Wednesday, 31 August 2016
From the land of spices since 1900
From the land of spices since 1900
Mohamed Meera in front of the store as it appears today at 116 Penang Street in George Town.
UNDER British rule, this land saw a hodgepodge of governmental systems that created a list of problems for its people for centuries.
Sabah was governed by the British North Borneo Company. Sarawak belonged to the White Rajah Dynasty, rulers descended from Englishman James Brooke.
Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak and Selangor were called the Federated Malay States and the British were particularly protective of them because of their abundance of tin.
Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu were the Unfederated Malay States, which were standalone British protectorates without a common legal system.
Penang, Malacca, Singapore and later Labuan – with their vital ports – the British held tightest, ruling them as the Straits Settlement and later, Crown Colony.
This set-up began in the late 1800s and was established by 1910.
After World War II, the British moved to strengthen their hold on the land by forming the Malayan Union in 1946. But wanting more workers, they relaxed citizenship laws to the point that nearly anyone could get it.
They also reduced the powers of the Sultans greatly and gave nearly full administration powers to the Malayan Union governor and the states’ British Residents. This angered the local population, who all but boycotted state functions and meetings.
The facade of Mohamed Meera Sahib (M) Sdn Bhd as it appeared in the 1960s.
In a knee-jerk response, the British dissolved the Malayan Union and formed the Federation of Malaya just two years later. They restored the rulers’ powers and tightened citizenship, but migration problems had set in.
“My grandfather came here in 1900 when he was just 18. He left India in search of a better future, but found himself nearly stateless because of the legal problems,” said foodstuff dealer Mohamed Meera Sahib, 46.
Mohamed Meera is named after his grandfather, who was literate and found a job as a clerk in a spices and herb shop in Penang street.
Years later, he was accepted as a company partner and in 1954, he took over the business entirely after the founders retired and named the shop M. Mohamed Meera Sahib.
Though he was already 72 and had settled down here for decades, his citizenship applications were mired in red tape by the British.
When Aug 31, 1957 came, it was settled. With the freedom to decide, the independent Malayan government took note of all the local people who had been part of the country’s growth and allowed citizenship applications.
The shop in Penang Street was set up in March 1957. It is named Mohamed Meera Sahib Sdn Bhd, after the young man who came from India and gave everything he had to settle down here.
Even the in-house brand “Meera 1882” recognises the year their grandfather was born.
The shop is one of Penang’s leading retailers in halal spices, lentils, dates, food and household products.
Despite being run by the fourth-generation descendants now, they still enjoy the patronage of those who knew their grandfather.
Always charge reasonably, their grandfather told them, so that customers will not feel the pinch.
“We have stuck to that motto all these years,” Mohamed Meera said, smiling.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Mohamed Meera in front of the store as it appears today at 116 Penang Street in George Town.
UNDER British rule, this land saw a hodgepodge of governmental systems that created a list of problems for its people for centuries.
Sabah was governed by the British North Borneo Company. Sarawak belonged to the White Rajah Dynasty, rulers descended from Englishman James Brooke.
Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak and Selangor were called the Federated Malay States and the British were particularly protective of them because of their abundance of tin.
Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu were the Unfederated Malay States, which were standalone British protectorates without a common legal system.
Penang, Malacca, Singapore and later Labuan – with their vital ports – the British held tightest, ruling them as the Straits Settlement and later, Crown Colony.
This set-up began in the late 1800s and was established by 1910.
After World War II, the British moved to strengthen their hold on the land by forming the Malayan Union in 1946. But wanting more workers, they relaxed citizenship laws to the point that nearly anyone could get it.
They also reduced the powers of the Sultans greatly and gave nearly full administration powers to the Malayan Union governor and the states’ British Residents. This angered the local population, who all but boycotted state functions and meetings.
The facade of Mohamed Meera Sahib (M) Sdn Bhd as it appeared in the 1960s.
In a knee-jerk response, the British dissolved the Malayan Union and formed the Federation of Malaya just two years later. They restored the rulers’ powers and tightened citizenship, but migration problems had set in.
“My grandfather came here in 1900 when he was just 18. He left India in search of a better future, but found himself nearly stateless because of the legal problems,” said foodstuff dealer Mohamed Meera Sahib, 46.
Mohamed Meera is named after his grandfather, who was literate and found a job as a clerk in a spices and herb shop in Penang street.
Years later, he was accepted as a company partner and in 1954, he took over the business entirely after the founders retired and named the shop M. Mohamed Meera Sahib.
Though he was already 72 and had settled down here for decades, his citizenship applications were mired in red tape by the British.
When Aug 31, 1957 came, it was settled. With the freedom to decide, the independent Malayan government took note of all the local people who had been part of the country’s growth and allowed citizenship applications.
The shop in Penang Street was set up in March 1957. It is named Mohamed Meera Sahib Sdn Bhd, after the young man who came from India and gave everything he had to settle down here.
Even the in-house brand “Meera 1882” recognises the year their grandfather was born.
The shop is one of Penang’s leading retailers in halal spices, lentils, dates, food and household products.
Despite being run by the fourth-generation descendants now, they still enjoy the patronage of those who knew their grandfather.
Always charge reasonably, their grandfather told them, so that customers will not feel the pinch.
“We have stuck to that motto all these years,” Mohamed Meera said, smiling.
~News courtesy of The Star~
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