Worth his weight in gold

1. My mother used to tell me that my father could read and write in English as well as Jawi. Besides his proficiency in English he had to be proficient in Jawi as well to accomplish his important work as “special translator of Enactments etc.” After translating an enactment from English into Malay, the Malay version had to be transliterated in Jawi.

2. My father was educated at Penang Free School with probably little or no knowledge of Jawi. Apparently he picked up Jawi while he was headmaster of Government English School. In a letter dated c 14 January, 1913 from the Secretary to Government to the British Adviser (Adviser) regarding the nomination of Mohamad Ismail Merican as Superintendent of Schools, the writer remarked thus:

... In my opinion Mohamad Ismail Merican is capable of carrying out the work of Superintendent of Schools and he is now learning to read and write Jawi. ...

3. My father worked for Kedah Government for 27 years, four months and 24 days. The first 13 years saw him progressed through several appointments which included the post of Headmaster, Senior Auditor, High Court Registrar, Acting Sheriff and Assistant Superintendent Monopolies and Customs.

4. His last 14 years of service was mostly spent at the L.A.’s office, working as Assistant to the L.A. His appointment as special translator of Enactments and subsequently his expeditious translation work had elevated his status as a public servant. Most of the L.As. he worked with appreciated his work on account of his devotion to duty and his sense of responsibility. It was the highlight of his achievement in the service.

5. His experience on the legal side would become useful even after his retirement. As a matter of fact he was worth his weight in gold to the State of Kedah during the Japanese Occupation. At 60 he was recalled to duty by the Kedah State Council. He assumed duty on 10 February, 1942 as Legal Adviser and Public Prosecutor. He was also appointed a member of the State Council. He retired again in 1946 and then served as an unofficial member in the State Executive Council and State Council (1947-1954).

Note: Jawi is an Arabic alphabet for writing Malay etc. in Southeast Asia.