“The highest point in my life was when our Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman gave me the honour of reading the proclamation of Independence on 31 August 1957 at the Esplanade, Penang. Outside Kuala Lumpur, the proclamation was read out in Penang and Melaka, formerly colonies of the British Crown” said my father. He flew back in a Dakota plane after attending the Independence celebration in the federal capital with Tunku, and headed for the Esplanade around 3.30pm. It was a bright Saturday afternoon,and the people, thousands of those who came out to celebrate, all looked very happy. The Union Jack was lowered one for the last time before at 6.45pm at the base of the Naval Light House at Fort Cornwallis.

The last British Resident Commissioner, R.P. Bingham and his aide de camp arrived at the Esplanade and were met by the British State Secretary, Ellis. All guests stood up and Bingham ascended the dais State of Penang from 171 years of British Sovereignty. Hashim Awang read it in English after me.

MER-DE-KA! My dad shouted several times and the crowd echoed after me and cheered. There was complete silence as the first note of our national anthemNegaraKu was struck, followed by a 101 gun salute and the raising of the State flag.

There was a grand parade of various units and schools including the Second Field Federation Infantry Brigade Police and cadets from St. Xavier’s Institution and Penang Free School.

The out-going Commissioner performed his last official act when he presented the Constitutional instrument, a flag, to Raja Sir Uda. He inspected a farewell Guard of Honour mounted by the Federation of Malaya Police at the Kedah Pier before he was sent off by Stella Marisat 5.30pm towards the HMAS Tobruk, a British warship, which then left for Singapore. My father recalled that Bingham retired to Northern Ireland.

First Day In Office

My father’s first day in the Chief Minister’s Office, at Ban Hin Lee Bank, Beach Street, Penang (1957).

Chief Minister, Penang

He was still in a state of disbelief when he received his letter of appointment from the Governor Raja Sir Uda at the Governor’s official residence at Jalan Residensi. He was the only one sworn in on that day. He recalled sitting on the very same chair previously sat by the last British Resident Commissioner, R.P. Bingham, who had also left my father his official car, a Daimler including the driver; but my father still drove around for a while in his Austin.
My father remembered vividly the moment when the State Secretary, Mr Ellis came in and said, Good morning Sir!” My father was too dumbstruck to reply.
At that time there were no Malaysian officers and the State Secretary, Financial officer, Education Officer, and Chief Police Officer, were all British! But my father kept to his position and whatever decisions he made, he sought the wise counsel of the British Officers who were honest and had years of experience, and also the state executive councilors who were Malaysians.
In his early years as Chief Minister, at a time when the Communist threat was still strong, he once received bullets in a mail. The letter asked why a teacher would want to get involved in politics by becoming the Chief Minister!
My father believed the mail must have come from the Communists who were merely bandits and thugs. He did not really feel threatened because he believed in prayers and plain honesty. He felt that if God said he would be shot, then he would be shot.