Lady Meriam
Encyclopedia
Lady Meriam Chong Abdullah, also known as Chong Ah Mei or Mariam Abdullah, was the first wife of Tunku Abdul Rahman
, who later became the founding father and the first Prime Minister of Malaysia
.
Lady Meriam was the daughter of a tin mining tycoon, Chong Ah Yong, who was also a friend of the Tunku. She was of Thai Chinese
heritage but converted to Islam
upon marriage to Tunku in 1933.
Tunku Abdul Rahman
met Meriam in Kulim
, where he had just been transferred as Assistant District Officer. Some historical reports state that Meriam was personally chosen by Tunku's mother, Che Menjalara (who was of Thai descent herself) as Tunku's bride. According to reports, Che Menjalara forced Tunku to marry her, despite Tunku's refusal to do so. However,in the end they were married according to royal customs at the Kedah palace. Other reports state that they were married by the local Kadi in Tunku's government quarters.
Soon after Meriam's conversion to Islam
she learnt to pray and when the fasting month began, she persuaded Tunku to do so too. Their marriage resulted in two children, Tunku Khadijah and Tunku Ahmad Nerang.
In 1935, Tunku was promoted to be District Officer of Padang Terap. The post of District Officer Padang Terap was an unpopular one. Kuala Nerang
was notoriously unhealthy owning to the prevalence of malaria
. It was here that Meriam gave birth to ther second child, Tunku Ahmad Nerang.
A month after Meriam gave birth to her second child , she contracted a severe attack of malaria. Although Tunku gave her the best remedies that he could obtain from Penang
, Meriam made a little progress. An English doctor from Alor Setar who visited her mistakenly gave her an injection of undiluted quinine that killed her instantly. It was a tragic misadventure for Tunku made no attempt to lodge an official report. Instead he wrote to the State Secretariat, asking that funds be made available to drain the swamp and to rid Kuala Nerang
of the main breeding place of the carriers of malaria
. The money was provided and the work was carried out under Tunku's supervision.
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, AC, CH was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957. He remained as the Prime Minister after Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined the...
, who later became the founding father and the first Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
.
Lady Meriam was the daughter of a tin mining tycoon, Chong Ah Yong, who was also a friend of the Tunku. She was of Thai Chinese
Thai Chinese
The Thai Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most prominent, and most integrated overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 9.5 million people...
heritage but converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
upon marriage to Tunku in 1933.
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, AC, CH was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957. He remained as the Prime Minister after Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined the...
met Meriam in Kulim
Kulim
Kulim is the third largest town in Kedah after Alor Star and Sungai Petani is located at the South East of Kedah state and East of Penang state in Malaysia. Kulim is a district consist of 15 smaller sub-districts also known as "mukim"...
, where he had just been transferred as Assistant District Officer. Some historical reports state that Meriam was personally chosen by Tunku's mother, Che Menjalara (who was of Thai descent herself) as Tunku's bride. According to reports, Che Menjalara forced Tunku to marry her, despite Tunku's refusal to do so. However,in the end they were married according to royal customs at the Kedah palace. Other reports state that they were married by the local Kadi in Tunku's government quarters.
Soon after Meriam's conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
she learnt to pray and when the fasting month began, she persuaded Tunku to do so too. Their marriage resulted in two children, Tunku Khadijah and Tunku Ahmad Nerang.
In 1935, Tunku was promoted to be District Officer of Padang Terap. The post of District Officer Padang Terap was an unpopular one. Kuala Nerang
Kuala Nerang
Kuala Nerang is the district capital of Padang Terap district, Kedah, Malaysia. It is located on the northern part of Kedah.-Name of Padang Terap:...
was notoriously unhealthy owning to the prevalence of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. It was here that Meriam gave birth to ther second child, Tunku Ahmad Nerang.
A month after Meriam gave birth to her second child , she contracted a severe attack of malaria. Although Tunku gave her the best remedies that he could obtain from Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, Meriam made a little progress. An English doctor from Alor Setar who visited her mistakenly gave her an injection of undiluted quinine that killed her instantly. It was a tragic misadventure for Tunku made no attempt to lodge an official report. Instead he wrote to the State Secretariat, asking that funds be made available to drain the swamp and to rid Kuala Nerang
Kuala Nerang
Kuala Nerang is the district capital of Padang Terap district, Kedah, Malaysia. It is located on the northern part of Kedah.-Name of Padang Terap:...
of the main breeding place of the carriers of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. The money was provided and the work was carried out under Tunku's supervision.