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Farewell Abdullah Hussain

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Farewell Abdullah Hussain MALAY LITERATURE VOLUME 26 NUMBER 1 2013 FAREWELL ABDULLAH HUSSAIN Nurhanan Ilhami Sulaiman [email protected] Dungun, Terengganu. Gone is the star of Interlok. Malaysian National Laureate Dato’ Abdullah Hussain (1920-2014), passed away of old age (94) on 31 December 2014, at his residence in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The nation was in shock at the the loss of the country’s great personality in literature. Throughout his writing career he had published 25 novels, three volumes of short stories, nine translations, an autobiography and six biographies. Other than using the pen name Zamroed, he was also known as Roslani Shikin, A.A, Adiwijaya, A.H, Andijaya, Asly, Bintang Kecil, Iskandar Muda and Suryakanta. He was born on 25 March 1920, at Sungai Limau Dalam, Yan, Kedah. Received his early education at Yan Malay School (1926‒1931), and continued at St. Michael Secondary School, Alor Star, Kedah (1932‒1933). Later in 1935, he studied at the Anglo Chinese School, Alor Star, until he passed standard VII. During the Japanese occupation in 1943, he studied for three months at the Syonan Koa Kunrenzo, a Training School for Top Ranking Officers, in Singapore. He had worked as an assistant editor for the Franklin Book Programme and Oxford University Press (1965‒1968); editor of the Angkatan Baru magazine (1965‒1968); research officer for Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) (1968‒1978); head of the DBP’s Language and Literature Unit, Sabah branch (1978‒1979); creative writer at the Centre for Humanities Study in Universiti Sains Malaysia (1979‒1981); head of the Department of Literary Development and Progress in Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (1982), and senior language officer at DBP Brunei. The appointment as karyawan tamu for DBP was his last contribution to the government organization. 164 NURHANA ILHANI SULAIMAN Dato’ Abdullah Hussain started his writing career since 1939. He produced his first literary work, before the Japanese occupation in Malaya, a humorous story, that was published in the Tanah Melayu magazine. He developed his talent until he deserved and was conferred the 8th National Laureate in 1996. Prior to that, he was awarded the S.E.A. Write Award in Bangkok in 1981. As a writer he has been bestowed with numerous honours and awards. Amongst them, he became the first winner of the Sayembara Novel Nasional prize ‒ a tribute to Pak Sako; the first in the National Novel competition, organized jointly by Utusan Malaysia and Public Bank for the year 1992/1994, for his novel entitled Iman, the Pingat Jasa Hukom Ngon Adat Lembaga Adat Kebudayaan Aceh, in 1995. In 1996, the Sultan of Kedah awarded him the Dato’ Setia DiRaja Kedah (D.S.D.K.), which carries title Dato’, as a recognition of his success and excelling in the literary world. His demise, a day before the new year of 2015, was like a curtain which covers all the controversies that befell his novel, Interlok. Interlok was published in 1971. It was choosen as Komsas’ (Komponen Sastera in Malay) texts for Form 5 students’ Malay Literature subject in secondary schools throughout Malaysia. The Indian community were against the suitability of the novel for it contains elements which are inappropriate, confusing and derogatory to the Indians in Malaysia that had migrated from Tamil Nadu. Some of the terms used in the novel were amended and deleted. In the end the novel was removed from the school syllabus by the Minister of Education, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin due to the constant protests. However, his brother, the late Tan Sri Professor Emeritus Dato’ Pendeta Dr. Ismail Hussein who was the President of GAPENA, Gabungan Persatuan Penulis Nasional Malaysia (The Federation of National Writers Association of Malaysia) never gave-up. While his other younger brother, Dato’ Ibrahim Hussein is an international artist and has a muzium in Langkawi Geopark, Kedah. Being from a family of intellectuals, he wrote with sincerity and based on facts. He had high regard for integral relationship among all the races in Malaysia in all his literary output. He did not seek for sympathy from anyone when his novel was disected, shreded and slashed due to the misunderstanding regarding the meaning of the terminologies. In fact he was sincere in serving the literary world for the result can be seen through his work of writings whereby he dedicated his efforts to portray the positive values of the people and struggled to develop his writer’s identity. He was a committed veteran writer who continued and worked hard towards developing his creative talent. His fighting spirit in the literary 165 MALAY LITERATURE VOLUME 26 NUMBER 1 2013 world continues to sparkle, even until his age had exceed 90. His feelings were hurt, but he kept going strong and left behind 25 novels heavily filled with teachings and knowledge that give benefits for the amelioration of his religion, people and country. Hanya Meninggalkan Nama Sungguhpun kau tergores hati tetap tersenyum memberi seikhlas hati tidak pula kaupinta simpati hanya memberi ilmu dan kreativiti Kini kau telah pun pergi jauh ke negeri abadi hanya membawa jasad yang pergi meninggalkan pula gugusan ilmu sejati untuk anak bangsamu kaji dan hayati perjuangan agama, bangsa dan bukan simpati untuk dibedah mencari kebaikan hakiki. Leaving Just a Name Your heart feels the hurt and pain yet the smile radiats from within you never ask for any sympathy but to share your knowledge and creativity Now you are no more gone to the other world of the eternal tagging along was your physical departing, leaving behind the knowledge to be studied and appreciated as the struggle for your religion, nation but not sympathy to be disected, to find the goodness in reality. Hana Hanani (Extract from: Dewan Sastera No. 5 2015) (Translated by Saripah Wahid) 166.
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