Press Report on Development of Youth Clubs and Associations in Perak before the
Second World War
Siti Zahrah Mahfood1, Wan Noorlizawati Wan Mat Ali2, Nazirah Binti Lee3, Rabaah Abdullah4
1,2,3,4History Department, Sultan Idris Education University
zahrah@fsk.upsi.edu.my1
Article History: Received: 10 November 2020; Revised: 12 January 2021; Accepted: 27 January 2021; Published online: 05 April 2021
Abstract: Activities of youth clubs and associations in Perak were reported in newspapers prior to the Second World War.
Based on library research, the primary sources examined, were newspapers such as Taiping Weekly, The Times of Malaya and Planters & Miners Gazette. Other documents and previous studies related to this study contributed to the discussions presented in this paper. This paper focused on details relating to the foundation of clubs and associations in Perak since the British set foot in Malaya. The establishment of these youth clubs and associations opened new avenues for youths from different ethnic backgrounds to participate in activities within their communities which garnered encouragement from the British for youth activities in Perak. Such support from the British reflected their eagerness in developing clubs and associations in Perak. This then served as a catalyst for youths to be involved in organising and establishing clubs and societies. While these clubs and associations developed and expanded, so did the leadership skills among their youths in Perak. There has not been much discussions about youth development and issues related to youth clubs and associations prior to the Second World War. As such, this study attempts to demonstrate the importance and role of youth clubs and associations in Perak that served as a vehicle in shaping peoples’ perception prior to the Second World War.
Keywords: Club, Association, Youth, Perak, Second World War
1. Introduction
Before the Second World War, the colonisation of Malaya by the British had raised concern amongst youth to be involved in social movements and activities through the creation of clubs and associations (Mohamad Kamil, 2013: 16). There is however very little information about development of these associations. This was acknowledged by William Roff in his book, Malay Nationalism. He stated that"... only once in a while associations were being mentioned in the local newspapers” (William. R, 1967: 284). His statement proved true as it was found that the various local papers had reported activities related to associations (William. R, 1967: 284). Amongst them were reports by Taiping Weekly, The Times of Malaya and Planters & Miners Gazette. Activities that attracted the press were those on culture, welfare and progress which represented Malay, Chinese and Indian communities while the in evolvement of other ethnic groups with associations were general in nature and were about local matters as membership was still small and limited. However, dates relating to associations’ activities could not be ascertained because such dates were not specified by the press.
Towards the mid of the 20th century, youth associations in Perak experienced changes with the penetration of the Islah movement which originated from the Middle East (Maymon, 1973:43). Islah’s ideology on Islamic revival movement, influenced the associations’ approach and activities. They were fed with the spirit of nationalism and thus began activities toward uniting as a nation (Eko Prayitno, 2016 : 1).
As a result of the changes, the dynamic approach toward revivalism had brought about overwhelming response from various ethnic groups to be involved in the activities of clubs and associations in Perak. This has thus caused an increase in the formation of new associations in Perak before the Second World War (S.M. Pengasih, 1931: 8). In addition, all activities organised by the associations and clubs, such as tournaments, competitions and festivals received overwhelming participation from the public. The public’s participation provided an opportunity to be affiliated with the association. They then had the advantage of being a registered member who then later became loyal members of the association. These grand events also provided a platform for cooperation between associations, creating common interests and social values while establishing strong networks.
As these associations and clubs progressed, they began to appoint office bearers and committees to oversee activities that were being organised. Planned activities had to be discussed and approved at the associations meetings. Annual meetings were also held at the Ipoh Club which had become the centre for activities of clubs and associations in Perak due to its strategic location. (The Times, 1911: 11).
Clubs imposed membership fees either on a monthly or yearly basis depending on the clubs regulations. As mentioned in the Golf Club’s financial report, part of the profit earned werefrom the membership fees (The
Siti Zahrah Mahfood, Wan Noorlizawati Wan Mat Ali, Nazirah Binti Lee, Rabaah Abdullah
Times, 1911: 11). This revenue made it possible and affordable for the clubs to organise activities beneficial to club members.
2. Development of Clubs and Associations in Perak
Development of associations and clubs in the state of Perak before the Second World War were influenced by the nature of the associations such as sports, culture or from the uniformed categories. In the early part of the 20th century the founding of the associations by youths were inspired by clubs and associations established by the British. Until the 1910s, many associations and clubs formed were related to or involved sports activities. (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935). The establishment of these sports clubs by Europeans were basically as a centre for social activities and as a centre for socialisation among club members.
The influx of immigrants from China and India to Malayalater in the 1930s attributed to further expansion and formation of more clubs and associations. These new associations were characterised by their different ethnic identities which were oriented toward activities relating to their ethnic and religious interests. At the same time their activities through these associations became an avenue to look into the wellbeing of their people. In contrast, the Malays involvement with associations were to create awareness toward progress of the Malay race. At this stage of their establishment therefore, was more racial in nature involving Malays, Indians, and Chinese (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935). The need for such establishments was to serve as a benchmark for unifying each group of people to achieve their specific goals (Hussain, 1997: 31). Furthermore, the association also plays a role in developing the nation by changing attitudes, values, and ways of living amongst the youth with the hope of developing a more open-minded society among the people of Malaya.
Active participation of the youth with associations and clubs in Perak began in the early years of the 20th century especially with the arrival of the British into Malaya (Faezah, 2017: 191). In 1911 there were a total of 22 active associations in Perak. The following Table 1.1 provides a listing of the said associations.
Table 1.1. List of Association Clubs in Perak in 1911
No. Clubs
1. Ipoh Club 2. Ipoh Turf Club 3. Silver Billiard Club 4. Teutonia Club 5. Birch Club 6. Brewster Club 7. Club K.R 8. Gymkhana Club
9. M.S. M.S.V.R Club (Ipoh Branch) 10. Ipoh Golf Club
11. Perak Shooting Club 12. New Club
13. Taiping Recreation Club 14. Kinta Recreation Club 15. M.S.V Shooting Club 16. Lower Perak Club 17. Chinese Club 18. UnionParty
19. South Perak Church 20. Natural History Association 21. Perak State Band
22. Men’s Scout Association
Source: The Times of Malaya and Planters & Miners Gazette (Weekly Edition), 1911.
The formation of clubs and associations began to increase and this was evident with 36 newly registered societies in 1935. These new associations were as listed in the following Table 1.2.
Table 1.2. Associations and Clubs in Perak, 1935
No. Clubs & Associations No. Clubs & Associations
1. Chinese Recreation Club 19. Kempe Tennis Club
2. Rugby Club 20. Taiping Turf Club
3. Perak Club 21. Perak Postal Athletic Club
4. New Club 22. Perak Flying Club
5. Golf Club 23. The Taiping Ramblers Tennis Club
6. Taiping Swimming Club 24. Police Cadet
7. Taipeng Literary Improvement Club 25. Men's Scout Union
8. Ellerton Club 26. Malayan Scout Association
9. Kempe Club 27. Taipeng Indian Association
10. Clayton Club 28. Taiping District Badminton Association
11. Taiping Inter Club 29. Hokkien Club
12. Sikh Athlete Club 30. Floral Badminton Party
13. Ipoh Golf Club 31. Evergreen Badminton Party
14. Boat Club 32. Chettiar Community
15. Silver Turf Club 33. Malayan Girl Guides Association 16. Recreational Club Krian 34. Taiping District Association 17. ParitBuntar Recreation Club 35. Ex- Services Association of Malaya 18. Perak Golf Club
Source: The Taipeng Weekly Record, 1935
The increasing number of associations in the state of Perak after 1930s clearly showed that development of clubs and associations received a lot of attention from young people. For youths, clubs and associations were seen as a platform for public entertainment. At the same time these clubs and associations became a channel to bring together the various ethnic groups to be united as onecommunity in Malaya.
With interests in sports becoming popular, the purpose of most new clubs and associations were sports based and such activities were reported in the Press at that time. The activities and events of 16 such associations were recorded in the Press reports of 1911. These sports based clubs were mostly founded by the Europeans. Table 1.3 below enlists clubs that were mostly founded by the Europeans:
Table 1.3. List of Sports Clubs in Perak, 1911 Year1911
No. Clubs Founders
1. Ipoh Club European
2. Ipoh Turf Club European
3. Silver Billiard Club European
4. Teutonia Club European
5. Birch Club European
6. Brewster Club European
7. K.R. European
8. Gymkhana Club European
9. M.S.V.R Club (Ipoh Branch) European
10. Ipoh Golf Club European
11. Silver Shooting Club European
12. New Club European
13. Taiping Recreation Club European 14. Kinta Recreation Club European
Siti Zahrah Mahfood, Wan Noorlizawati Wan Mat Ali, Nazirah Binti Lee, Rabaah Abdullah
15. M.S.V Shooting Club European
16. Lower Perak Club European
Source: The Times of Malaya and Planters &Miners Gazette (Weekly Edition), 1911.
The formation of sports clubs as part of the formal establishments in Perak, contributed to the expansion of clubs and associations in the 1930s. The existence of some sports clubs during this period and the activities of these establishments were a continuation of the sports clubs that were established in the late 19th century. The continuity was brought about by the calling for participation in such organised activities. With such encouragement, many more became enthusiastic to join the membership thus further promoting participation. An obvious outcome was the increased number of registered clubs in 1930 compared to the previous year. This was evident from records which showed the establishment of 27 new sports clubs. These newly formed clubs were as the list provided in Table 1.4:
The participation of sports clubs as part of formal establishments in Perak contributed to the expansion of clubs and associations in the 1930s. During this period the formation of some of these establishments were a continuation of the sports clubs that were established in late 19th century. The continuity was brought about by the support from various races for participation in such organised activities. Thus, the outcome was increased number of registered clubs in 1930 compared to the previous year as evident from records which showed the establishment of 27 new sports clubs. These newly formed clubs were as the list provided in Table 1.4 below:List of Sports Clubs in Perak,1935.
Table 1.4. List of Sports Clubs in Perak, in 1935
Year - 1935 Founders Clubs No. Founders Clubs No.
Silver Turf Club 15.
Chinese Chinese Recreation Club
1.
European Chinese Recreation Club
16. European Rugby Club 2. Chinese Recreational ClubKrian 17. European Perak Club (1880) 3. Chinese ParitBuntar Recreation Club
18. European
New Club (1894) 4.
European Perak Golf Club
19. European
Golf Club (1894) 5.
European Kempe Tennis Club
20. European Taiping Swimming Club (1894) 6. European Taiping Turf Club
21. European Taipeng Literary Improvement Club 7. European Perak Postal Athletic
Club 22. European Ellerton Club 8. European Perak Flying Club
23. European
Kempe Club 9.
European The Taiping Ramblers
Tennis Club 24. European Clayton Club 10. European Taiping District Badminton
Association 25.
European Taiping Inter Club
11.
European Floral Badminton Party
26. Sikh
Sikh Athlete Club 12.
Chinese Evergreen Badminton Party
27. European
Ipoh Golf Club 13.
European Boat Club
14.
The increase in establishments of clubs and societies were influenced by the openness of Europeans in membership enrolments to non-Europeans such as Chinese, Indians, and the Malays in Perak at that time. These non-Europeans were also given the opportunity to set up their own clubs. The Chinese for example set up several clubs such as the Chinese Recreation Club, the Krian Chinese Recreation Club, and the Floral Badminton Party to provide for the needs of their own people. Like the Chinese the Sikhs too formed the Sikh Athletes Club to meet the needs of the Sikhs. As Sikhs were known for their skills in cricket, this Sikh-founded club participated in the popular cricket match in India at that time. Interestingly, such events appealed to other clubs to an extent that the Sikh Club succeeded in attracting participation from other clubs. As more clubs were established it made possible for more events and tournaments to be organised as well as involving more participation from the many more clubs. This progressed into more varied sports tournaments such as football, cricket, rugby, shooting, and tennis (William R. 1967: 284). Youths were then encouraged to be pioneers of sports clubs. These clubs targeted all schools in Malaya to encourage participation of school children in sports activities (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 22). One of the popular competition which students participated was the Malaya Cup Rugby Competition. All events were held in public fields. The public fields or popularly known as esplanades were very suitable for
activities of their respective clubs. Among the famous public fields in Perak at that time was the Taipeng Esplanade (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 15).
One of the achievements highlighted by clubs and associations was the cooperation between sports clubs in the event of a sports competition. The cooperative attitude displayed by the sports club in Perak contributed to the successful organisation of matches. This could be seen through the process of discussions and meetings conducted as a continued process of improvement for the betterment of programs held. These clubs were well represented as reflected in the attendance at their meetings. Every time they organised events, they adhered and observed representation of clubs. For example, during the North Perak Tennis Tournament, two representatives were appointed from each club involved. Such were the appointments of representatives from Kempe Club, New Club, and the Chinese Recreation Club while one representative each were appointed from Ellerton Club (Kuala Kangsar) and Clayton Club (ParitBuntar) (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 12).
Although sports clubs in Perak welcomed participation from all communities in Perak, there were still cases of limitations for membership. This meant that some clubs still reservedtheir activities and carried them out privately between their specific circles of interest. Such reserved activities were typical of the Postal Athletic Silver Club which restricted membership to Taipeng the post and telegraph staff only ((The Taipeng Weekly, 1935:12). Similarly, the Kempe Club became exclusive for civil servants. Development of associations in Perak in the early 20th century were not only established for sporting activities but had expanded to include uniformed bodies. One such club and association was the Scouts club which came on the scene around 1911.By 1935 the number of uniformed clubs increased with 10 new establishments.Some were founded by Europeans, Chinese, and Indians as provided in Table 1.5 below:
Table 1.5. Perak Uniformed Associations in 1935
No. Associations Founders
1. Police Cadet European
2. Men's Scout Union European
3. Malayan Scout Association European
4. Taipeng Indian Association (1925) Indian
5. Hokkien Club Chinese
6. Chettiar Community Indian
7. Malayan Girl Guides Association European
8. Taiping District Association European
9. Taipeng Literary Club Chinese
10. Ex- Services Association of Malaya European Source: The Taipeng Weekly Record. 1935
Like other clubs and associations, uuniformed associations and clubs in Perak were equally active and involved in organising various programs beneficial to the youth. (Majalah Guru Feb 1932: 38). As an example, the Malayan Men's Scout association provided the space for Scout activities such as the Jamboree (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 14). This activity not only involvedsocial interaction between young Scouts, but also provided a suitable platform and environment that expose them to new knowledge and skills. The Jamboree was popular as it involved social interaction between the Scouts, provided much knowledge and experience through personal skills training and self-development.1Among the attractive events of the Scouts Association was the two-month
long Jamboree in Australia. The exposure and experiencein Australia during the Jamboree provided the opportunity to meet other Scouts from other parts of the world. 2Participants were able to share each others’
sports, games, culture, performing arts as well as the fine arts.
During their Jamboree, the Malayan Scouts had the opportunity to introduce Malay culture to the world. Among the attractions was the introduction of sepakraga (a game of serving a rattan ball between players in a circle) to other participants of the Jamboree who were new to the game. Melaka’s art of carving which was also another attraction unique to Malaya was exhibited to represent the fine arts of Malaya. These demonstrations that
Siti Zahrah Mahfood, Wan Noorlizawati Wan Mat Ali, Nazirah Binti Lee, Rabaah Abdullah
show-cased Malayan art had attracted much interests among Scouts from other countries. 3Likewise many other
games, cultures and fine arts of other countries were experienced by our Malayan Scouts, youth and Jamboree participants. All these exposures and experiences during the Jamboree created a fraternity between the Malayan Scouts and participants of the various countries. Consequently, such involvement and commitment at the Jamboree had provided a platform for leadership training for the Scouts of Malaya as well as their counterparts from the other countries. 4The Police Cadets were another uniformed group that was equally active in Perak.
Some of their activities included their participation in marching parades and competitions organised by other specific bodies (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: IV). Among the achievements of the Police Cadets of Perak was during the Leslie Shield Tournament against Victoria Institution of Kuala Lumpur. Under the leadership of Lieutenant KhooKhaiBeo and Lieutenant Allada Khan, Perak won over Victoria Institution and turned out champions in 1932 and 1933. Perak Cadet’s achievement demonstrated the association’s capabilities and accomplishment in participating in tournaments and thereby promoted the spirit of healthy competitions among club members.
Although the membership of these uniformed bodies were monopolised by men it did not prevent women from being involved and equally active in the association. It was then that a proposal for the establishment of the Malayan Girl Guides Association was made in 1935 (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 19). Aspiring to promote women’s involvement in associations, the Girl Guides Association initiated and provided leadership training for the ladies. Self-confidence, physical training, community service and other social skills were part of the training provided. For character building, they were required to uphold their Guide's Honour; to be trusted; helpful; loyal; courteous; caring and thrifty so as to become good and exemplary citizens. The availability and provision of such training was to encourage more participation in the Girl Guides Association and inspire the establishment of Girl Guides Association in the other districts in Perak.
Through the establishment of associations and clubs before World War II in Perak, they began to focus on the development race related activities which represented the cultures of the various races in Malaya at that time. Such was the case by the Chinese associations when they held a Chinese New Year celebration which show cased how the Chinese prepared and celebrated their celebrations. Houses and buildings were decorated and filled with ornaments and accompanied with music. They also held a street parade called the "Big Day" which involved participation from the public (The Times, 1911: 8). These kinds of celebrations had encouraged and promoted the involvement of the communities in Perak to be more open and acceptable of the cultures of other races (Saudara, 1931: 1).
In the case of the Indian communities, they too held festivals and ceremonies which reflected the culture of Indians and Hindus. An important festival for the Indians was their celebration on the first month of the Tamil calendar (The Times, 1911: 13). As a festival celebrated by the Tamil community on the full moon of the Tamil month Thai, Thaipusam became a whole-day event which was celebrated by Hindus from all over Perak.
Generally, celebrations that involved various races usually involved fireworks display. During the coronation celebration of 1926 the people were treated to a fireworks display at the Anson Bay (The Times, 1911: 9). The increased establishment of clubs and associations in the state of Perak was a result of the overwhelming support from the state government. The state often organised festivals such as the New Year celebrations to encourage participation from all the various races. Such efforts by the state that involved youth participation in these events have inspired them toward being more tolerant, open-minded, exceptive, and spirit of cooperation between the various races in Perak. These activities also motivated members of associations to be more engaged when they were given the opportunity to hold office or participate in competitions. Engagements with state-organised events By participating in programs organised by the state government the clubs and associations were able to promote themselves to the public.
Other major festivals involving multi-racial groups were also organised by the Perak state government. A report in The Times of Malaya and Planters & Miners Gazette stated that such multi-racial celebrations had been celebrated since the 1910s. Among them were the Chettiar and Thamboo festival. Popularly known as the Ahdipuranal festival the Chettiar community organised and held them in Taiping. On the other hand, the Thamboo festival were organised and participated by the Indians and Chinese (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 14). Organised by the Cina community, the festival lasted for three days at the Buddhist Temple at JalanCreagh, Taiping.
During the Thamboo festival the public were entertained with amodern opera performance involving a theatre company consisting of six artists and 20 girls. Held in Taman Park in Taiping they managed to set a record every night. The opera and theatre performance were presented in two different Chinese dialects; Hokkien and Mandarin. These events during the festivals attracted many visitors from outside wishing to watch the unique cultural performances and of these races. Several other events were also held by the Perak State government such as the memorial of King Edward VII the newyear celebrations. These celebrations were much liked and popular that encouraged the participation the youth in the community. Another state organised event was the "Perak Premier Picture Palace" exhibition organized in Ipoh, Perak (The Times, 1911: 7).
Another grand celebration was in 1935 when the state held a festival the Perak Jubilee celebration held in Taipeng. Since it was opened to all, associations, and other organisations in the state of Perak many took the opportunity to participate. Preparations involved many discussions, planning and coordination which provided and exposed participating clubs and associations to work together while building up the spirit of cooperation and unity (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 11). Such events also created opportunities for voluntary activities. These organized programs were attended by people from various walks of life. The volunteers undertook the tasks of distribution of free food to visitors present (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 11). Within these festivals also volunteers helped to coordinate programs for sports, competitions, exhibitions, and performances.
The government's efforts to organise community events and programs encouraged more constructive and beneficial activities among the communities in Perak. Talents in culture and arts were also uncovered and discovered during carnivals such as the Silver Jubilee festival. The lake carnival events and competitions included canoe making and decoration competition which were opened for public participation (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935: 15). Malays were seen as having good crafting skills. These community involvements further developed the associations for further progress.
As associations progressed they expanded included other additional aims and objectives. Establishments were formed to deal with issues of bureaucracy within associations (The Taipeng Weekly, 1935,14). An example was the formation of the Union Party. Others include religious activities such as the formation of the South Perak Church association. This association conducted meetings for religious activities such as public lectures for Christians (The Times, 1911: 5).
Theatrical associations were another group that held performances with the aim of educating the public about other cultures. An example was the performance of "Patte Gazette" which related the story of the German empire in Brussels. "The Sunbeams" was another performance by children trained by Miss Mabel Robertson for a month (The Times, 1911: 8). Performed at the Ipoh Club, the event was aimed at collecting donations for construction of a church. During the early 20th century the phenomenon of association become much popular among youth who were also the driving force toward the state’s development and progress.
3. Conclusion
The arrival of the British in Malaya triggered the development of clubs and associations, in Perak. Starting with the involvement of the Europeans, the development of the associations were then picked up by the locals when the youth of Perak began to support the establishments of clubs and associations. There was greater awareness of the importance of associations and clubs through community and social activities. With opportunities provided and facilities made available to the youth, more were encouraged to lead and later developed their skills to be exemplary leaders in the associations. This encouraged open-mindedness, cooperation and acceptance of the many races and cultures which promoted unity in the state.
4. Acknowledgment
This paper is based on the research project entitled 'Modul Kepemimpinan Belia: Inspirasidari Kepemimpinan Pemuda Perak 1930-1950'. The authors would like to extend their gratitude to the Research Management and Innovation Centre (RMIC), Sultan Idris Education University, Perak, Malaysia for the University Research Grant (Code:2017-0097-106-01) that helped fund the research.
References
1. Eko Prayitno Joko. "Beliadan Kelangsungan Hegemoni Barisan Nasional :Kajian Kes Pilihanraya Umum ke-13 di Sabah."Sabah.Universiti Malaysia Sabah.In. Jurnal Komunikasi Borneo Edisi Khas (Konvesyen ke-18 UMS) 2016.http://jkob.cseap.edu.my/index.php/journal/full/edisi-khas-2-1/pdf. p.1.
Siti Zahrah Mahfood, Wan Noorlizawati Wan Mat Ali, Nazirah Binti Lee, Rabaah Abdullah
2. Faezah Kassim. (2017). “Perkembangan Persatuan Tiga Kaum di Tanah Melayu Sebelum Perang Dunia Kedua”. Jurnal Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah.Vol.4.No. 1. p.191. http://journal.kuis.edu.my/jsass/images/files6/jsass_vol4bil1_018_faezah.pdf
3. Hussain Mohamed. 1997. Belia di Malaysia: Masalah, Gerakandan Masa Depan. Kuala Lumpur: Aneka Publishing Majalah Guru Feb 1932.
4. Maymon Arif, (1973). “Kegiatan Politik MelayuTahun 1930an”. In. Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, Bil.03-04
5. Mohamad KamilHj Abd Majid."Pembangunan Modal Insan Di Malaysia:Analisis Terhadap Pendekatan Islam Selepas Negara Merdeka". Kuala Lumpur:Universiti Malaya. In. Jurnal Hadhari 6 (2) (2013) p. 15-34.
6. Muhammad Arifin Ishak.” Jalan Keselamatan Bagi Orang2 Melayu”. In. Saudara, 20 Feb 1937, Malay Concordance Project Saudara, 4 Julai 1936. S.M. Pengasih.”Suara Mencari Kesatuan Melayu Perak”. Dlm. Saudara, 12 Sep 1931.
7. The Times of Malaya and Planters & Miners Gazette, 1911 8. The Taipeng Weekly Record. 1935.
9. The Taipeng Weekly Record Special Supplement.1935
