Ong Ho Hin and his brother Ong Ho Teong at the souvenir stall they manned during Merdeka 1957.
He was just 18 days into his job as an assistant librarian at The Malay Mail when Ong Ho Hin found himself on a life-or-death mission, career-wise.
Looming ahead was the task of rushing photographs of the Merdeka celebrations at “The Padang” on the night of Aug 30, 1957, to the Malay Mail office at Pudu Road.
There was no room for error, as the film would have to be sent quickly to the airport to be flown to Singapore, where The Straits Times was printed.
Ong, 19 then, remembers that he had to borrow a bicycle to carry out what was probably the most important task in his career.
“I cycled like crazy and managed to return to the office in 15 minutes. I was paid a bonus of $5 for that night’s work,” he said.
Arriving at the padang (now Dataran Merdeka) at 11.30pm, he managed to obtain the film from photographer Ng Beh Leow at 12.30am.
Ong remembers the atmosphere at the field when the Union Jack was lowered and the Malayan flag raised.
“At that time, few could sing Negaraku. I, for one, couldn’t sing it. We joked among ourselves that when they sang God Save the Queen, we would sing ‘Goodbye to the Queen’.”
Rushing the all-important film to his office on the eve of Merdeka was not the only thing Ong did during the independence day celebrations.
He was also involved in selling souvenirs for the event.
“A friend asked me to help him sell souvenirs for three days at Merdeka Stadium.
“My older brother, Ho Teong, was jobless, and I recommended him for the job. I used to go and help out after work ended at The Malay Mail,” said Ong, now 69.
On sale were key chains depicting the stadium and Tunku Abdul Rahman and keris, tin and copper plates depicting the face of the Tunku, flags, coins, trophies, medallions and brooches.
“The sales were good. The items were sold between 50 sen and $20. People from all walks of life, including Europeans, bought the souvenirs.
“In fact, more adults bought them than children.”
Ho Teong would man the stall from 10am to 8pm, while Ong would help out between 6pm and 8pm.
“The stall was set up by a shop from Batu Road (now Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman), and business was brisk.
“It was frequented by the many who were there for their evening walks as well as those curious about the souvenirs.”
Sadly, he has none of the souvenirs left as he gave them away to friends and family.
Ong remembers Aug 31, 1957, very well as he woke up at 6am and was at Merdeka Stadium in an hour.
“By that time, there was already a huge crowd there, and by 8am, the stadium was packed. I was at the main gate as the security personnel were very strict and didn’t allow us inside.
“I stood near the press booth in case the photographers needed to send film back to the office.”
“It was a solemn moment as the Tunku read the proclamation. There was almost pin-drop silence. There was also an air of expectancy as most did not know what to expect as an independent nation.”
Ong, who worked with the New Straits Times until he retired in 1993, said many in those days left school after Form 3.
“I used to sell tobacco before joining The Malay Mail but was kicked out because I didn’t smoke.
“The clients had complained to the boss that I refused cigarettes offered to me,” he said.
Ong, who left the Methodist Afternoon School after Form 3, then progressed to selling air conditioners and packing Chinese tea in small packets. He also did a stint as an apprentice in a motor workshop.
“I learned $30 a month. It increased to RM100 when I joined The Malay Mail. They increased my pay by RM30 after a three-month probation period.
“My job was to cut out all local and sports news from The Malay Mail and The Straits Times,” said Ong, who retired as senior clerk after 36 years of service.
Artikel asal diterbitkan di New Straits Times pada 25 Ogos 2007 sempena 50 tahun Kemerdekaan Malaysia. Disimpan untuk tujuan sejarah dan pendidikan.
C&P
23 September 2026: 3:19 p.m.
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