TRIBUTE ABDUL - Perdana Library

JAMES F. AUGUSTIN
have convinced Lt. Toda that I was a friend of the Tunku and
therefore a "good" man.
B.M.A.
When the Japanese surrendered the M.P.A.J.A. attempted
to take over control. The Tunku was wideawake to the
dangerous potentialities of the situation and began to organise
opposition to such a takeover. He spoke to me about it, and it was
mainly due to his representations to Force 136, then in North
Kedah, that the M.P.A.J.A. were restrained from moving into
Alor Star and causing general anarchy.
Under the B.M.A. the Tunku became Superintendent of
Education. I was Headmaster of the Sultan Abdul Hamid
College, and owing to his understanding, my colleagues and
I were able to get the College going within six weeks of the
Liberation.
I remember going with him and Captain P. Whitworth
(Staff Officer in charge of Education) to see the College after
the Japanese had left it. Local lads had invaded the premises
and on the walls they had scribbled obscenities. Capt. Whitworth
asked the Tunku what the words meant but he tactfully
said they were very bad words, but he did not elaborate.
FAMILY DIFFERENCES
The aftermath of the War having sorted itself out,
misunderstanding arose between the Tunku and his elder
brother, Sultan Badlishah. The long and short of it was that
the Tunku fell into the bad books of the Sultan and their
relations were severely strained. The Tunku harboured no
malice, however, and he told me on one occasion that there
was no reason why he and his brother should have fallen out.
From their student days in England they had played together.
stayed together, and been the best of friends, I was able,
indirectly, to make the Sultan aware of these sentiments, and 1
like to think that by doing so I helped in a little way to heal
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