Abdul Rashid bin Mohd Yusope 1931-2009 (10) Parliament 1959

1. GES, Jasin, Melaka
2. Pej. Pel., Melaka
3. High School, Melaka
4. Pej. Pel., Melaka
5. Parlimen, KL


After Pejabat Pelajaran as Asssitant Organiser of Malay Schools in 1958 (year I was born), Bapak moved to live in Petaling Jaya (PJ).

Bapak worked as a Simultaneous Interpreter at the Malaysian Parliament, Kuala Lumpur, in the first Cabinet. Bapak explained it was necessary to do simultaneous interpretation for the first Cabinet as the language spoken and written was English, which most of the Malay Cabinet ministers did not know well.

Bapak had a small two-door car. I think it was a Fiat Bianca. I have not seen it but only in photos. There are old photos of sight-seeing in Kuala Lumpur.

Fiat cars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fiat_passenger_cars

We lived in a chain-linked fenced brick house at No. 3, Jalan 6-28, Petaling Jaya. I don't recall the house at all. There is no photo of the house. It may have been demolished by now.

When we lived in Petaling Jaya in 1959, there were 3 sibs - Abang Sharif, Pah and myself (youngest). We played inside and outside the house, within the fenced compound. Abang Sharif had a tricycle, which he rode and carried Pah and myself. I don't remember the tricycle in the photos.

It was in PJ that we had a Chinese amah as our family maid. I don't know her name. She helped to look after us (the kids) while my parents worked. There was one incident my mother told me where the maid failed to monitor us and Pah climbed the rear fence and fell on her head, which partially damaged her brain. I guess it was due to a concussion.

Also in PJ, there was a group photo taken of our family and relatives. The Chinese maid was in this group photo, holding me as a baby in loose diapers. Mak Sarah & Pak Cik Atan and kids were present. Mak Nya & Pak Aziz and kids were present. There was a more senior Chinese maid in the photo (at far left). She was probably Che-cheh, my grandfather's maid, whom he brought under his care from after WWII in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Later, my younger sister Rabi'ah (Rabi) was born when we lived in PJ. She was born at Assunta Hospital. Mak said she was born bald (kepala botak, botak head) and the priests there wanted to adopt her because she was born bald, which they liked. We returned to Banda Hilir, Malacca after Rabi was born. There is no photo of baby Rabi in PJ.

After PJ, Bapak took the opportunity to leave the Parliament when Haji Khalil bin Hussin passed away.

Haji Khalil was a family friend and later a relative. His daughter Che Mahani bt Haji Khalil married to HABHAL on 12 April 1970 after HABHAL's first wife passed away (in late 1960s). Haji Khalil was the first Mufti of Melaka. Khalil bin Hussin, Mohd Sharif bin Ismail, and Nordin bin Ismail (younger brother of Mohd Sharif) went to Makkah to perform the Hajj rite together in 1896. They went for Hajj in 1896 and returned to Malacca later in that year, after Haji Mohd Sharif's eldest and only son, Mohd Yusope, was born on 11 February 1896 in Banda Hilir, Malacca.

Bapak left Parliament for good and returned to Malacca. He left Parliament for reasons only known to him, some of which he shared with me.

Bapak left because he felt cheated by his superior.

Bapak left because it was too expensive to live in Kuala Lumpur.

Otherwise he would not have left Kuala Lumpur - his birthplace and hometown where he grew up.