GEORGE TOWN – It was discarded somewhere but the doyen of Penang’s civil society movements felt that it was a treasure.
And so, Datuk Anwar Fazal picked it up, and cleaned and kept it – a framed photograph of the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and consort of Britain’s monarch Queen Elizabeth II, during his trip to Penang in 1956.
The official funeral of Philip, who died on April 9 at the age of 99, was conducted at Windsor Castle in England yesterday.
As the world, particularly the Commonwealth of Nations, marks the official send-off of the lanky royal, Anwar, who helped found the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) five decades ago, recently posted the black-and-white photograph on social media.
It stirred and captivated those who saw the image of the tall prince being shown around the School of Nursing around the area of the still existing Penang Hospital here.
The significance of the photograph in relation to Penang’s forgotten legacy in the field of healthcare is not lost on Anwar, who won the global Right Livelihood Award, also known as the “alternative Nobel” in 1982.
Sharing his experience, Anwar said that he was not around to witness Philip’s historic visit in 1956 as part of his solo world tour. However, the sight of the photograph left discarded drew Anwar to pick it up some years back and he has kept it all this while.
Penang, referred to by the former British colonial administration as the Prince of Wales Island, has had a colourful and chequered history over the past two centuries.
Sharing his views, Anwar urged the people to highlight the rich medical history of Penang, including the accomplished home-grown physician Dr Wu Lien-Teh, who helped fight the Manchurian plague of 1910 and 1911.
Wu was the first medical graduate of Malaysian-Chinese descent from the University of Cambridge.
He was also the first Malayan nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1935. The N95 face mask is said to have had its origins from Wu’s own design when he fought the infectious plague.
“There is a book written about the role of doctors in Penang’s history. The media should look at it,” he told The Vibes.
Anwar is also a renowned history buff who has lent his stature to the conservation and preservation of heritage and historical components of his beloved state.
He said it would be apt to learn and promote the medical elements of Penang’s history as the state had achieved firsts in many fields in the country.
Retired physical education teacher Hwang Hong Shi, 86, also shared in The Star newspaper his distinctive memory of Prince Philip’s visit to Penang on October 31, 1956, when the nation was still under British rule.
Hwang remembered crowds waiting at the jetty and children waiting along Peel Avenue to cheer the prince’s motorcade.
“It was pre-independence and Malaya was still under the British regime. People were excited that royalty was visiting from England,” Hwang was quoted as saying.
“Members of the Scouts Association, who had been invited to showcase their activities at The Residency, played games to amuse the prince, who then went to Penang Free School, where he planted a Casuarina sapling.” – The Vibes, April 18, 2021
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