The AMLA Amendments - Association of Muslim Professionals
The AMLA Amendments - Association of Muslim Professionals
The AMLA Amendments - Association of Muslim Professionals
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Issues / Community<br />
Pioneering Malay Entrepreneurs<br />
KARYAWAN<br />
Haji Yus<strong>of</strong>f<br />
‘Tali Pinggang’–<br />
Patriarch <strong>of</strong> Gedung<br />
Kuning and Pioneering<br />
Malay Entrepreneur<br />
34<br />
Hidayah Amin<br />
Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang,<br />
inikan pula tempat bermain.<br />
(One remembers his childhood home)<br />
TO MANY <strong>of</strong> us, the home is definitely where the heart is. Gedung Kuning at No. 73<br />
Sultan Gate, Singapore 198497, has been such a home to the family <strong>of</strong> Haji Yus<strong>of</strong>f ‘Tali<br />
Pinggang’. As a child growing up in Gedung Kuning, I never really thought about the<br />
origin <strong>of</strong> the mansion which sits on a 13,254 square foot land. When Gedung Kuning<br />
was acquired by the Singapore Government under the Land Acquisition Act in 1999, it<br />
inspired me to uncover its 162-year history.<br />
Even though Singapore never had a Bendahara (Prime Minister), a Rumah Bendahara<br />
(House <strong>of</strong> the Prime Minister) was built for Tengku Mahmud, the younger son <strong>of</strong> Sultan<br />
Ali (the ruler <strong>of</strong> the Johor Sultanate) in 1846. Tengku Mahmud changed the name Rumah<br />
Bendahara to Gedung Kuning (Yellow Mansion) after its yellow walls. In 1897, a royal family<br />
dispute ensued and the Court <strong>of</strong> Appeal decreed that no one could claim the property<br />
and land <strong>of</strong> Kampung Gelam. Gedung Kuning was then mortgaged in 1907 by Tengku<br />
Mohamed Bin Sultan Ali (one <strong>of</strong> Sultan Ali’s sons) to R.M.P.S Annamalay Chitty.<br />
My great-grandfather, Haji Yus<strong>of</strong>f bin Haji Mohamed Noor who lived in Kandahar Street<br />
(behind Gedung Kuning), must have looked in awe at the majestic mansion every day.<br />
When he learned that Gedung Kuning was mortgaged to an Indian moneylender, he<br />
must have been disappointed at how easily the Malay royal family ‘gave’ away a significant<br />
piece <strong>of</strong> history to whom they saw as a ‘foreigner’. Haji Yus<strong>of</strong>f who wanted to preserve<br />
some Malay historic lands (as well as provide a home for his second wife’s family), spent<br />
his entire savings to purchase Gedung Kuning. He paid about $37,000 in cash to R.M.P.C<br />
Mootiah Chitty. Gedung Kuning became our home whose yellow walls bore witness to<br />
the legacy <strong>of</strong> four generations <strong>of</strong> a Malay family.<br />
Sehari selembar benang, lama-lama jadi kain<br />
(A thread woven a day will eventually become cloth)<br />
<strong>The</strong> story <strong>of</strong> Haji Yus<strong>of</strong>f, a Malay entrepreneur in Singapore and a pioneering Malay<br />
philanthropist, brings us back to two centuries ago, to the days when there was a free<br />
movement <strong>of</strong> various ethnic groups across the Malay Archipelago.