House keeps memories of Tunku alive
The Star – 4 December 2004
Malaysia’s first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, loved boating and fishing. These were among his many hobbies which included photography, hunting, golf, cooking and, apparently, a passing fancy for boxing during his younger days.  
So it was not surprising that he chose to build his house in Alor Star beside the Anak Bukit River, which he named Rumah Merdeka or House of Independence. The two-storey house, which was completed in 1952 when the Tunku was 49, was reputed to be among the most beautiful homes in the Kedah capital at the time.  
It even had its own jetty on the Anak Bukit River where the Tunku’s boat, the 100cc-powered Sri Banang, was moored. His family used to jump off the jetty to swim in the river. According to his granddaughter, Sharifah Hanizah Syed Hussein, the Tunku often took the boat out to sea to fish.  
Sharifah, 46, said there also used to be a boat-house on the river but this was swept away together with some paintings inside during a storm. “Once we took a boat to Langkawi from the Tunku’s house in Batu Ferringhi, Penang in 1975 and came back to Rumah Merdeka via the Kedah River and Anak Bukit River,” she recalled.  
The Tunku, who is the seventh son of Kedah’s Sultan Abdul Hamid Shah, went to live in Kuala Lumpur after becoming Prime Minister in 1957 and, following his retirement in 1970, settled in Penang.  
“But he frequently returned to Kedah during his holidays and stayed in the house. It was his kampung. He came here regularly until his death in 1990,” Sharifah said in a recent interview at Rumah Merdeka.  
She said the Tunku gave the house to her in 1986 as a wedding present, adding that she lived there until July last year after the state government acquired the building to turn into a memorial for the Tunku. The memorial, which showcases the Tunku’s personal belongings, old photographs and original furniture, among other exhibits, is scheduled to open in January. The exhibits include the Tunku’s cameras, walking sticks, golf set, ties and seven spears. There is also a photograph of a young Tunku in boxing gear.  
Rumah Merdeka would have been turned into a memorial much earlier if the government had its way.   
Not long after the Tunku’s death on Dec 6, 1990 at the age of 87, some state government officials went to the house to measure the land.   
“They just came without permission and told us the house was to be converted into a memorial. That was not even 100 days after the Tunku’s death.   
”I was staying in the house with my family and told them I was not interested to let it go,” Sharifah recalled. She said there was even a funny rumour going around that she had chased the officials away with a shotgun.   
Sharifah said the government made numerous requests to acquire the house after that but she only relented in 2002, a year after she went to work in Kuala Lumpur.   
“The house is sentimental to me. I have been here all my life and my three daughters grew up here. They love the place,” Sharifah said.   Most people would love the house which sits on 45,000 sq ft of land. It has a big compound with fruit trees and a verandah that overlooks the river. It was at this verandah that the Tunku held talks with high-ranking Indonesian army officials to end the Confrontation between the two countries in the 1960s.  
The verandah was the Tunku’s favourite spot. Sometimes he entertained guests here, or simply sat here to enjoy the river view while sipping Arabian coffee which he brewed himself. The former Prime Minister also entertained guests from within and outside the country at the living room where the original setting had been preserved.  Sharifah said she was glad that the government maintained the structure of the house but expressed surprise that a two-storey Minangkabau-roofed building in the compound had been torn down.  
“That building, known as Rumah Malaysia, was built in the 1960s and was once used as a police mess,” she said.  Sharifah explained that she finally decided to let go of the house for the sake of the country and because she felt that the government could better upkeep it. “If I didn’t say yes, they would never give up asking me for it,” she observed.  
Sharifah said the Tunku slept in his own room upstairs when he was fit enough to climb the stairs. This room was originally painted blue, the Tunku’s favourite colour.   
Sharifah’s mother is Tunku Khadijah, the elder of two children from Tunku’s first marriage with Cik Mariam Abdullah, a Chinese Muslim who died of malaria not long after giving birth to their second child, Tunku Amat Nerang in 1934.  The Tunku did not have any children from his subsequent marriages with Englishwoman Violet Coulson and Tun Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi.  Sharifah said her mother’s wedding in 1954 was held at Rumah Merdeka, where one of the rooms was used as the bridal chamber.  
Rumah Merdeka is located behind the Royale Hotel in Jalan Putra, Alor Star. Outside the residence’s compound to its right is another house where the Tunku used to live before the completion of Rumah Merdeka.  
Visitors should not miss a video documentary about Rumah Merdeka when they drop in. An area in the house has been made into a TV room where the documentary is shown.
Source: The Star | http://thestar.com.my