KEPALA BATAS: For 90-year-old Salleh Din, the words of Malaysia’s first prime minister are still ringing in his ears.

       “I can still recall the time when Tunku Abdul Rahman told residents of Kampung Guar Kepah and nearby villages to not worry anymore about the colonialist as the country has achieved its independence,” he said, recounting Tunku Abdul Rahman’s speech when opening the Merdeka Bridge in 1957.

       The speech by Tunku had a huge impact on the residents, who had gone through hard times, especially during the Japanese Occupation in 1941. The bridge, across Sungai Muda, is proof of the dark events that took place when the country was under the Japanese and then the British before it achieved independence on Aug 31, 1957.

       “When Tunku succeeded in getting the country’s independence from the British in 1957, he came here and asked the people to gather near the bridge.

       “He said all the Japanese soldiers and the communists had left, that they were no longer in the jungle,” Salleh told Bernama.

       “He said we are now independent and then Tunku raised his hand and said ‘Merdeka, Merdeka’.”

       Salleh Din

       Salleh, better known as Pak Andak Leh, said the bridge, was initially built around 1938 by the British, who then blew it up in 1941 to prevent the Japanese from advancing to Seberang Perai.

       Prior to that, he said the British ordered the people to move out to another village at least 7km away.

       “The British army also asked the villagers to build a fort or bund using coconut trunks to ward off the Japanese attack.

       “The British had also built a fort, about 20m from Sungai Muda, and it is still in good condition until today,” said Salleh, who witnessed the bombing of the bridge.

       Salleh, who has seven children, suffered a stroke last year.

       He lives with his wife Eshah Yaacob, 64.

       His hope, he said, was that the tragic events that happened during the colonial era would not happen again.

       The past should serve as a lesson for the people to maintain peace and harmony in the country, he added.

       A senior lecturer in Malaysian and Indonesian history at the Distance Learning Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dr Mohamad Muzammil Mohamad Noor, said the Merdeka Bridge was initially an unnamed cement beam bridge used by the locals to cross Sungai Muda either to Kepala Batas in Penang or Sungai Petani in Kedah.

       “After going through various evolutions, Tunku named the bridge Jambatan Merdeka to commemorate the tragic events experienced by the people there during the British and Japanese occupation, as well as in remembrance of those involved in building the bridge,” he added.

       The Merdeka Bridge helped to boost socio-economic development in the area, he said, adding that there used to be a black pepper plantation in Kampung Jambatan Merdeka, previously known as Kampung Dusun Lada, and the harvest was exported by the British to Europe.

       He said the Merdeka Bridge should be preserved for future generations and Kampung Jambatan Merdeka recognised as a heritage village.