MAY 13, 1969 MASS GRAVE

 

This grave in the photo is the May 13, 1969, mass grave - the main burial site for victims of the May 13 racial riots.

History

What happened: On 13 May 1969, a week-long racial riot broke out in Kuala Lumpur in the aftermath of Malaysia's 3rd general election. It remains the defining moment in Malaysian politics.

Official figures from the National Operations Council (NOC) report: 196 killed, 180 wounded by firearms and 259 by other weapons. Other researchers believe the real death toll was much higher.

The burial:

Few Malaysians know that a mass grave for the victims, built 'by the courtesy of the Malaysian government', is located within the Sungai Buloh Leprosarium (SBL).

The NOC report says 2 burial grounds were selected by the Ministry of Health based on the "relative absence of incidents in these areas": 

• Sungai Buloh (coordinates: 3°13'6"N 101°35'48"E)
• Gombak (3°12'52"N 101°43'9"E)

In Sungai Buloh: 103 persons were buried – 99 Chinese, 2 Muslim and 2 Indian. They were buried on 18th, 20th, 21st and 22nd May 1969, with one body discovered later brought for burial on 2nd June 1969.

In Gombak (Taman Ibu Kota Muslim Cemetery): 11 Muslim victims who could be identified as Muslims were buried.

According to oral testimony of Dr Lim Kuan Joo, a final-year medical student at University of Malaya who helped, bodies were pre-identified in the mortuary with cardboard tags on toes, then brought in a Black Maria lorry. They were buried naked without a single coffin in 4-foot-deep trenches pre-dug by leprosy inmates. Soldiers and lepers were employed as grave diggers.

Why Sungai Buloh Leprosarium?

The leprosarium was historically a segregated space to keep pathologised others out of sight. As a gated settlement with 3 gates preventing free movement, burying political victims there kept emotive visual cues of a violent past out of public sight and helped control memories of the riot.

Families struggled for decades to find where loved ones were buried, because the site was not publicised and headstones were simple/unmarked.

Location of the grave in the photo

This is the Sungai Buloh site. 

• Officially: National Leprosy Control Centre (NLCC), Valley of Bukit Lagong, Selangor, 25 km from Kuala Lumpur
• Today: Inside the compound near Sungai Buloh Hospital, close to the mosque you see in the background, and the Pangsapuri Nuri Blok A / Blok B apartments are visible in your photo.
• The exact NOC coordinate is 3°13'6"N 101°35'48"E.

The mosque in the photo is Masjid Hospital Sungai Buloh. It's not a famous historical mosque itself - it's the settlement mosque that was built for the leprosy centre.

There is also a second smaller May 13 Muslim cemetery in Taman Ibu Kota, Gombak.

Since 2017, families have started holding public memorials there - for the first time in 48 years - to pay respects to the victims.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

24 September 2026: 4:38 a.m.

DOWN MEMORY LANE: OLD SELANGOR TURF CLUB AMPANG

You're looking at the old Selangor Turf Club at Ampang Road — that's 100% where KLCC / Petronas Twin Towers is today.

That photo is from the 1970s/80s. You can see the old Holiday Inn on Jalan Pinang and the tall tower with Jawi writing — that was the Mimaland/KL Hilton area. The track in front is the racecourse.

Here's the history of that exact site before KLCC:

The Selangor Turf Club (1896 - 1992)

1. Founded in March 1896

Started as the Selangor Gymkhana Club in the early 1890s, then renamed the Selangor Turf Club in 1896. It was one of the oldest horse racing clubs in Malaysia.

2. For nearly a century, this was KL's premier sporting landmark.

For almost 100 years, races were conducted at Ampang Road, which is today the site of the Petronas Twin Towers. The track was about 40 hectares / 100 acres, bordered by Jalan Ampang.

The centrepiece of the area was the original site of the Selangor Turf Club, with many houses constructed around the site to capitalise on views of the racing course. It was the place to be seen in colonial and post-independence KL — British officers, Malay royalty, and towkays all came.

In the photo you can see the huge crowd — race days were a major social event.

3. Why it moved

By the late 1970s/80s, traffic congestion around Ampang and KL's expansion north made the central location unsustainable. The government wanted a new iconic development.

4. End of an era: 

• 1988: The Selangor Turf Club site and adjoining residential parcels were sold to be cleared away for the KLCC project
• August 1992: Last race held at Ampang Road — after almost a century of racing there
• 1993: Club relocated to its present site in Serdang / Seri Kembangan, where it still operates today as one of only 3 turf clubs in Malaysia

5. What happened next?

The old track was demolished on 1 March 1997 to make way for the Petronas Twin Towers project. The KLCC masterplan was conceived as a "city within a city" on the former grounds of the Selangor Turf Club — Towers completed in 1998, Suria KLCC, KLCC Park designed by Roberto Burle Marx, convention centre, etc.

So before you had Twin Towers, you had horses thundering down that straight. The area you're seeing in the photo is now roughly between the Twin Towers and KLCC Park.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

24 September 2026: 4:02 a.m.

DOWN MEMORY LANE: GRAND SEASONS HOTEL, JALAN PAHANG, K.L

Jalan Pahang • Titiwangsa • Since 1997

Grand Seasons Hotel,
Jalan Pahang KL

A Personal Timeline 2002—2026

From family celebrations to closure and rebirth as Irama Kuala Lumpur — a museum record of a Titiwangsa landmark through personal photographs. Photos by Hj Zulheimy Maamor.

2002Prime Years • Family Majlis

Majlis Anak-Anak Salindah & Examo

This is 29 September 2002: My wife and my kids with a big maroon balloon inside the ballroom with the famous celebrity Kak Yong Tengku Mariam. 

Bottom right: another celebrity (forgot her nama) holding the mic and my wife holding the little one. 

2002 was right in the hotel's prime - just 4-5 years after it opened in 1997. Back then it was marketed as a 3-star but with 5-star height – 40 floors, 800 rooms, that tall small salmon-pink tower you could see from Jalan Pahang. 

201311 Oct 2013

Still fully operational 

On 11 October 2013, sending my son for a few days of training at Port Dickson, waiting for the bus in infront of the hotel. 

This year, the hotel is still well-maintained, with a signboard with bunga kertas in front, a photo of me in an orange T-shirt at the side entrance, and my family waiting in the lobby. 

2017

Class of '73 Reunion & Final Years

On 5 August 2017, a few weeks before my 2017 Hajj at Mecca, I attended the reunion of Class of 73 - SRJK (Inggeris) Gombak 1 & 2 at this hotel. Big group photo, maybe 40+ people, balloons and the banner behind them. 

That was exactly what Grand Seasons was famous for in its last years – affordable ballroom packages for school reunions, family days, kenduri, and government courses. With 800 rooms and big banquet halls, it was the go-to for old classmates gathering from all over KL/Selangor.

28 FEB 2019

Ceased Operations

After 20 years operating, the 40-storey hotel with 800 rooms, Malaysia's tallest hotel, was losing money. The owner, Prominview Sdn Bhd, announced it would cease operations. 

The internal memo said:

"We have discovered that there are many issues with the building facilities due to age, such as water plumbing and piping, central air-conditioning system."

The board decided to close with effect from Feb 28, 2019.

2021-2022

Rumah Prihatin@Grand Seasons

The empty hotel was taken over by the Federal Territories Ministry to become a COVID-19 welfare centre. It was rebranded as Rumah Prihatin @ Grand Season and started operating in stages beginning from 15 July 2021 – used for a free food kitchen (1,000 packs), 300 rooms for quarantine, mental health counselling, vaccination support for homeless / disabled and an NGO operations centre. 

After that programme ended, it was left vacant – which is why in April 2024 it looked like in my photo below, with the weathered facade and hoarding. 

APR 2024

Empty Shell

Exposed concrete, no flag, green bus in front – after Rumah Prihatin, before the renovation.

2026

Irama Kuala Lumpur

Fully refurbished and repurposed into Irama KL - 766 bilik, 5-star, tagline "Feel the rhythm". 72 Jalan Pahang, Titiwangsa Sentral. Ballroom 700 pax, auditorium tingkat 40, 7 restoran, pool 25 m. Expected to open in 2026. 

Same address - 72 JALAN PAHANG, TITIWANGSA SENTRAL - but now a 5-star hotel.

The new hotel is set to open in 2026, marking one of the largest new hotel developments in the city with 766 rooms and suites. It will have 7 restaurants, two ballrooms, and a 300-seat auditorium on the 40th floor, with the tagline "Feel the rhythm" – Irama means rhythm/melody in Malay.

So Grand Seasons is gone, but the tower is back as Irama KL. If you drive past Jalan Pahang now in 2026, you should see new signage and scaffolding coming down.

Photos by Hj Zulheimy Maamor • 2002—2024 • 72, Jalan Pahang, Titiwangsa Sentral, 53000 KL • Formerly Grand Seasons Hotel (1997—2019) • Now Irama KL (2026)

Updated: 24/9/2026: 1:46 a.m.

HISTORY OF LOCAL MEDIA

By Dr Mustafa K Anuar

The Sun: 31 August 2007

Very much like the rest of the developing world, the advent of the printing presses and the mass media in then Malaya was brought about by European colonialism.

The first newspaper that was published in what is now known as Malaysia was the English-language Government Gazette, which was later christened as the Prince of Wales Island Gazette (PWIG).

The PWIG began publication on March 1, 1806, on the island of Penang, then a residency called Prince of Wales Island under the control of the British East India Company. Owned by an Indian entrepreneur, A.B. Bone, the PWIG was a commercial newspaper aimed not at the locals but at the colonialists and expatriates.

In the early 1800s, there was no law in the Straits Settlements governing the issuance of newspaper licences. The governor of Penang, however, found it imperative to issue a licence to Bone. Curiously, Bone himself made a request that the PIWG be censored by the government prior to publication.

Hence, it could be argued that this practice marked the beginning of the connection between the state and the press, and also of state intervention in the affairs of the media.

The PWIG endured for 21 years, its final edition being published on July 21, 1827. During that period, a few other newspapers, including non-English language ones, emerged, but these normally stopped publication as quickly as they appeared.

Virtually all of the early newspapers, English language or vernacular, were published in the three Straits Settlement states of Singapore, Malacca and Penang.

There are reasons for the lack of newspapers published for the locals and in the Malay language during this period. Firstly, the poor economic status of the local, particularly Malay, community made it uneconomical for any commercially motivated publisher to start a paper in the Malay language.

And secondly, formal education was still nonexistent for most people, which meant that literate people were very small in number and therefore made for a constrained market.

Indeed, it was not until 1876 that the first Malay weekly, Jawi Peranakan, was published in Singapore. The Jawi Peranakan and a few other Malay publications such as Al–Imam

(1906–08), Utusan Melayu (1907–21), and Lembaga Melayu (1914–31) substantially helped to provide intellectual, political and religious leadership in the Malay community by highlighting issues regarding the development of the Malay community.

At about the same time, Singai Warthamani, the first Tamil newspaper published in British Malaya in 1875, joined subsequent publications by concentrating on social issues that concerned the Indian community, particularly issues that revolved around rubber estates.

In Sarawak, the publication of the Sarawak Gazette in 1870 marked the beginning of the history of the press in the state. In 1908, another newspaper, Sarawak Government Gazette, emerged. The first Malay newspaper, Fajar Sarawak, was published in 1930, and Chinese language newspapers Shen Won Kie Min Sing Pao and Xi Min Ri Bao were published in 1913 and 1927 respectively.

After the surrender of the Japanese military in Malaya in 1945, many of the newspapers that were outlawed during the Japanese Occupation, such as the Utusan Melayu, The Straits Times and the Malay Mail, made a comeback, while new ones, such as the Suara Rakyat, emerged.

This happened at a time when Malay nationalism was surging, especially provoked by the British proposal for a Malayan Union which was strongly opposed by many Malays. Malay language newspapers such as the Utusan Melayu, Majlis and Warta Negara played a key role in raising Malay consciousness regarding the controversial issue of the Malayan Union.

Four years into Merdeka, an incident occurred in the Malayan press that had far–reaching

Implications for the future of press freedom in the country. In 1961, a revived Utusan Melayu was entangled in a fight between its journalists and other workers, on one hand, and the ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno), on the other, over the important issue of press freedom.

The newspaper workers, under the leadership of its former chief editor Said Zahari, championed editorial independence while Umno insisted that the newspaper, which was highly influential within the Malay community should give full support to the party. A 93–day strike ensued which ended with Umno, given its majority shareholding power, taking over the newspaper.

The growth of the media industry in Malaysia was spurred by the New Economic Policy (NEP) following its implementation in 1970, and especially by the privatisation policy that was undertaken in the early 1980s by the Mahathir administration.

Consequently, a number of new titles of newspapers and magazines and new TV and radio stations made inroads into the media industry. Indeed, there was a quantitative growth in the industry.

Apart from government–run RTM’s TV1 and TV2 channels, Malaysians witnessed the birth of private TV station TV3 that started transmission on June 1, 1984, the first of its kind under the privatisation policy.  

This was followed by 8TV, after it was revamped, which started broadcasting on Jan 8, 2004. NTV7 began transmission on April 7, 1998, and TV9 on April 22 last year.

Apart from these free-to-air TV stations that come under the stable of conglomerate Media Prima, another major broadcasting player also appeared on the scene in the mid-1990s. Astro, a subscription-based direct broadcast satellite, or direct-to-home satellite, television and radio service, began operation in 1996.

The government-run wire service, Bernama, also launched its own TV news channel in 1998 in an apparent attempt to provide news content for the growing broadcasting industry.

Over the years, as implied above, the media industry in Malaysia has witnessed a growing and troubling trend of media ownership concentration and consolidation, which was triggered by economic and, to some extent, political considerations.

Such a phenomenon prevails primarily because of the laws that govern the mainstream media, namely the Printing Presses and Publications Act for the press and the Communications and Multimedia Act for the broadcasting industry and the Internet, which invariably empower the ministers concerned to determine who can or cannot own and run the mainstream press and broadcasting stations.

This situation certainly has serious implications on press freedom and the media’s qualitative diversity because media ownership concentration tends to constrain the diversity of content and viewpoints in the mainstream newspapers and broadcasting stations, especially when most owners of these media organisations are associated with the ruling coalition or constitute their economic allies.

In other words, the parameters of freedom and space found in the mainstream media are directly or indirectly prescribed by the powers that be.

Such a media environment has also brought about a worrying culture of self-censorship within the journalistic fraternity. In this context, laws such as the Official Secrets Act, Sedition Act and the Internal Security Act also have a chilling effect on journalists.

It is, therefore, not surprising that many Malaysians have turned to the alternative and new media for new sources of information, news and views. This was most evident after the sacking of then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, which triggered the call for reformasi.

At the height of the movement, many people sought alternative publications such as Harakah, Detik, Tamadun and Aliran Monthly, as well as websites and news portals such as Malaysiakini.

Although the movement has petered out over the years and many of the reformasi–motivated websites have since died a natural death, the yearning for better media still exists among certain quarters of society because some sections of the mainstream media still suffer from a credibility gap.

This explains, in part, the recent and growing popularity of websites, especially blogs, a few of which provide incisive political analyses as well as a certain degree of investigative journalism that is absent in the mainstream media.

Blogging has become a household term now, what with the recent skirmishes between the state and the ruling party on one side and bloggers such as Jeff Ooi, Ahirudin Attan, Nathaniel Tan and Raja Petra Kamarudin (of the increasingly popular website Malaysia Today) on the other.

The vibrancy and growth of blogs and websites is indicative of something amiss within the mainstream media and of the status of media freedom in the country.

While it is true that there are blogs and websites that are problematic or even scandalous in nature, placing certain obstacles or issuing threats against particular Net users is not really a panacea to the ailments that have inflicted the mass media in general.

If anything, this does not augur well for the pronounced policy of transparency, accountability and good governance.

Dr Mustafa K. Anuar teaches at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

___________________________________________________________

HISTORY OF MEDIA IN MALAYSIA

• 1806 (1 March): The first newspaper in Malaya, the English-language Government Gazette, later named the Prince of Wales Island Gazette (PWIG), was published. Owned by A.B.Boone, Indian entrepreneur. 
• 1838: The Singapore Chronicle and Commercial Register was founded, the first English-language newspaper in Singapore. 
• 1870: the Sarawak Gazette emerged. 
• 1876: The first Malay weekly, Jawi Peranakan, was published in Singapore.
• 1896: The Malay Mail was founded in Kuala Lumpur, the oldest newspaper in Malaysia still in print. 
• 1906: Al-Imam, a religious journal published in Singapore by Sayyid Shaykh AlHadi. 
• 1907: Utusan Melayu started in Singapore. 
• 1911: Neracha, a thrice-monthly journal, was published in Singapore. 
• 1913: The Chinese language newspaper, Shen Won Kie Min Sing Pao, was published in Sarawak.
• 1914: Majallah al-Islam, edited by K. Anang, published in Singapore. 
• 1921: Radio in Malaya begins in Johor. A.L. Birch, a government engineer, brought the first radio set into the country. He established the Johore Wireless Association and commenced broadcasting through 300-metre waves. 
• 1926: Al-Ikhwan - Penang Monthly was published 
• 1927: The Chinese newspaper, Xi Min Ri Bao, was published in Sarawak.
• 1928: Saudara, published in Penang.  
• 1930: Fajar Sarawak, the first Malay newspaper in Sarawak, was published. Sir Earl from the Singapore Port Authority commenced a shortwave broadcast every fortnight either on Sundays or Wednesdays.
• 1937 (11 March): Sir Shenton Thomas opened the Studio of the Broadcasting Corporation of Malaya and its transmitter at Caldecott Hill, Singapore.  
• 1945: Many of the newspapers that were banned during the Japanese occupation made a comeback, such as Utusan Melayu, The Straits Times and the Malay Mail. The new ones, such as the Suara Rakyat, emerged. 
• 1946 (1 April): The Department of Broadcasting was established in Singapore. Moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1956. 
• 1948: The North Borneo News was published in Sabah. Donald Stephen was a reporter for the publication. 
• 1954: The North Borneo News joined the Sabah Times. 
• 1963 (December): Television was first introduced with the help of technical consultants from Canada. The initial set-up comprised a single-channel national network under the control of Radio Television Malaya (RTM). 
• 1968 (20 May): BERNAMA (Pertubuhan Berita Nasional) began operating. 
• 1969 (October): The television second channel was launched. 
• 1982: The New Straits Times created a merger of The Straits Times and the Malaysian Newsprint Industries-owned New Straits Times Press. 
• 1984 (1 June): Birth of the first private TV station, TV3. 
• 1996: ASTRO (All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator) began operating. 
• 1998 (7 April): NTV7 began transmission.
• 2004 (8 January): 8TV started its broadcasting by Media Prima. 
• 2006 (22 April): TV9 under Media Prima began transmission. 
• 2017: UNIFI TV, a competitor to ASTRO owned by Telekom Malaysia emerged as strong cord-cutting alternative. 

C&P

24 September 2026: 12:27 a.m.

An Emotional Journey to Remember a Fallen Father

Sgt George, Wife Nellie, Mary (front) and Brian (Baby)

Source: NST 25 August 2007 by Jaswinder Kaur

More than six decades after he died in Borneo, a family finally comes to the place where he fell.

Some journeys are holidays. Some are pilgrimages. For the family of Sergeant George Julian Beetson, it was both an emotional return and 60 years in the making.

In August 2007, Mary Sheridan Beetson, 81, and her brother Brian Beetson, 70, led their children and grandchildren all the way from Australia to Sabah. They came to stand where their father had fought, died, and was finally laid to rest.

Who Was Sergeant George Julian Beetson?

Sergeant George Julian Beetson was among the Australian soldiers shipped to what was then North Borneo to fight the Japanese in World War II.

He never came home.

He died as a prisoner of war on November 1, 1944. He was just 39 years old, leaving behind a wife, Nellie, and two small children in Australia.

For his family, he remained a hero frozen in time.

"I was 14 when Dad left for Borneo," Mary recalled. "He was my hero and could do nothing wrong in my eyes. I remember him quite well; he was a gentleman."

For months, the family held onto hope. Nellie kept receiving cards from him while he was away.

"My mum kept on receiving cards from him when he was away, and we believed he would come home one day. Then we received a telegram from the War Department telling us he was dead. We were devastated."

A Family's First Visit to Sabah

Mary and 12 descendants of Sergeant Beetson travelled to Sabah for the first time. Their journey took them to his grave at the Labuan War Memorial and to memorial services in Kundasang and Sandakan for the Australian and British soldiers who died in North Borneo.

Mary admitted she didn't know what to expect.

"But it wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be when we attended memorial services for Australian and British soldiers who died in North Borneo. I guess it must have been because of the support I had from my family."

For Brian, who was only 3 years old when his father left, the memories are faint but precious.

"I remember him leaving, though. We took him to the train station. While he was in Singapore, he sent a parcel of presents to us. I still treasure the set of toy elephants he sent me."

His saddest memory is the day the hope ended.

"My saddest memory is when the telegram arrived to say he would not be coming home. I was 7 then, and Mum crumpled into a heap as she collapsed."

Even 60 years later, the grief is close to the surface. Brian was asked to speak about his father during one of the memorial services.

"It was like reading under water. My eyes were wet," he said.

After the war, a few of his father's personal belongings — including his Bible and his tobacco pouch — were mysteriously returned to the family.

"We believe someone from Western Australia returned them, but it is something [of a] mystery. We wish we could find who returned the items."

Lest We Forget

What moved Brian most was how Sabah remembers.

He said he was touched that memorial services were held in Sabah for heroes, the way they are back home in Australia — a sign that the sacrifice of soldiers like his father is not forgotten, even so far from home.

Photo Caption: Mary Sheridan (right) and Brian Beetson recollecting memories about their father. (Inset) A picture of Sergeant George Julian Beetson, wife Nellie and their children Mary and Brian before World War 2. – Picture courtesy of the Beetson family

Original reporting by Jaswinder Kaur, New Straits Times.

C&P

23 September 2026: 10:52 p.m.

THE NEVER-ENDING STORY

Originally published in the New Straits Times, 31 August 2007 - Merdeka 50th Anniversary

Editor's note: 

"This is a timeless Merdeka reflection on what truly unites a nation - a common cause and a common enemy. 50 years on from 1957, it remains just as relevant today."

Two things unite a nation.

A common cause and a common enemy.

Our first generation had the best of both. They had the common cause of independence. A cause so great, so good, so sweet that there are still about 3,000 nations in waiting thirsting for what 150 or so have tasted in the past half-century: The nectar of their very own Merdeka Days.

Our founders had their founding enemy in imperialism: the force that had to be repelled — and was obligingly disposed to do so anyway, now that colonialism had become a bit of a tiresome embarrassment to the colonisers.

Besides, in Malaya the White Man's Burden had shown itself sufficiently adept at consociational politics and usefully appreciative of the finer points of a British education and administration.

Hardly had the Federation of Malaya Agreement spelt the end of British Malaya, however, when, by fortuitous historical happenstance, a perfect new common enemy emerged. 

What could be more useful in uniting a nation than an armed insurrection?

The Malayan Communist Party's baleful escalations of 1948 were a death-or-glory play: they would unite Malaya in a communist "people's republic" or rip it apart in the effort. But their timing sucked. Malaya was still enough of an outpost of Empire to deal with obstreperous natives — especially murderous ones.

In the decade leading to 1957, a time of new visions and New Villages, this nation-in-waiting played common causes and common enemies like a string quartet with Vivaldi.

Our founding generation achieved their common cause 50 years ago today. Just three years later, in 1960, they were able to declare the defeat of their common enemy, the communist insurrection, ending the Emergency. And twirled immediately into another unifying cause-and-enemy tango: the formation of Malaysia and the Indonesian Confrontation. Another common cause attained; another common enemy foiled.

We celebrate our first generation's success today and remember them with fondness and gratitude. But we do not forget the darker consequences of their success in attaining stated goals and overcoming sworn foes. The nation's moral compass swung freely in the absence of the polar gravities of cause and enemy, and people found them where they could.

After the riots of 1969 emerged the second generation of an independent nation, no longer Malayans but Malaysians, Bumiputeras or otherwise; a generation redefined for redesign. There was a new common cause for this nation: The New Economic Policy's twin objectives of eradicating poverty and "eliminating the association of race with economic function".

And there was a new common enemy, one all the more insidiously dangerous for not being a foreign import such as colonialism, imperialism or communism, but deeply internal, home-grown and personal: race hate.

A much more strictly controlled nation emerged from the restructuring, not just in new policies, legislation and systems of governance, but also in the concerted education of an entire generation to pursue these goals and embody these ideals.

In another of those dazzling historical conjunctions for which this country isn't famous enough, the tenure of the nation's second generation coincided with the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The educated discipline of the NEP generation, along with its burgeoning crop of new technocrats and professionals, could therefore be tapped for what history will surely remember as Malaysia's turbo-charged acceleration phase.

Most of the quadrupling of gross domestic product since 1970 took place on Dr Mahathir's watch — which means it wasn't entirely about 22 years, three months, two weeks and a day of megaprojects, but more disposable income for just about everyone.

But that was that. The NEP, as its designers wished, bought time for one generation. Its continuing influence, as they feared, shows that the generation so favoured hasn't gained the self-confidence to stand unaided.

This passes an onerous burden to the third generation: Anak Malaysia coming online in the 21st century. Their name is We: There are more Malaysians under 25 today than all the people in Malaya at Independence.

They would seem to have inherited common cause aplenty. In some things we're fast learners, and the years since 1970 have been jollied along by one restatement after another of national principles and purposes: Tun Razak's Rukunegara, Dr Mahathir's Vision 2020, and Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Mission.

But what is their common enemy?

Let us here revisit the good and ancient wisdom of "The Third-Generation Curse". All dynastic traditions know and understand it: The first generation gets something going; the second grows it; the third blows it all to pieces.

Break the Third-Generation Curse and your family will live long and prosper, honouring the memory of their ancestors and building the future on a solid foundation of the past. Fail, and they'll forget even themselves.

Why does this awesome threshold, this moment of truth, loom into view with the advent of G3? Very simple:

G1 is born poor but is determined not to die poor if he can help it. So he works like a dog. He marries a good and diligent partner who also works like a dog. They have children and work together to send G2 to school to be educated — not so that they won't have to work like dogs, but to do so more profitably.

G2 is therefore not born as poor as G1 was and grows up appreciating G1 for making that possible. Filial piety and respect are genuine between first and second generations. Parents are proud of their dutiful children — whose very existence is testament to their success — and children are motivated to do their parents proud, taking over their family firms and turning them into public-listed companies and multinational corporations.

G3, therefore, is born rich. And it can be astonishing how far away Grandpa's humble hovel can be from the bemoved children of the nouveau riche. Grandpa himself is an old codger by now, and Dad, he was always his papa's boy. Everything Grandpa said he did, he wasn't a founder but a mere executive and wants to run this old business anyway? We're rich brats with trust funds.

The third generation feel oppressed and strained by dynastic burdens. Beneficiaries of their predecessors' success, they were born wealthier and more comfortable, with greater means and better opportunities and would naturally perceive the future to be far more theirs than anyone else's to mine and would surely find too stifling an imposition the traditions, ideals and restraints of generations past.

Understandable.

They should be given paths. G1 and G2 did all they could; it's up to G3. All their forebears might hope as they exercise their right to the future of their own design is that they see how selfishness, ignorance, arrogance and disrespect invalidate the very notion of common cause.

After burying imperialism, communism and poverty in the course of our first 50 years, our common enemy now is the Third-Generation Curse. We must break it. We have no choice. Otherwise there is no "we".

C&P

23 September 2026: 10:19 p.m.

The Journey of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad: The Architect of Modern Malaysia

Introduction:

Few leaders have shaped a nation as completely as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Born on 10 July 1925 in Alor Setar, Kedah, he would go on to become Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister, serving as both the 4th Prime Minister (1981-2003) and the 7th Prime Minister (2018-2020) – over 24 years in total. At 92, he also became the world's oldest elected head of government. This is his journey from a small-town doctor to the architect of modern Malaysia.

1. Early Life & Education (1925 - 1953)

Mahathir was born in 1925 during British colonial rule. He lived through the Japanese occupation of Malaya (1941-1945). A bright student at Sultan Abdul Hamid College, he went on to study medicine at King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore. He graduated in 1953 and became one of the first Malay private physicians.

2. Entry into Politics (1946 - 1969)

His political life began early. He joined UMNO shortly after its formation in 1946 and became active in Malay nationalism. In 1964, he was elected Member of Parliament for Kota Setar Selatan. He was a strong advocate for Malay economic advancement but lost his seat in the 1969 elections during a period of national turmoil. During this time he wrote controversial letters criticising the leadership.

3. The Wilderness Years & The Malay Dilemma (1970 - 1980)

This was a defining intellectual period. In 1970, he published "The Malay Dilemma", a book that led to his expulsion from UMNO but later became highly influential in Malaysian politics. He was later brought back into UMNO under Tun Hussein Onn's leadership and rose rapidly: appointed as Senator, Deputy Minister, Minister of Education, and finally Deputy Prime Minister.

4. First Premiership: Building a Nation (1981 - 2003)

In 1981, Mahathir became the 4th Prime Minister. This 22-year period is his most transformative.

His leadership was built on three pillars:

a) Vision & Policy: He launched "Vision 2020" in 1991, with the bold goal of making Malaysia a fully developed nation by 2020. To achieve it, he introduced the "Look East Policy" – learning work ethics from Japan and Korea – and pushed for rapid industrialisation.

b) Mega Projects & Infrastructure: He literally changed the skyline of Malaysia. Key projects from this era include:

• PROTON – The national car project
• North-South Expressway - The backbone of Peninsular Malaysia
• Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)
• Putrajaya - The new federal administrative centre
• PETRONAS Twin Towers (1998) and KL Tower
• Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and Cyberjaya

c) Economic Reforms: He drove privatisation, grew the manufacturing sector, and delivered an economic boom throughout the 1980s and 1990s, expanding education and technology at the same time.

His tenure also faced major crises: the 1985 recession, the 1988 constitutional crisis, the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis, where he famously introduced capital controls and pegged the Ringgit, the political conflict with Anwar Ibrahim, and the Reformasi movement.

5. Retirement and the Return (2003 - 2018)

Mahathir retired in 2003, handing power to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. But he remained vocal and influential, often critical of subsequent governments.

The political landscape began to change. In 2015-2018, he made a dramatic comeback. He left UMNO, formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU), and joined forces with his former rivals under the Pakatan Harapan coalition to campaign against corruption.

6. Historic Return to Power (2018 - 2020)

In the 2018 General Election, he achieved a historic victory. At age 92, he returned as the 7th Prime Minister. His second term focused on institutional reforms, anti-corruption initiatives, and restoring Malaysia's international standing as a Global South advocate and critic of Western imperialism and a leader in ASEAN and South-South cooperation. His term ended with the Sheraton Move political crisis and his resignation on 23 February 2020.

7. Legacy: Transformation of a Nation (2020 - Present)

Now in his later years as an elder statesman, he continues to give public lectures and commentary. His legacy is summarised in 7 pillars: modern infrastructure, economic growth, industrial development, education expansion, technology & innovation, stronger international standing, and nation building & unity.

Conclusion:

From a book-reading student in 1925 to the man who put the Twin Towers on the world map, Mahathir's journey is inseparable from Malaysia's journey.

"Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts, and thoughts result in action." - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

Did you know?

By the time of his second term, he was not only Malaysia's longest-serving leader but also held the record as the world's oldest elected head of government.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

23 September 2026: 8:59 p.m.

The Voice Behind Negaraku: The Story of Jamaludin Alias

Originally published in the New Straits Times - 26/8/2007 

By P. SELVARANI

This was the voice generations of Malaysians heard over radio and television, advocating feelings of patriotism.

But P. Selvarani discovers there is significantly more to the man with the deep booming voice.

"SINGING wasn't my profession. It was my hobby."

This was the passionate declaration of the bubbly 70-year-old Jamaludin Alias.

Telecoms Department technician, sports writer, sports commentator, news announcer, radio deejay, founding member of and singer with a keroncong band and "government" singer. Jamaludin was all this and more: he was the first to sing the Negaraku.

And this was way back in 1957, more than a month before independence in August.

"Tunku (Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj) wanted a national anthem for Merdeka," Jamaludin remembers clearly during this interview at his home in Kelana Jaya, where he lives with his wife, Kalsom Othman.

"He chose the Perak anthem but changed the lyrics."

"I was then instructed to teach the people to sing the national anthem over the radio, under the guidance of (Tan Sri) Dol Ramli with Alphonso Soliano on the piano."

"Every day during that one month before Merdeka, I would slowly sing the song, line by line, for 15 minutes over the radio, to help the people learn to sing Negara Ku."

A recording of the national anthem sung by the Radio Malaya choir — Jamaludin was a member of this choir — continued to fill the airwaves in the years after Merdeka.

As Jamaludin says, there was "no turning back" after that.

He quit his job as a Telecoms Department technician, and after a six-month stint at the bilek gerakan (operations room) of the Prime Minister's Department, he joined Radio Malaya as a part-time announcer and deejay and later as a news announcer and sports commentator.

By this time, Jamaludin, who has a passion for keroncong songs, teamed up with Radio Malaya composer Johar Bahar to form the keroncong band, "Orkes Rindu Malam", which performed over radio. (The band is still around with a new set of members.)

The Early Years

Jamaludin got into singing young, thanks to his eldest sister, Halimah, a teacher who loved singing.

The 8-year-old Jamaludin, who lived with Halimah in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, would sing along, and it wasn't long before he started participating in school talent time competitions with his schoolmate, the late Zain Azman.

By the time he was 17, Jamaludin was already a guest artiste over Radio Malaya, singing keroncong songs.

His break came in 1957 when he was roped into Radio Malaya's Merdeka Choir under the stewardship of the late Tony Fonseka.

The 20-odd member choir was assembled in preparation for the Merdeka celebrations to sing the many patriotic songs penned by, among others, Johar, Jimmy Boyle and (Datuk) Ahmad Merican.

"For that whole month, we practised every day from 9am to noon."

"There was never a prouder moment than when all of us — Malays, Chinese and Indians — stood in our various (ethnic) costumes at the Selangor Club Padang on the eve of Merdeka."

"We sang Malaya Tanah Airku as we watched the Union Jack being lowered and the Malayan flag raised."

Earlier that evening, Jamaludin had joined the great P. Ramlee and Saloma and other popular artistes to perform at a pre-Merdeka banquet hosted by Tunku at the Residency.

"And on Merdeka evening, we performed at the floating stage of the Lake Gardens for the public."

The Government Singer

The Information Ministry wasted no time in putting Jamaludin's voice to good use to inspire a sense of patriotism among the citizens of a new nation through songs such as Putera Puteri.

And at the height of the confrontation with Indonesia, Jamaludin's voice boomed over the airwaves to fuel the fire of nationalism with songs such as Malaysia Berjaya, Samudera Raya, Gagah Perkasa and the ever-popular Perajurit Tanah Air, accompanied by the Royal Malaysian Police band.

"(Tun) Ghazali Shafie, who was the information minister, had commissioned the late Saiful Bahari to compose the songs."

"I did the recording for these songs from 7pm to 1am at the Film Unit (later called Filem Negara), which was located at the site of the present New Straits Times building in Bangsar."

"It was hard work, but I enjoyed it."

Jamaludin was paid a "princely" sum of RM50 for the effort.

After each recording, the song would be played before Tunku Abdul Rahman and members of his cabinet for approval before it was broadcast.

Perajurit Tanah Air is Jamaludin's favourite because of its touching lyrics. It is one song many of us identify with, especially the opening line, "Inilah barisan kita..."

And he was soon singing other campaign songs for the government such as Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa (to promote the national language), Keselamatan Jalan Raya (road safety) and Mari Mengundi (for the general election).

His popularity as a singer of patriotic songs earned Jamaludin the nickname penyanyi kerajaan (government singer).

"I did not mind it (being called the government singer) at all. I viewed it as my contribution to the country," says the grandfather of four.

"I am happy that Malaysians still remember these songs and today's children are still singing them."

"Some of my songs are still played over (Radio) Klasik Nasional."

"I have done my part, and I am proud of it."

________________________________________________________________

Encik Jamaludin Alias passed away on 22 April 2022.

He died of old age at 85 - his son Fazli said he breathed his last at about 5am that morning.

Jenazah was prayed at Masjid Al-Hidayah, Kelana Jaya, after Friday prayers and laid to rest at the Section 9 Muslim cemetery in Kota Damansara.

He leaves behind his wife, Umi Kalsom Othman, and three children.

Al-Fatihah for the voice that first taught Malaysia to sing Negaraku in 1957.

C&P

23 September 2026: 8:05 p.m.

A Love Story in Malaya: British Couple Honoured 50 Years After Serving in Kinrara

When a tour of duty becomes a love story.

On 30 August 2007, on the eve of Malaysia's 50th Merdeka anniversary, 59 foreign veterans from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand returned to Kuala Lumpur not as soldiers, but as honoured guests.

Among them were Britons Antony and Eileen Gould — a couple who have fond memories of this country for a very personal reason: it is here that they met and fell in love.

Eileen was a nurse at the Kinrara Army Hospital while Antony served as a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Fifty years on, their service was finally recognised. Both received the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM), an award presented to foreign veterans in recognition of their sacrifices, gallantry and dedication while serving in Malaya during the Emergency and the Confrontation.

"I was stationed at the hospital for 18 months. Most of my patients were British soldiers and their wives, Gurkha soldiers and their wives and, of course, local soldiers," Eileen recalled.

The couple left Malaya in 1957, returned for a visit in 1990, and in 2007 they were back for a second time.

"Driving out of the airport, I saw so many new housing developments. It's amazing," said Eileen. She was astounded by Malaysia's development.

The awards were presented by then Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

In his speech, he thanked the veterans for their willingness to sacrifice their lives for the security and sovereignty of Malaysia:

"One of the reasons we have been able to accomplish the transformation and achieve peace and security is because men and women from countries like Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other friendly nations not only stood side-by-side but fought with us.

We know it wasn't an easy task to be soldiers fighting in the Malaysian jungle. You faced worthy adversaries, but we had the wisdom to put things together in the right manner.

You were willing to fight alongside our soldiers and bear with mosquitoes and leeches. Only one country on record was successful in defeating the communists, and that was Malaya."

For the first time that year, some 200 former soldiers from the three countries were also invited to march in the Merdeka parade on 31 August.

National Malaya Borneo Veteran Association patron Gen Sir Garry Johnson, who was also present, said the soldiers treasured the time they served in Malaya and had watched with great admiration as Malaysia prospered after independence.

Photo caption: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak helping veteran Margaret Linford, 69, to her feet during the presentation of awards to foreign veterans in Shangri-La Hotel — NST picture by M. Rosli Ishak

Source: New Straits Times, 31 August 2007, By Shamini Darshni

C&P

23 September 2026: 6:25 p.m.

CONSTRUCTION OF STADIUM MERDEKA - LEE KWOK THYE MEMOIRS!

by Lee Kwok Thye

Photos courtesy of Arkib Negara Malaysia.

The Origin & Team

The outdoor Stadium Merdeka was initiated by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra. Several sites were considered, but he finally chose Coronation Park. Tunku directed the stadium to be designed, constructed and completed in time for the declaration of independence on 31 August 1957. He hoped it would be a permanent memorial to commemorate "Merdeka"!

In July 1956, PWD Federal Headquarters at Maxwell Road was asked to undertake it before 31 August 1957 - a very tight time schedule by any standard! Mr Stanley Edward Jewkes, Deputy Director of Federal Headquarters, was commissioned to undertake and be responsible for the whole project, including the development of the area around the stadium into a public park to be named Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.

• Mr S E Jewkes PMN, OBE: Responsible for overall design, construction and completion
• Mr E A Green: Interior architectural designer
• Mr Chan Sai Soo (deceased): Chief civil, structural and project engineer
• Mr J L McDermott: Assistant project engineer
• Mr I J Marshall: Quantity surveyor
• Mr Peter Loh Teh Kong (deceased): Engineering assistant and structural designer
• Mr Lee Kwok Thye: Structural designer and site supervisor
• Mr Low Chin Hon: Clerk of Works

Site surveys and soil explorations commenced early August 1956 while Mr Jewkes, in addition to his normal heavy official duties, prepared and completed the preliminary architectural design and a scaled model for public exhibition in September 1956. The football pitch had a fall of six feet from one goalpost to the other at the Southern end! The whole stadium was designed by Mr Jewkes after office hours in his home! Several elements were designed piece-meal as work progressed. Working drawings and provisional bills of quantities were prepared for competitive tenders. Tenders were invited in sequence to ensure sections would dovetail into each other.

Physical construction commenced mid-September 1956. Messrs Chan and Lee supervised the site works. Detailed construction schedules, including ancillary services, were prepared and followed meticulously. All works were carried out round the clock, 7 days a week. At any one time, hundreds of workers at the stadium site! Every day Mr Jewkes would personally go to the site immediately after office hours to assess progress. His charming wife, Ella, would meet him at the site every evening, bringing with her his afternoon tea of home-baked cakes, sandwiches, curry puffs, pickled onions, etc., to be shared with the project team!

Earthworks, Contractors & The Women

All earthworks by PWD staff using departmental heavy earthmoving plants during monsoon season. A challenge excavating the earth to form a 10-foot-deep stadium bowl during monsoon. Only made possible by early completion of a 42-inch-diameter main underground discharge pipe culvert to drain all water from the stadium towards the roadside drain along Birch Road (now Jalan Maharajalela). All excavated earth was stockpiled. Earthworks were interrupted frequently with inclement weather. When it started to rain, operators were instructed to lower and drag the heavy bulldozers' blades on the ground and back track, thus levelling the newly excavated grounds and minimising formation of pools. Loose excavated earth was initially heaped into small mounds to minimise rainwater saturating. These were moved to form a huge mountain. The stock-piled earth was subsequently used to form the periphery bund for terrace seats around the stadium pitch. The periphery earth bund was only formed, compacted and completed after the access tunnels leading to the lower terrace seats and the "winged" staircases to the upper terrace seats were completed. Heavy bulldozers were used to form and compact the earth bund.

The nominated PWD Class A contractors who tendered for the main works:

• Mr Lim Chong Hin of Messrs Lim Quee & Sons - stadium building and covered terraced seats
• Mr Boon and Mr Cheah of Messrs K C Boon & Cheah - reinforced concrete tunnels and winged reinforced concrete staircases, walkways and intermediate retaining wall around the stadium pitch; the uncovered terraced seats; public toilets and other ancillary works.

Uncovered terrace seats were precast reinforced concrete slabs, resting on transverse reinforced concrete beams that form the riser of each step. These transverse beams rest freely in notches formed on radial sleeper reinforced concrete beams sunk into the earth bund. Three continuous reinforced concrete ring beams were constructed at the toe, at the rear of the intermediate retaining wall between the lower and upper terraces, and at the top. To compensate for future earth settlements, the lower end of each sleeper beam rested on the ring beams, while the remainder rested on the earth slope.

Commercial ready-mixed concrete was not available then, and all concrete was volumetrically batched and mechanically mixed at the site! High-yield deformed reinforcing bars were also not available in the fifties, and only round mild steel bars were used. Tower cranes and concrete pumps were also not used in the country, and conveyance of all in-situ concrete was by means of a large team of Chinese women, each labouriously carrying two small pails of concrete on a "kanda" stick over their shoulders, walking precariously on narrow gangways and sloping ramps in continuous convoys!

Many of these Chinese women were not used to such heavy manual construction work, and it was pathetic to witness some newly recruited young Chinese girls grimacing in severe pain on their shoulders and blisters on their fingers as the long, labourious hours dragged on daily, only to return the following day to endure more sufferings merely to earn a few ringgits each day! All other heavy building materials within the stadium site were moved by manual labour either by human hands or on wheelbarrows!

Lee gives a description: They go to work early in the morning on old bicycles with simple, home-cooked, packed lunches and some home-brewed Chinese tea. Normally dressed in black-coloured "sam foo" (Chinese blouse and long pants) with thick detachable long sleeves, extending beyond their fingers to be used as "gloves". They wrap their heads completely in a large red-coloured cotton scarf to form a truncated cone with a small opening in front of their faces for them to see. They then wear a large "coolie" hat and a pair of black socks (most with holes at the toes!) and cheap canvas shoes! Safety boots and hard hats were not available or essential items at construction sites then! I believe their dress mode was purely to preserve their fair complexion, but it must be terribly hot and uncomfortable in that attire performing heavy manual work under the hot tropical sun!

Engineering highlights:

Each 60-foot cantilevered reinforced concrete shell roof beam was counterbalanced by a single mild steel tie rod at the other 40-foot end of the roof beams. To minimise anticipated deflections when formworks were removed, each balancing tie rod was tensioned by means of a specially machined large mild steel turnbuckle near the bottom of each balancing tie rod. Pre-determined stresses on each balancing tie rod were accurately calculated and set by means of the turnbuckle and a strain gauge clipped onto the rod.

The four pre-stressed concrete lighting towers were ingeniously designed by Mr Jewkes and meticulously fabricated and erected departmentally under his personal close supervision. Initial operation involved construction of a large reinforced concrete socket buttress with one side left open for each lighting tower. Lighting tower shafts were made up of a series of Hume-reinforced concrete spun pipes but with special pre-stressing ducts incorporated into the pipe walls. The reinforced concrete spun pipes were assembled on a specially prepared pre-stressing bed, adjacent to each tower socket buttress, on top of the earth bund. The series of individual Hume pipes was pre-stressed horizontally on the pre-stressing bed (using 0.276-inch-diameter high-tensile pre-stressing wires) to form a long tubular concrete shaft. The prestressing ducts were subsequently pressure grouted with cement mortar.

The Tower Lifting & Turf

A flood lighting galvanised steel frame was then firmly bolted onto the top of the concrete shaft. The long tubular concrete shaft and flood lighting frame were rotated on the pre-stressing bed to ensure the lighting frame was orientated correctly to face the stadium pitch when erected. A steel-framed lifting saddle, with two trunnion stub axles, was then clamped approximately under the mid-section of the pre-stressed concrete tower shaft. The lifting saddle, complete with tower shaft and frame, was then slowly raised, inch by inch, by means of hydraulic jacks and finally moved horizontally to rest directly on top of the concrete tower socket buttress.

While fabricating and pre-stressing the lighting tower shaft, one of the two lifting trestles was erected and securely bolted on the concrete socket buttress. After the steel trestle was completed, the pre-stressed concrete tower shaft, resting directly on top of the tower socket buttress, was manually rotated horizontally on a turntable to rest beside the erected lifting trestle, followed immediately by the erection of the second lifting trestle.

The lifting saddle, together with the concrete tower shaft and flood lighting frame, was then very slowly hoisted horizontally between the two lifting trestles to the top by means of a system of heavy-duty pulleys and a steel cable attached to a "Caterpillar" tracked bulldozer! It was a very exciting and tense moment when the lifting cable took up the strain and the long and heavy tower shaft became airborne while the two lifting trestles creaked and squeaked in protest! However, this well-engineered operation of lifting and erecting the lighting tower proceeded like clockwork without any delays or mishaps. This spectacular and dangerous operation attracted a large crowd of unsolicited spectators, and the crowd grew progressively bigger with each subsequent lighting tower operation!

The suspended concrete lighting shaft together with the saddle was then carefully lowered onto two bearings at the top of the lifting trestles. The lifting cable was removed, and the horizontal concrete tower shaft was slowly rotated 90° to a vertical position with the bottom end locked inside the socket buttress by means of steel wedges. The shaft and socket were bonded together with concrete after ensuring the shaft was truly vertical. On completion, the steel saddle and two lifting trestles were dismantled and removed. A door was constructed to the tower socket for access to the top via step ladders inside. Fabrication and erection of each flood lighting tower took approximately three weeks.

The turf pitch was also constructed departmentally. To cope with frequent and sudden torrential tropical downpours, a carefully designed herringbone subsoil drainage system was constructed to ensure all surface rainwater would not remain on turf pitch for more than a few minutes. Sub-soil drainage pipes discharge into sumps around the pitch connected to a 24" diameter periphery underground reinforced concrete drainage pipe and finally drain into the 42" main underground drainage pipe culvert. A relatively large 24" periphery underground drainage pipe was deliberately specified for easy future manual removal of accumulated sand and silt in the pipe when necessary. The surface of the field was accurately pegged out at close intervals and contoured carefully to a parabolic profile with the crown only six inches higher than the periphery. Cow grass was planted, watered and rolled regularly, fertilised and mowed frequently to ensure the field was level and green, ready for use for the big occasion it was constructed for!

All roadworks and hard standings around stadium premises were carried out by PWD staff using departmental machinery and labour. Some ancillary minor works, such as roadside drains, street lighting, sign postings, flood lighting, etc., were contracted to several small contractors or nominated suppliers.

In February 1957, Tunku was invited to lay a foundation stone on a brick wall of the stadium building in the presence of many VIPs and government officials. Subsequently, a bronze plaque was specially made to commemorate this occasion. When the stadium building was completed, a plaque was mounted on the external wall located below the window on the left-hand side of the main entrance. A cavity was created directly behind the plaque within the external wall to house a time capsule containing complete sets of stadium architectural plans, engineering details and other relevant documents, intended hopefully for the benefit of future generations! During construction, Tunku frequently visited the site to assess progress.

Towards the end of the project, Mr Jewkes commenced to design a public park, using whatever surplus building materials were available at the site to construct Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, which included a beautiful rock garden on vacant land at the northern end of the stadium. He used a few surplus Hume pipes (especially ordered a few extra of custom-made pipes for the lighting tower shaft) as a column to construct a unique concrete parasol for visitors to take shelter and rest in the park whenever it rained.

He also designed and constructed an ingenious large sundial or solar clock in the park using a few surplus boxes of mosaic tiles to pave and mark hours of day on a concrete concave crescent-shaped sundial face. A pointer in the shape of a star was installed directly above the concave crescent clock face. A crescent-shaped clock face with a star above it cleverly represented the new Malaysian flag! The TAR Park was very popular, especially with residents living near the park, and light refreshment kiosks and public toilets were also constructed within the park to cater to large crowds.

Likewise, Stadium Merdeka stood as a tourist's landmark in the country's tourism industry for many years, where local and foreign tourists came from near and far to see and savour the venue where "Merdeka" was declared in 1957! Regretfully, Stadium Merdeka is no longer a tourist's landmark today, and TAR Park, including the rock garden and sundial, had been demolished several years ago. Fortunately, Head of Planetarium Science Centre, Prof. Dr Mazlan Othman, who appreciated the history, beauty and uniqueness of this sundial, salvaged it from a heap of debris and had it restored and reinstalled within the premises of the Planetarium Science Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Stadium Merdeka was finally completed and fully functional around mid-August 1957 and immediately handed over to the Stadium Committee. On the eventful morning of 31 August 1957, the late Tunku proudly pronounced the country's independence in the stadium with the raising of the new national flag to loud cheers and joy of all present. The stadium was filled to full capacity, and all present were very excited to witness the historical and memorable event of the birth of (a) a new sovereign nation and (b) the first new modern stadium in the country. Shortly after, Tunku raised his arm and exclaimed "MERDEKA" three times; loud booms of repeated cannon fire echoed across the whole stadium, causing long overhanging cantilevered roof beams to vibrate and oscillate precariously over heads of all VIPs, including a member of the British Royal Family, seated comfortably under the shell roof of the stadium building that morning!!

Tribute to Jewkes

After celebrations had abated, late Tunku again commissioned Mr Jewkes, in addition to his very heavy official duties, to design and build an indoor stadium for the nation. The indoor stadium was named "Stadium Negara", and the venue chosen was adjacent to the newly completed Stadium Merdeka.

Mr S E JEWKES P.M.N., O.B.E.

It is only appropriate that I pay my highest tribute to Mr Jewkes for his dedication to his work far beyond call of duty; he is very ably and lovingly supported by his charming wife, Ella. He was subsequently rightfully and deservingly awarded the "Tan Sri Dato'ship" by the Malaysian Government. He is not only an ingenious designer and brilliant engineer but also a very imaginative and talented artist, as demonstrated by his artistic interior wall murals and beautiful designs of unique external featured walls in Stadium Negara.

To keep total construction costs of two stadiums within tight financial budgets allocated by the government, all building materials for projects were sourced domestically without imports of special building materials. Stadiums were also specially designed to reduce regular maintenance and running costs in order to keep rental costs of stadiums within reach of many user organisations.

Whenever work schedules permitted, Mr and Mrs Jewkes would invite project teams (including wives and even fiancées!) to their home for home-cooked Sunday curry "tiffin" luncheons – a delicious curry lunch enjoyed leisurely on Sundays by large "Mat Salleh" community in Malaya and Singapore. He is truly a simple and modest gentleman who treated everyone equally irrespective of race and religion and was highly regarded and respected by all, especially Asians.

After completing indoor Negara Stadium, Tan Sri Dato' Jewkes retired from PWD HQ as Head of Department under political "Malaysianisation Plan". Shortly after leaving the Malaysian civil service, he was appointed Senior Vice President of a large international consultancy group in the United States, working in some 70 countries and directing studies for the United States, the United Nations, the World Bank, several foreign countries and many other international agencies. Over some thirty years in the private sector, he has been in many of the world's trouble spots, including Sudan, Somalia, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Kashmir, Indonesia and Mindanao.

He is now completely retired after a long, outstanding and distinguished professional career in Malaya and in the United States. He turns 94 years old this year and now lives in Florida with his devoted and loving wife. During his retirement, he authored and published an intriguing book titled "HUMANKIND? Planet Earth's Most Enigmatic Species", covering such diverse topics as evolution, science, theology, government and economics – all associated with humankind's mysterious behaviour of self-interest and brutality vs human compassion. He successfully published a book in 2002, and it is available online, in hardcover or paperback, from http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/9478.

Dated: February 25, 2007.

Note: Phase 1 of the restoration of Stadium Merdeka started in early February 2007 and is expected to be completed by August 2007. This phase involves dismantling upper tiers on north, east and south stands, which were later-day accretions, to revert the stadium back to its most significant 1957 form. Phase 2 will involve restoration and reconstruction of grandstand and terrace seating areas, while Phase 3 includes construction of a museum and interpretation centre and other new facilities to better present future use requirements. The schedule for Phases 2 and 3 has yet to be confirmed. Badan Warisan Malaysia (BWM) has been appointed as a conservation consultant for the project. Consultancy will be undertaken by Badan Warisan Heritage Services Sdn Bhd, which has been established by BWM's Council to provide such services on behalf of BWM and to promote and implement objects of BWM.

Quick 1-page summary: 

• 11 months only: Sept 1956 to 21 Aug 1957, designed after hours at home by Jewkes.
• Bowl design: 10 ft deep bowl excavated in monsoon, earth reused for terrace bunds, drained via 42" culvert to Birch Road.
• No modern equipment: no ready-mix, no crane, no pump, only mild steel bars. Concrete carried by Chinese women with kanda sticks - Lee's most emotional memory.
• Engineering firsts: 60 ft cantilever shell roof balanced by tensioned tie rods with turnbuckles; 4x 120 ft pre-stressed lighting towers made from Hume drain pipes, pre-stressed horizontally on the ground and then lifted vertically by bulldozers + trestles – 3 weeks per tower.
• Turf: Herringbone subsoil drainage, parabolic 6-inch crown, cow grass.
• Merdeka Day: Cannons made cantilever roofs vibrate over VIPs, including the British Royal Family.
• Lost heritage: the time capsule behind the bronze plaque vanished; TAR Park with the rock garden and flag-inspired sundial was demolished, later salvaged for the planetarium.

C&P

23 September 2026: 5:57 p.m.