TOK CHU'S HOUSE

AYER ITAM

Tok Chu lives in Ayer Itam in Penang.

We decided to go down Jalan Masjid Negeri (old street name, Green Lane). We passed by Jalan Thean Teik - a narrow congested road, and the BHP petrol station on the left. We passed by Jalan Satu on the left. We passed by the Indian temple  on the right (Affandi recognised the temple first) - I took some photos of the temple. Then we reached the turn-off for Jalan Dua and finally Jalan Kg Melayu on the left. 

JALAN KAMPUNG MELAYU

We followed Jalan Kg Melayu to Jalan Ayer Itam and got lost. We U-turned at the school and went back on Jalan Ayer Itam till we reached Jalan Pisang Embun. All the roads here were named after bananas. We turned right into Jalan Pisang Embun and went right till the end. Tok Chu's house is on the right, at the end of the row.

When we arrived, Tok Chu was outside sweeping his porch. We parked in the street (turn right) after his house. Tok Chu met us at his front gate and was happy to see us. He's 83 and still strong. He called out to his wife (also called Tok Chu) and she came to greet us at the door. Tok Chu invited us in and we went inside. 

We started with introducing ourselves. I said I am looking for the key to Datuk Jenaton's graveyard and that we had been there yesterday. I introduced myself as the 10th generation of Muhammad Saleh of West Sumatra (who was well-known as Nakhoda). I also introduced myself as a granddaughter of Dr Che Lah. Once Tok Chu knew where I stand, it was easier to talk as relatives, rather than interviewer-interviewee.

WHO IS TOK CHU?

Tok Chu is Mohd Noor Merican  bin Ahmad Merican bin Osman Merican. He was born on 13 June 1929 in Penang and grew up in a big bungalow, now lies empty beside the Chinese girls' school in Jalan Dato Keramat. His mother was Zaleha bt Haji Yasin.

Tok Chu worked as an apprentice surveyor in Sungai Petani. He resigned after working less than a year, for some reason he explained but which I couldn't understand. He then returned to Penang and was with the City Council of Georgetown for 25 years, then with LLN and later TNB. He's retired 25 years ago in 1984.

TOK CHU'S FATHER-IN-LAW

Tok Chu's father-in-law was Haji Yasin, who was in charge of Masjid Titi Papan in Georgetown. Masjid Titi Papan is named as such because long ago the parit (drain) was large enough for sampan and tongkang to enter right up to the mosque. A wooden plank was used, and thus the mosque was named after the plank.

Haji Yasin was a goldsmith from Medan in Sumatra. His workplace was at Kinta Lane and later in Burma Road. According to Tok Chu's wife, last time there was no lock and key to keep the gold and gold ornaments safe at home. Haji Yasin had to hide his gold ornaments, stuffing them in between anything - books, clothes, etc. That worked fine.

Tok Chu showed us the Silsilah sheet for Datuk Jenaton and other ascendants. From what I understand Haji Muhammad Saleh (Nakhoda) had 4 siblings - an elder brother, himself, a younger brother and a youngest and only sister. Datuk Jenaton married the youngest and only sister of Muhammad Saleh. Thus, they became related by way of marriage. They were also blood relatives even before marriage as their ancestor cousins married in Sumatra. Datuk Jenaton was the younger brother-in-law of Nakhoda.

PENANG MALAYS

BURMA ROAD

Tok Chu said long ago, Burma Road was a Malay place with many Malay families. Sir KM Ariff's house was opposite the Telekoms (I have not seen this location).

CHOWRASTA SCHOOL

TRANSFER ROAD

The Chowrasta School moved at least 2 places - Transfer Road and Jalan Hatin.

JALAN HATIN (old street name was Hutton Road)

The present Chowrasta School is at Jalan Hatin.

THE EARLY MALAY DOCTORS

Tok Chu knew Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos.

PENANG ARABS

Tok Chu's wife said a lot of Arabs reside in Batu Uban and their graves are at the cemetery attached to Masjid Batu Uban. There are also a large number of them in Jalan Kelawei (Kampung Syed).

Tok Chu also knew Aziz Yamani (my paternal granduncle) who was popularly known as Abdul Aziz Al-Yamani. Aziz was an anglophile. He was of short stature and wore shorts and shirt with short sleeves. He did not come from Yemen (Yaman) but from Malacca. Aziz Yamani had a garage at the corner of Anson Road and Dato' Keramat Road. The British gave him the European car business. (I remember being at his garage in the early 1960s.) They also gave him a double-storey bungalow behind Masjid Jalan Hatin - the bungalow still stands today - it is a bright yellow building (photographed 9 Oct 2011 and 27 May 2012). According to Tok Chu, the house is before '7 hotel'. Aziz Yamani married Nenek Jepun. The mother and child (Mazalifah) often returned to Tokyo.

Front gate of Ami Aziz's residence. His house is the yellow bungalow behind the mosque
(at far left, and partly hidden by the mosque in this pic).

SMELTING WORKS

Eastern Smelting was initially at ______________? It is now just flats.

See updates on 22 August 2013.

TOK CHU's WIFE

Tok Chu's wife is Hendon bt Ahmad bin Abdullah. She was born on 2 August 1932. She has 5 elder brothers - Zainol Abidin, Zainudin, Mohamad Tahir, Ibrahim and Abdul Halim. Hendon is descended from Datuk Jenaton.

External link
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2013/2/23/north/12750272&sec=north

Pre-Merdeka Malay Schools in Penang

INTRODUCTION

There were 2 Malay and one religious (Islamic) schools in Penang in Malaya before Independence. I returned to Penang (19-23 October 2011) to try and locate where the schools were and to find out if they still exist today, 54 years post-Merdeka.


Malay schools in Penang 

The 2 Malay schools in Penang are Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta in downtown George Town, and Sekolah Melayu Pulau Pinang in Ayer Itam. 

Three early Malay doctors attended the Malay schools in Penang. They were Datuk Dr Haji Abdul Aziz bin Omar, Datuk Paduka Dr Abdul Wahab bin Mohd Ariff and Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos. All three graduated as medical doctors from the King Edward VII Medical College in Singapore.


Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta / Chowrasta Malay School, George Town (established 1878) 

The full story of this school is told at the present day school website:

Sekolah Kebangsaan Melayu Chowrasta adalah nama asal bagi Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Tanjong. Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta ini ditubuhkan pada tahun 1878 dengan Bahasa Melayu sebagai Bahasa Pengantar pada ketika itu. Ia adalah di antara sekolah Melayu tertua di Pulau Pinang. Tapak asal Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta ini adalah terletak di persimpangan Jalan Transfer dan Jalan Phee Choon (kini tapak Ibupejabat Polis Kontinjen Pulau Pinang – Headquarters).

Di bawah pentadbiran Guru Besar yang dikenali dengan nama Pak Hitam, Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta mula mengorak langkah dalam meneruskan pendidikan pada masa tersebut. Pelajaran yang diajar hanya melibatkan kemahiran membaca, menulis, mengira dan juga sedikit pelajaran mengenai hal ehwal tempatan yang digabungkan dengan pelajaran Ilmu Alam.

Pada tahun 1928, Cikgu Mustafa Arshad (Guru Besar pada ketika itu) telah mula mengharumkan nama Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta dan memperkenalkannya ke seluruh pelusuk negara. Di antara tokoh yang dilahirkan di Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta ini ialah Allahyarham Doktor Aziz Omar (doktor Melayu yang menempah nama di negeri Kelantan), […] – Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Tanjung: SEJARAH (2009). Retrieved 19 October 2011 from

http://sksritanjung.blogspot.com/2009/05/uppp.html#comments

The original school, Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta, was at the corner of Transfer Road and Phee Choon Road (now Jalan Phee Choon). The present day school is Sekolah Sri Tanjong in Jalan Hutton (former Hutton Lane). The school is across the road from Masjid Jamek Jalan Hutton. This is the only mosque in this road.

Chowrasta is Tamil for a junction or crossroad from 4 roads.

Pasar Chowrasta (Chowrasta market) is in Jalan Penang (former Penang Road).

Pasar Chowrasta, Jalan Penang, George Town, Penang

Two early Malay doctors attended Sekolah Melayu Chowrasta in Penang. They were (Datuk Dr Haji) Abdul Aziz bin Omar and (Datuk Paduka Dr) Abdul Wahab bin Mohd Ariff.

Both doctors were born in 1919 and attended the Chowrasta Malay School from 1925 to 1929.

Both Abdul Aziz and Abdul Wahab attended Penang Free School from 1930 to 1937.

Both enrolled into the Medical College in Singapore in 1939.

Their medical studies were disrupted for four years when the Japanese occupation of Singapore occurred and the Medical College ceased operation on 15 February 1942 till 19 June 1946.

When the war was over, Abdul Wahab and Abdul Aziz resumed medical studies at KE VII in Singapore on 20 June 1946.

Dr Abdul Aziz bin Omar, Dr Abdul Wahab bin Mohd Ariff and Dr Omar bin Din, graduated from the King Edward VII College of Medicine, Singapore with a Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery (L.M.S.) in the Class of December 1949 (Lee 2005: 114). There were 28 graduates in 1949.

Dr Abdul Aziz had previously worked at the Merican Dispensary in Kota Bharu, Kelantan (possibly circa 1949-1953) before setting up his own private practice in the early 1950s, after the war ended. His clinic was the Aziz Dispensary (Morais 1963: 30) in 1856-58 Jalan Pendek, Kota Bharu, Kelantan (Morais 1965: 44). His clinic was beside the Kota Bharu bus station. [More in TEMD]

Dr Abdul Wahab bin Mohd Ariff joined the government service in 1950. He held several posts under the British Malayan, Malaysian and Brunei governments. In 1950-5, Dr Abdul Wahab was Medical Officer (MO) in Penang, Butterworth, Perlis and Kuala Pilah. He brought a lot of changes at Kangar Hospital while serving in Perlis. His efforts were appreciated by the British High Commissioner in Malaya, General Sir Gerald Templer. In 1954, Dr Abdul Wahab was responsible for the eradication of gastroenteritis epidemic in Perlis. [More in TEMD]

Dr Hutton was an early British physician in George Town. Hutton Lane is named after him. Hutton Lane is famous as it once housed the private clinic of Sir Dr Kamil Mohamed Ariff.

Jalan Hutton (Hutton Lane) - Jalan Penang (Penang Road) end

Masjid Jamek Jalan Hutton (Hutton Lane)

Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Tanjong, Jalan Hutton (Hutton Lane)

Sekolah Melayu Pulau Pinang / Penang Malay School, Kampong Melayu, Ayer Hitam, Penang

I have not managed to follow up what became of this school.

Directions to Air Hitam (formerly Ayer Itam), Penang

(Dr) Che Lah attended the Penang Malay School located in Jalan Kampong Melayu in Ayer Itam where he completed Standard IV. He then attended the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) in Penang where he completed Standard VII Senior Cambridge at the Annual Government Examination in December 1919.

(Dr) Che Lah entered the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore as a Federated Malay States (FMS) Government Medical Student in June 1923. Dr Che Lah passed the Final Medical Professional Examination in March 1930 and was awarded the Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery college diploma (L.M.S. Singapore, Class of March 1930). The Principal of the College of Medicine at the time was Dr DWG Faris. His name is also present on the board as Pioneer Student at the National University of Singapore Medical Faculty. His rolled paper transcripts still exist but are faded and very brittle but his clothed documents are still safely kept. His medical books can still be found within his house in Cangkat Minden, Penang and some have been donated to the Penang General Hospital.

Religious schools in Penang

The only religious school that I have on record is Madrasah Al-Mashoor, which is now the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (L) Al Mashoor and the Sekolah Menengah Agama (P) Al Mashoor.


Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (L) Al Mashoor 

This school was started by Syed Sheikh (1867-1934) who became its first headmaster. It moved a few places before this location. The history of Madrasah Al Mashoor & the progress of the modern school today can be read at its present day website.

Malayan Saturday Post, 23 May 1931, Page 25

THE VISIT OF HIS HIGHNESS TENGKU IBRAHIM, THE RAJA OF KELANTAN TO THE ALMASHOOR ISLAMIC SCHOOL, PENANG ON MAY IST, 1931. Tengku Ibrahim who was the Sultan of Kelantan visited the school  on 1 May 1931. Among those present were: Messrs. S. Md. Almihthar, SA Mashur, S Ali Bawazir, SM Elidrus, Dr KM Arif, Mr Nik Abdullah, Dato Bentara Dalam, Tengku Indrapetra, HH Tengku Ibrahim, Tengku Abdullah, Messrs. SM Md Hanif, Nik Mahmood, S Hashim Alsagoff, Shekarai Rawther, Shaik Mahamed, Sini Rawther, Messrs. S Mahmood Rafie, S Hussain and Shaik Abbas Rafie (Principal). Newspaper article link

The boys' hostel is in front of the school and closest to Jalan Air Hitam. The Chung Ling High School is across the busy main road from the boys' hostel. Further up the street from the boys' hostel is another boys' school, the Methodist Boys' School (MBS).

SMKA (L) Al Mashoor, Jalan Air Hitam, Penang

SMKA (L) Al Mashoor boys' hostel, Jalan Air Itam, Penang

Sekolah Menengah Agama (P) Al Mashoor

We drove past this school but I did not have time to take photos of it or visit the school.

External link

http://alkhauf.blogspot.com/2011/09/mahani-musa-universiti-sains-malaysia.html