Rahmat bin MAWAR
Sports Personalities of Singapore,
Accession Number 002660
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 7
Total Reels
- Mohd Yussoff Ahmad
Interviewer
- 06:34:35
Total Running Time
- Malay
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 7
Metadata
- 4 Aug 2009
Recording Date
- 00:55:00
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Rahmat Mawar was born in 1942 at Suffolk Road. He grew up at the pondok or hut for Bawean community. His parents came to Singapore between 1939 and 1940 for a better life. The family consisted of his parents and two elder brothers and an elder sister took a boat to Singapore. Each person had to pay about 5 ringgit for the trip which took two to three months. When they arrived in Singapore, they were met by Kampong Gunung Lancheng’s headman and brought them to the village situated at Suffolk Road. Father managed to get job as a driver and his mother did some selling of rojak and biscuits.
Shared on the concept of living in a pondok or hut. Described that in the two storey pondok, there were about 30 Bawean families living under one roof. There were about a hundred residents altogether in the pondok. Children would sleep with their parents while the teenage boys or single men would sleep at the veranda or under the tree. Teenage girls or single women would sleep inside. There were doors that separated each family and each partition for the family is called kelamin. In the kelamin itself, blinds were used to make a partition. One major challenge the residents faced was the frequent flood that happened every time there was heavy rain. Described the pondok’s atmosphere in the morning which was the busiest time. There were two bathrooms and one toilet. Some of the Bawean’s women went out to work. Usually they worked in a Chinese or Caucasian house doing the laundry. Shared one incident during the evening of Hari Raya Puasa where there was a flood. Food that was meant for the festive feast such as ketupat, rendang and chicken curry were all washed away.
His father job as a driver earned him $110 per month. The family also planted tapioca at the pondok to supplement them if there was a shortage of food. His father paid a monthly rent of $7 to the headman or Pak Lurah and he would in turn hand over the collected rents to the hut owner who was a Sikh. Usually at night, the elder men and women would recite the Quran while the young men spent most of their time outside. Interviewee was considered a handyman in the village. He would be the one who repaired the roof and the residents would always look for him if they needed help. He would also be the busiest person if there was a wedding as he had to prepare tents and dais. Shared how wedding ceremony took place in the pondok.
Attended school at Sekolah Tanglin Tinggi until primary six. The subjects he learnt were Mathematics, History, Malay and Jawi. He was not really into studying and he focused more on football. However he managed to pass every year but he did not make it to the passing grade in primary six. Besides attending school, he also attended Quran reciting lessons at the pondok.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 7
Metadata
- 5 Aug 2009
Recording Date
- 00:56:52
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Challenges playing for Darul Alfiah, one of which at times they had a tough time getting the players to train together as they had full time job. Involved in a lot of games with Darul. He regarded the teams that could match Darul Alfiah in FAS Challenge league were the likes of Blue Rovers and Chinese Association. Cited there also were non-Malays in Darul, three quarter of the team were Malays. He either played at rightback or leftback position with Darul. It was the coach’s choice giving him the position; moreover het was comfortable playing as a defender.
While in Darul Alfiah, he worked as an office boy with the Wong Brothers. Before that heworked part time as a ball picker at Farrer Park. Also played for the football club at his work place. The club was called Wong Brothers Football Club which competed in Singapore Business House. His starting salary as an office boy was $80 and when he left seven years later, his salary was $140. He was given 70 cents for transport allowance after each match playing for Wong Brothers.
Quit playing for Darul Alfiah and went to Stable Football Club which was competing in Division Two. No personal reasons for the withdrawal. He just wanted to try something new after so long with Darul and wanted to help the club promoted to Division One. He however only lasted for two years at Stable as he did not feel the club was suitable for him. Trainings more often than not were not properly done and he did not get to fulfil his aim to get Stable promoted. He left Stable in 1969.
Then joined Tampines Rovers after Justin Morrison, Tampines Rovers’ kit man invited him to join the club. Tampines was in Division Two when Rahmat joined them. The club was located at Serangoon and the training ground was at Woodbridge Hospital’s field. At Tampines, there was match allowance of $15-$20 given to the players after a match. He was working with Oberoi Imperial Hotel when he played for Tampines. Played as a last man as well as the captain for the team. Tampines Rovers managed to get promoted to Division One a year later. Household names in Tampines Rovers when they were in Division One were Quah Kim Song, Quah Kim Lye and Lim Teng Sai to name a few. Cited not much Malays were in Tampines Rovers as most of Malay players played for Geylang United such as Dollah Kassim and Samad Allapitchay.Quit playing for Tampines Rovers after three years and he focused more on the hotel’s football club.
How he managed to work for the Army Depot Police or ADP. On the day he joined ADP, he played for the football team as well. He did not know he was to play in a game until later part of the day after he was been told to take a rest. Rahmat related his journey as well as other ADP football players travelling in a 3 ton lorry going to Dover Road for the match. ADP was up against the Combined Army. He described what the coach told him in the dressing room and the atmosphere of the field and supporters. ADP won 2-0. Shared that after the match, one of the Combined Army’s officials came looking for him. Rahmat cited that the official was not convinced Rahmat worked for ADP. The scene was chaotic. One of his team mates, Shahar Hussien had to hide him in the toilet. The official was eventually shown somebody else’s warrant card whose name was similar to his to prove that he was working for ADP.
Went for basic training as a recruit three months later. He along with Jita Singh and another recruit were the only ones going through the training. After passing out three months later, he became a constable as well as the player and coach for ADP football team. ADP won in a lot of tournaments which included the Army League. While most of his time in ADP was spent playing for the football team,he also was put on duty at times.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 7
Metadata
- 5 Aug 2009
Recording Date
- 00:57:49
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Lasted in ADP for three years from 1968 to 1971. He left because the British were making an exit from Singapore. A few weeks after he quit at ADP, a friend of his asked him to join Oberoi Imperial Hotel. Chose to be an apprentice cook after been given a few options. His starting salary was $220. In ADP, he received $220 when he first started and when he left his salary was $240. Became an apprentice cook for a year and got promoted.
Was asked by the hotel’s F & B manager who was an Italian to manage a football team which he wanted to form for so long. He cited that the manager had wanted to form a football team in the hotel and could not find the right person. Imperial Hotel Football Club was eventually formed a year after when more football players worked in the hotel. Rahmat shared the challenges he had to go through with the team. Payed a dual role of a coach and player in the team. One of the main challenges was to get players trained together as some worked in different shifts. Imperial competed in the Business House League in the third division. In such a short time, Imperial rose up to Division One as well as became champions in the Inter Hotel tournament. Rahmat shared what made the team a compact unit.
The club manager in 1995, who was a German, had organised a Charity Shield match against Singapore Armed Forces or SAFSA where Imperial won. Imperial also won 1-0 playing against Geylang United in the same Charity Shield. Geylang at that time had the best players in Fandi Ahmad and Malek Awab. A plan to play against Selangor however was cancelled because the manager got sacked. Stopped playing for Imperial in 1997 at the age of 55 and stopped working in 1999. His last position was Senior Chef de Partie. Rahmat emphasised both on work and football at Imperial as both were important to him. Every week, he had to juggle both work and playing. Was able to do that because of his passion for the game. He was thankful to be given good health for being able to play and coach though he was already in his 50s.
Most of his training methods were similar to Uncle Choo Seng Quee’s. He had taken his coaching basic license. Rahmat cited that winning the three Cups in 1976 was one of his best moments in Imperial. The cups won were Singapore Business House, Business League and Inter Hotel League. How he was roped in to Singapore Youth team in 1963 which he had gone for trial selection. The coach for the Youth team was Rahim Omar. Rahmat trained with the Youth team at Farrer Park when he got selected. The team was in preparation for the Asian Youth Cup held in Penang, Malaysia.
After two months of training, the team departed to Penang taking the train. Each player was given a jacket, with the words SAFA imprinted at the back of the jacket. Singapore was knocked out in the first round when the team only managed a 1-1 draw with Japan, lost to Vietnam and to another team. Played as a fullback. Japan, Korea and Malaysia were regarded as the strongest team in the tournament. Though the team did not go far, the tournament had been an eye opener to Rahmat as he was exposed to a lot of things such as the customary handshake, players going out from the tunnel etc. The team stayed in Penang until the tournament ended. Rahmat only played for a year with the Youth team. Rahmat mentioned that maybe his aggressive play deterred the Youth coach who was Collin Green to select him for the squad the following year.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 7
Metadata
- 5 Aug 2009
Recording Date
- 00:54:54
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Was called up to the senior team in 1967, four years after playing for the Youth team. Was selected based on his performance at club level. The call up was meant for the Merdeka Cup tournament. However, Rahmat cited that he had a call up earlier to the national team for a friendly tour in 1964 to Indonesia. The coach was Choo Seng Quee for both 1964 and 1967 national squad. Described Choo Seng Quee’s character and coaching technique. He cited a player had to be really mentally strong to undergone Choo’s training. Though the players had a gruelling training sessions, neither anybody withdrew from the squad nor got injured. Related the preparations and journey to Indonesia.
It was the first time he was taking the plane. They departed from Paya Lebar Airport. The team played friendly matches in three different countries. The countries were Medan, Bandung and Surabaya. Singapore faced the team selection in the three different countries. Shared the experience playing against the teams of Surabaya, Medan and Bandung. The match against Surabaya was a tough one, the crowd was rowdy but Singapore managed to win 1-0. Rahmat cited that after the match he was approached by one of the Surabaya’s officials to play for them. In the other games, Medan and Bandung won 1-0. There was no incentive given for the friendly matches.
In 1967, Rahmat got the call up again to play in the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Singapore got knocked out in the first round after the team only managed to get a 1-0 a win against Indonesia but lost to Australia 0-2 and Burma with the same scoreline. Cited the lack of training and playing together as a team made Singapore difficult to progress. The players were given $150 for match allowance for the 15 days tournament. In 1968, Rahmat represented Singapore again, this time in the King’s Cup tournament. The same countries that participated in the Merdeka Cup competed in the King’s Cup. Singapore still just managed to compete in the group stages. Rahmat mentioned that the national coach in 1968 was either Sebastian Yap or Andrew Yap. Rahmat represented Singapore more for the Merdeka Cup and the King’s Cup rather than the Malaysia Cup.
In 1974, he donned the national jersey to play in the Malaysia Cup. The coach in 1974 was either Collin Green or Michael Walker. The differences between a local and foreign coach. Singapore did well and booked their spot in the semi final against Penang. There was a centralised before the players travelled to Penang for the second leg semi final. The first leg ended in a draw in National Stadium. Singapore lost 1-4 to Penang and failed to advance to the final. Did not play in the second leg as he got a stomach upset. The players then were given $50 to $100 for their match allowance. The following year in 1975, Rahmat did not get a call up, he cited maybe because of his age; he was already in the 30s then. Rahmat regarded Choo Seng Quee the best coach he had ever trained with as Choo always gave motivation and confidence to the players.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 7
Metadata
- 5 Aug 2009
Recording Date
- 00:56:26
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*How he got selected in the Singapore Malays Football Association or SMFA. He first got involved with the team in 1965. Rahmat also mentioned the committee or leadership for SMFA. He cited that SMFA did not have a permanent or proper coach, at times Majid Ariff or Ibrahim Awang would be the coach for the team. Despite lacking of proper structure, SMFA was a strong team, Most SMFA players were skilful and knew their responsibilities on the field. Rahmat shared his experience with SMFA from 1965 to 1975. He regarded a final match against Perlis in 1967’s Sultan Gold Cup was a tough one. The players had to travel up to Kedah taking train and then a bus to Perlis. The team arrived the same day on their match day. SMFA lost to Perlis 0-3 that evening. SMFA was not invited to compete in Sultan Gold Cup from 1970 to 1972,
The Sultan Gold Cup 1973 campaign where the final was held at the National Stadium. National Stadium had not been opened officially then. Cited that the manager Rahim Sattar made the effort to bring the final against Kelantan to National Stadium. Excited at the prospect of playing at the newly built stadium. Shared the proceeding before, during and after the match. Never imagined that the crowd would reach to 50,000 spectators; he cited that if a player was not mentally strong, he would get the jitters. He shared the mood in the dressing room and the pep talk given by Rahim Sattar. He who was the captain had his own way in motivating his players by patting their backs. SMFA was up 3-0 in the first half and eventually won the final 4-1. The Kallang Roar was getting louder and louder in the second half. He received the trophy from Mr. Othman Wok. It was one of the best moments ever in his football journey especially when he remembered his father’s words to him.
In the 1974 Sultan Gold Cup campaign, SMFA progressed to semi final but lost to Perak 1-2 in their second semi final leg in Perak. The first leg ended in a 2-2 draw. Rahmat mentioned that SMFA did not have a good and stable goalkeeper then. SMFA was in the final again in the 1975 Sultan Gold Cup. They were up against Penang, a much tougher opponent than Kelantan. The Penang players that had to be looked out for were the Bakar Brothers- Isa Bakar and Ali Bakar as well their striker Shahrudin. SMFA then was made up of Samad Allapitchay, Hasli Ibrahim, Idros Albar, Mohd Noh, Dollah Kassim and Arshad Khamis to name a few; it was almost like a national team. SMFA was up 3-0 in the first half. Complacency crept into the team as they let Penang got the better of them in the second half. Shahrudin strike twice to make the scoreline 3-2. The last 15 minutes were the longest 15 minutes ever for SMFA defence as they had to defend Penang’s attack after attack. SMFA eventually won 3-2. He received the trophy form Othman Wok.
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