This is a letter pertaining to the late Tun Ghafar Baba's assistance to me. I believe your readers will also be interested to know some of the "happenings" during the last days of colonialism.

Posted as acting state social welfare officer in Malacca (now designated director) immediately after completing graduate studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Bombay (now a university) under the Colombo Plan in 1959, I immediately set about implementing 'reforms' with some fresh and somewhat "radical" ideas about the meaning of "welfare".

Coming as it did soon after the last British expatriate relinquished the post, these changes were naturally seen in many circles as a threat to the existing status quo particularly as Malacca was then considered a colonial 'sleepy hollow'.

An important incident occurred where, if not for the personal intervention of Ghafar Baba who was then the chief minister designate, I might even have been dismissed from service. Observing a queue of old persons lined up behind a van in the hot blazing sun, I was horrified to know that they were "welfare" recipients collecting their monthly 'ration' of rice, coconut oil, and salt fish.

Within weeks I had all their 'cases' reviewed, raised the minimum value of the 'handout' and paid them cash.

About a month later, I was summoned to a meeting of the Malacca state executive committee and asked to explain by whose authority had I changed the system and paid cash? In the words of the state financial officer (who was still an expatriate) 'Whose money did you think you were disbursing? Don't you know that the recipients would use the money to buy alcohol, get drunk and sleep along the five-foot way of shops?'

My response in defence was that we had the approved vote for public assistance and I was merely operating within the budget. Not satisfied, I was informed that being a federal officer I had violated the State Financial Orders, and since I was holding the state post only in an acting capacity, steps will be taken to ask the federal government for me to be removed and replaced.

Some of the other heads of departments (locals) suggested I refer this matter to Ghafar Baba for advice. I was totally astonished by his response. He told me to not only to go ahead and continue the cash disbursements but also to implement any other reforms I thought necessary.

My immediate action was to get myself a 'red coloured' phone which Ghafar commended when he paid a visit to our office as chief minister later.