Audience with the Raja

Everyone looking their best with an OFA necktie. Seated to the right of the Raja of Perlis: Alex Tan and Andrew Lim. Seated to the left of the Raja Muda of Perlis: Enrique Tan and Raman. Standing, left to right: See Liang Teik, Roy Chai, Lo Liang Kheng, Ezuan, Quah Seng Sun, Barathkumar, Ivan Ooi (from OFA KL and Selangor) and Cheng Soon Keong.

At the entrance into the Royal Gallery

The Old Frees' Association is 100 years old in 2023, having been established on 17 April 1923. Last year, I was invited to join an OFA Centenary committee that was formed to look into ways of marking this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. On Monday last, a joint contingent comprising members of the OFA Centenary committee and the main OFA management committee was granted an audience with the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail. 

Tuanku is an Old Free - I had described him as our Royal Alumnus - and has been the Royal Patron of The Old Frees' Association since 29 May 2002. His father, the previous Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, had also studied at Penang Free School and it is to be noted that so did his son,  the Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail. 

The purpose of the audience was to invite the Raja of Perlis to grace the OFA's Members' Night on 17 April 2023 during which time the OFA Centenary celebrations would be launched. I am happy to say that Tuanku was very happy with the invitation but as he could be recuperating from a minor surgery, he suggested that the Raja Muda would be his representative.

While waiting for the two Tuanku's to arrive

We had a very pleasant one-hour private audience with their Royal Highnesses at the Royal Gallery in Arau, Perlis. The Raja was informed about our Centenary activities and especially, about an intended golf tournament and a bicycling event around George Town. The Alma Mater was never far from his mind and he wanted to know about the school's progress.

Then came an interesting question. He asked about the sports houses we all were in at school and it turned out that Wu Lien-Teh House was in the majority. By a coincidence, both the Raja and the Raja Muda were also from this house. Myself, quiet all this time, could not resist piping up to tell him that since 2012, there exists in Penang a Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society which seeks to promote the name of this good doctor around the globe. And having already opened my mouth, I also blurted out that the PFS student leadership workshops have been conducted since 2017 and they stopped only for the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. All mentioned rather spontaneously, I must reiterate. I wouldn't have said all these if not for that Wu Lien Teh House moment!

Anyway, we were invited to join their Royal Highnesses for a royal luncheon at the Royal Gallery. Dome-style nasi hidang but there was also a plate of ikan jenahak pangang topped with a special sauce. An excellent dessert came and went, followed by coffee which proved undrinkable unless one had a very, very, very sweet tooth. As for me, one small sip was all I was brave enough to have.

After lunch, we were invited to tour the Royal Gallery which housed Tuanku's family's personal effects as well as gifts and decorations that had been presented to him. We were told that the exhibits in the gallery comprised maybe only about a fifth or sixth of what could be displayed. The impression is that only the most significant was on display here. Among them we found that the copy of Hutchings Times that was presented to Tuanku during the Penang Free School Bicentenary celebrations had been framed and mounted in the gallery. 

The Hutchings Times properly framed for display in the Royal Gallery

A framed water colour painting of the OFA building by artist Khoo Cheang Jin which was presented to the Raja of Perlis