THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

100 Memoirs of Mustapha Hussain
“I do not want our people to continue living like ‘a frog under a
coconut shell.’ It is time we venture to conquer the world. That is the
only way we, the Malays, can brace ourselves against manipulations by
British colonialists,” I stated openly. Promising to teach them more than
what the syllabus called for, I invited them to meet me in my office, or
at my house, even on the tennis court. All I wanted was that they become
a group of knowledgeable and learned young Malays. “The future of
Malaya is in the hands of young people like you!”
I took this opportunity to remind them how fortunate they were to
be able to study science subjects after having completed Malay School
Standard V at a time when not a single Malay school taught science. “You
should want to learn as much, not just in my class, but beyond this course.
You must hunger for more knowledge than what I can impart in one
year,” I advised them.
I then appealed to their consciences, “And after you have left this
course, you must not forget to impart your knowledge to our people anywhere
you go, even in mosques. You must feel sorry that your Malay
brothers have no opportunity to learn what you will be learning here.”
Finally, I lamented, “It is sad that the Arabs who came to trade here only
brought with them books relevant to the ‘next world’, when they possess
priceless collections of books on various subjects including high science.
What a shame!”
I covered the one-year Certificate Course syllabus in just one term.
Feeling greatly responsible for these thirsty young minds, I spent hours
at home upgrading the quality of their lessons. I did not have the heart
to let the eager minds sitting in front of me in class go to waste! Their
minds were like highly porous sponges, ready to absorb precious knowledge.
In the absence of textbooks and reference tomes, they spent hours
taking down notes and articles from the board. I regret my notes were
destroyed in the plundering of World War II. Office boy Mohd Rais bin
Abdul Karim later informed me that these Malay students saw me as a
‘tiger’ in the first two terms, but in the final term, I had changed into a
‘friend’ in their eyes.
For the multiracial three-year Diploma Course, I was to teach only
two subjects; Botany and Major Crops. Botany, my personal favourite,
was easy to lecture on as it came straight from my heart. Still, I kept
learning; I had students from India, the Victoria Institution in Kuala
Lumpur and Raffles Institution of Singapore, where botany was a subject.
I kept learning by reading American books and translated German works,
until I was able to master botany. I had no degree, but my students had
full confidence in my ability.