Mohd Amin @ Mat Amin Pasar (Chow Kit)

I have a photo of a man named Mohd Amin but none of his descendants know his surname. He could be Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud or some other surname.

According to historical record, a British Police Sargent Hayes had re-located a Malay community from Malacca to Kg Baru, to keep law and order in Kuala Lumpur, and to balance the largely Chinese community that resided in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohd Amin lived in Jalan Stony, Kg Baru, Kuala Lumpur and worked as a market supervisor at Pasar Chow Kit before the war. He was popular by two call names, Mat Amin Pasar and Mat Amin Chow Kit.

According to Mohd Amin's granddaughter, Salmah Ahmad, Mohd Amin had opened Jalan Stony and therefore Kg Baru. He had built his house according to Malay tradition, much like the Chinese use feng shui. Mohd Amin had used chickens to indicate the direction of his house in Jalan Stony, Kg Baru.

Mohd Amin's house was in front of the Sultan Sulaiman club house.

From his grandson-in-law Pak Cik Hassan bin Mohd Rasid (married to Mak Cik Jamilah bt Mohd Salleh), Mohd Amin probably died in 1936 (my Bapak would have been 5 years old).

Mohd Amin's portrait showed him in baju Melayu and with the Johor type of neckline - telok belanga. I suppose he was originally from Johor or belonged to a Johor family? He was a Javanese Malay man. His hometown in Java is unknown by his existing descendants.

Mohd Amin married 4 wives and had 21 children by 3 wives; a fourth wive was barren after her marriage to Mat Amin (however, she had children from a previous marriage).

An interesting article I found. It bears the names of 2 early Malay doctors who graduated from the King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1930 - Dr MJ Che Lah and his colleague, Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohamad. Both were Penangites but worked in Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley. Dr Che Lah was from Jelutong and Dr Abdul Ghani was from Bayan Lepas side. Dr Abdul Ghani's daughter is Fadzilah Ghani, a retired nurse in Melbourne.

Majlis, 1 Dec 1932, p.6
General Article.
Majlis Perbahasan di Sultan Sulaiman Club.

Perbahasan (Debate) atas Adakah Perempuan Melayu Patut diBebaskan, telah dilangsungkan di Sultan Sulaiman Club Kampung Baru pada malam semalam, mulai dari pukul 7.20, sampai pukul 9.15, dihadiri oleh kira-kira 50 orang member-membernya termasuk Dr. Che Lah, Dr. Abdul Ghani, Encik Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud, Yusuf, Mahmud Amir, Muhammad Yusuf bin Ahmad, Ahmad bin Muhammad, Fateh Akhir, Tuan Haji Muhammad Sidin, Tuan Zainal Abidin, Encik Amrah Haji Abdul Rashid, dan lain-lain. Engku Raja Uda menjadi Pengerusi. - Taken from MCP, 21 July 2012,

http://mcp.anu.edu.au/N/SK/79.html

The British officers in Malaya had a separate club that did not accept the "lesser" Malays, including the Malay Sultan at the time. The Sultan Sulaiman Club accommodated Malay members of the community. Members of the Sultan Sulaiman Club were Dr MJ Che Lah, Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohamad, Encik Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud, Yusuf, Mahmud Amir, Muhammad Yusuf bin Ahmad, Ahmad bin Muhammad, Fateh Akhir, Tuan Haji Muhammad Sidin, Tuan Zainal Abidin, Encik Amrah Haji Abdul Rashid and others. Engku Raja Uda chaired the club - he later became the first Governor of Penang.

Sultan Sulaiman Club of Kg Baru in Kuala Lumpur
(rebuild in 2007-2009 after the 1932 model).
Courtesy of Jafri Merican Architects and Associates Sdn Bhd

An interesting name in the above article is Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud. Who was Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud? He was a member of the Sultan Sulaiman Club in 1932. Was he Mohd Amin @ Mat Amin Pasar (Chow Kit), the famous market supervisor who lived right across the club house? Does anybody know more about him?


Other links to related Majlis articles:
http://mcp.anu.edu.au/N/SK/M_index.html