PONTIAN: Antique collector Jamal Ahmad possesses over 1,000 pieces of collectibles, but he holds a special place in his heart for a bundle of vintage newspapers that covered the Independence declaration on Aug 31, 1957.
The retired 58-year-old teacher also owns a copy of the Independence declaration written in English, Tamil, Jawi, and romanized Bahasa Malaysia.
“Upon Malaya’s independence from British rule, every village chief and community leader received copies of the independence declaration documents, which were written in four languages,” explained Jamal.
“In addition to these historical documents, I’ve acquired several newspapers that reported on our independence 66 years ago,” he stated during a visit to his residence in Serkat.
Jamal, who has been collecting memorabilia since the age of 18, shared that he acquired the documents and old newspapers from a friend over 30 years ago.
“In the early 1990s, a friend of mine, who is also an enthusiastic historical collector, contacted me with something he thought I would truly appreciate,” Jamal recounted.
“I went to see him in Kuala Lumpur, and he showed me these old English newspapers, which covered our country’s attainment of independence. I purchased them from him for RM2,000,” he recalled.
Recently, Jamal turned down an offer of RM5,000 for the newspapers from an individual in Perak. “These old newspapers are rare and can only be found in museums or the National Archives,” he emphasized.
Apart from these documents, Jamal’s collection includes over 120 other Merdeka-themed memorabilia, ranging from medals to mugs and even plates.
“By possessing these memorabilia, I can observe that the people from that era, regardless of their race and faith, were united and celebrated Merdeka as one nation,” Jamal shared.
“We are all Malaysians, and the upcoming National Day celebration should serve as a platform to unite all of us, just as our founding fathers envisioned,” he expressed.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
