The Story of Edward of Kampong Panglima Seman Lama

From the end of World War II until the turn of the century, the Malays on the opposite side of the river from Kuching lived in abject poverty. While the townspeople children had schools such as St. Thomas, St. Joseph and Kuching High School, the kampong children were relegated to Islamic schools which produced a barely literate education. The Malay elite were tied up with the timber boom making millions of ringgit and could not be bothered with the welfare of the kampong folks. This is the story of one man who made a difference. 

Kampong Panglima Seman Lama and some of the neighbouring kampongs or villages were known as Kampong-kampong Seberang Hilir or Downriver Villages and mainly consisted of Malay Muslims. All villages were situated by the banks of the famous Sarawak River.

In the 50s, 60s and early 70s, formal primary and secondary government schools were only found in town areas in Kuching but not in the Malay community. Folks in town areas were exposed to legal and formal education and were educated mainly in English Medium and Chinese Medium.

Being a teacher himself, Edward used to observe the way of living of the village children, at Seberang Hilir. If parents were aware of education they would send their children across the river to English or Chinese schools.

However, most became school dropouts. Some were not sent to school because they were poor and they could not afford to send their children to school because of school fees and there was also no money to pay for transportation to bring them to and back home from schools. Transportation included the perahu tambang or rowed boats to get across the river and also the bus from the other side to the primary and secondary schools.

Edward and his brother-in-law, who was also a school teacher, are now named as the founder of SK PULO, Ahmad Fauzi Hj. Mahmud, initiated a primary school to allow these children, who were mainly dropouts, access to formal education. The rationale is, that if a school was built there, then no transportation would be needed. Children from surrounding areas can just walk to school. Together with some other village colleagues who were also eager to build a school, established a simple school which consisted of one building divided into two; one for the lower primary school students, and the other for the upper primary. It was built using wood and nipah leaves, which at that time was economical to build and good enough to withstand the rain and the hot weather.

Edward Haji Ahmad also proposed SK Pulo to be used on Saturdays to teach illiterate adults how to read and write Jawi, a writing system used for writing Malay Language, which is essentially a Malay written in a modified Arabic script. The idea was supported by the villagers. Adult learners learned to read and write Jawi in a special class called Kelas Dewasa. The class was very helpful in educating the illiterate adults to read and write Jawi. This class existed until Edward was transferred to a school in Miri.

It is interesting to note the location of the school was, and still is, in the middle of the kampongs. Although it is situated at Kampung Samarang, it is called SK Pulo. The land was a wakaf, (a Muslim word for assets given to be used for the public. It was all wholly in the name of Allah s.w.t) given by a family in one of the villages. The school was named Sekolah Pulo. (Which then became SRK Pulo and eventually SK Pulo). The school expanded and was then registered with the Kuching District Education Department and remained in the area. Now it has two tall 3-story buildings and still maintains a wooden building of 4 classes.

Edward could also discern that the Malay youths in the surrounding villages could be taught something extra. During those days, the most high-tech instruments were radios or radio recorders. What happens if a radio breaks down? Most people would want their radios to be repaired but unfortunately, the villages did not have a place where they could send their radios to be fixed. With this needs analysis, Edward contacted his good friend, Ahmad, who had also adequate knowledge of radio learning and repairing. Together they set up a little room underneath Edward’s home and named it Kelas Radio ABAS. There the youths learnt from Edward and his friend, how to fix National and Panasonic Brands radios in this pre-transistor era. The radio classes were held on Tuesday nights but the classroom was open to repair radio. Several male youths joined these radio classes and repair. It became a workshop for the villagers to have their radios fixed.  

At the same time, Edward noticed that there were no libraries in any village at the Down River. He wanted to see those village children gain access to books. The children and the youths or even anyone in the villages who wished to read can come over to read the books they like or to borrow them. They can also read and borrow the Quran. 

He then initiated a library to be constructed. He used the extra space underneath his house to build a library. He structured the bottom part of his house again for the purpose and being a carpenter himself, he and some of the village youths worked together to build a place for the library, next to the radio repair room. The idea was supported by the Asia Foundation which provided all the books for the library. It was run by the youths from Kampong Panglima Seman Lama.

The library was then known as Perpustakaan ABAS, (bearing the name of an organisation he had formed with the others called Astana Bintawa Angkatan Satu). The library was equipped with small tables, and wooden and rattan chairs for people to read books or newspapers and even magazines. All was set up and decorated in a gotong-royong activity by people from Kampong Panglima Seman Lama, Kampong Samarang and Kampong Pulo. It was officiated by the then-Kuching Mayor. The library was in operation for five years until a disastrous king tide flooded the villages and the books in the library could not be saved. Even the Kelas Radio ABAS next door was very much affected.

At the same time, people need entertainment after days of work. In those days, of the early 70s, there were no cinemas in the villages. Edward decided to open a movie film travelling cinema business. In consultation with Rex and Cathay Cinemas, he created and registered a travelling cinema known as Bintang Timur Travelling Cinema. The cinema will be played in the same spot as the kindergarten. The space would be empty by noon, at night, and also during weekends. So, the cinema operated. The cinema was termed as travelling because it will travel to other Upriver villages such as Kampong Lintang or Kampong Tupong at Astana Road or any villages which are only accessible by way of water transport. 

 At Kampong Panglima Seman Lama, it would be played on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons while at other places, it would be projected on Saturday nights. Edward bought those cinema projectors from Rex and Cathay Cinemas. He would then bring those plus the films to the Upriver villages using his brother-in-law’s long boat. The boat with the engine would be mobilised by his nephew. 

Edward set up the projectors at the cinemas for the films to be played. His nephew was taught how to handle the projectors too. Posters on films to be played on every weekend would be drawn on manila cards by Edward himself as he was also an artist. Films consisted of old movies from Malay and Chinese to Hindustani films.

 In the late 1970s, the first television reached Sarawak. The cinema closed giving way to the popularity of television. However, being the first in the family to buy a television set, most of his nephews and nieces would come over to Edward’s house during the weekends to watch popular movies which would be shown from 8 pm to 10 pm. Eventually, all village folks could afford to buy a television set of their own.

In the meantime, after several years of the operation of Tadika ABAS, the government called for women to be trained as teachers and assistants for pre-school teachings. Edward enrolled some village women to be kindergarten teachers for government pre-schools. They were stationed in several villages at Seberang Hilir. 

Tadika Kanak-Kanak ABAS was then dissolved voluntarily after seven years functioning as an early education centre for little boys and girls from the surrounding villages. Several Tadika Perpaduan, or Unity Kindergarten, which was and still is a government pre-school were established to cater for early education in rural areas. One Tadika Perpaduan was also stationed at Kampong Panglima Seman Lama. It was operated at the same spot as the ex-Tadika ABAS. This time, the government rented the place from Edward. The government provided all resources including the teachers and their assistants. The ex-take ABAS was modified by Edward and was rented to the school, until the mid-1990s.  

In the year 2000, the government of Malaysia had conducted courses related to tourism, and to promote home stays in villages. Edward was invited by his nephew for the pioneering course together with several others who were willing to be homestay operators in the village. The “Kampong Panglima Seman Lama homestay” was the first registered homestay to exist in Kuching and was officially opened by YB Abang Johari bin Tun Abang Haji Openg, who was then the tourism minister, in 2004. The homestay was officiated at ABAS Art Gallery, a gallery that Edward provided funds for others to build. 

The gallery was built in front of his house in Kampong Panglima Seman Lama which had become the Homestay Centre. The displays portrayed in the gallery belong to himself and his in-laws and also those from the village. It became a meeting point for the villages at times. Many village activities were also held there.  

The gallery properties are promised a place in the museum which the government planned to build at Darul Hana. It will be proposed as ABAS Gallery in the museum. As for all the Kampong Panglima Seman Lama Homestay operators, they now have a choice whether to continue doing their homestay business in their new homes in Darul Hana or elsewhere. 

Edward John Phillipps or Edward Haji Ahmad, always had the benefits of his community in mind. ABAS association became uninspiring in his later years and together with some others, he managed to collect back the old members and activated ABAS again. He managed to bring people from all villages to engage themselves in religious activities by ABAS of which the main activity was to read the Quran publicly during the celebration of Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday. 

The centre for the programme was SK Pulo. This occasion was performed every year and was normally attended and officiated by Ministers of the Government. The occasion brings village folks together. During Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday event, a parade will begin at two points; one from Kampong Gersik and end at SK Pulo, and the other from the opposite direction, Kampong Bintawa to SK Pulo. SK PULO will be the grouping point. All villagers will be dressed in their group colours and each village will bring a huge poster enduring the theme of the day to be carried in front of the respective groups where they will walk repeating the selawat (chanting) to rasullullah(Prophet Muhammed) s.a.w for the whole journey. 

Edward provided free drinks for the participants which will be given to the participants by his daughter and his wife’s nieces. At SK Pulo, the judges will judge their posters and the peak of the day will be when the winners are announced. In 2004, the celebration was officiated by the Chief Minister of Sarawak at that time, Tan Sri Haji Taib bin Mahmud. The attendance was astoundingly enormous and that marked the best, the special moment and final occasion to commemorate Prophet Muhammed s.a.w by the ABAS organisation.

After the demise of Edward Haji Ahmad@ John Phillipps on January 2005, all activities related to ABAS stopped. ABAS organisation could no longer function actively. As an English teacher, Edward John Phillipps is remembered as an amazing teacher. Many people who met his daughter, Hayati Edward would sing praises for their teacher, Edward who managed to teach them English from zero to what they know now. As a village community, he is remembered as someone with awesome ideas to lead the people to be progressive and live at par with the needs of the passage of time.

BorneoHistory.net