When barbers became police chiefs

Source: "Lifestyle"-The Star- 1 May 2005

AS a volunteer with the 3rd Battalion of the Straits Settlement Volunteer Force (SSVF), Mushir Ariff was called to arms when the bombing of Penang started in December 1941 – but the island was lost without combat.

“Those of us from the transport section were on standby at two expatriate officers’ residence at No. 1, Wright Road, awaiting orders. The officers then told us to go back – and the British just scooted off without telling anyone and with no goodbyes,” recalls the now 87-year-old Datuk Mushir at his home in Batu Feringghi, still sounding indignant after all this time.

The volunteers disbanded and Mushir’s family evacuated to Air Itam.

After the late M. Saravanamuttu, former editor of the Straits Echo, conveyed to the Japanese that the British had left, Mushir says the invaders arrived and proceeded to organise community leaders to head the Peace Preservation Committee that met with the Japanese once a week to deal with local issues of governance.

Datuk Mushir Ariff and his father, the late Sir Dr Kamil, were on the Peace Preservation Committee that dealt with local issues of governance during the Occupation.

The Malay community was headed by Mushir’s father, Dr Kamil Ariff (later Sir Dr Kamil); other members on the committee included Mushir’s father-in-law, C.M. Hashim (later Tan Sri Hashim), and his uncle, A. Carrim. Also on the committee were Capt Mohd Noor, Yusoff Izzuddin, Datuk Haji Ali Rouse, and Haji Murshid, among others. Mushir himself was on a sub-committee.

He recalls that the Chinese community was led by Heah Joo Seang, the Indian by Dr N.K. Menon, and the Eurasian by Lieutenants Willweber and Shelly (he doesn’t remember their full names), among others.

Mushir’s father and Willweber were also on the earlier Penang Service Committee that Saravanamuttu had set up; it was taken over by the Peace Preservation Committee.

The latter’s leaders were based at Convent Datuk Keramat to record the local population’s reports on break-ins, arson, theft or loss of title deeds of property.

“We just took down notes for further action but nothing came of it until the committee was dissolved after two or three months. That’s when the Japanese brought in their own High Court judges, civil servants, and officers to form a civil government,” Mushir says.

He remembers vividly that a Japanese barber called Ando-san who had a barbershop in Argyll Road later became the Chief Police Officer!

As for Mushir, from the rank of a private in the SSVF, he later became the first Malaysian to become the national president of the Ex-Services Association after taking over from Brigadier-Gen I.C.C. Lauder in 1959. – By C.K.K.