Two majestic monuments in Johor Baru

 

In my recent story on the vintage photo studio, I made reference to Ahmad Fadhli Syed Hassan who was on a quest to uncover information about the monument that commemorated the Diamond Jubilee year of the rule of Sultan Sir Ibrahim (topped by a crown) and the Tanjong Puteri Monument (topped by a star and crescent).

 

The two majestic monuments in the front
compound of Istana Gardens on a hillock
 that overlooks the Straits of Johor;
Photo courtesy of Dato Dr Abdul Rahim Ramli
 

Ahmad Fadhli is a fellow author with a passion to document stories on members of the Johor royal family. His book, Almarhum Sultan Ismail Johor 1894 – 1981, was published in 2018.

 

He is currently doing the research, collecting info and photos for his next book project on the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Sultan Sir Ibrahim (1895 to 1959), which he will co-author with our mutual friend, Johor Royal Court Council advisor, Dato’ Dr Haji Kassim Thukiman.

 

During our brief chat to verify some information on the Johor monuments, Ahmad Fadhli also shared with me, photos of the sites for these two monuments along with a coloured postcard, printed with a vintage photograph of the monument.

 

A picture postcard that Ahmad Fadhli bought
which showed the original site of this monument

We talked about the two monuments, their original sites in the heart of Johor Baru and how the two looked similar but were distinguished by the features on top.

 

I shared his curiosity about the original sites because I could hardly remember anything until he showed me his postcard printed with a coloured photograph.

 

From the reverse side of this postcard, I read that it was printed in the USA and was titled, “MEMORY OF DIAMOND JUBILEE, Johore Baru, Malaya.”

 

The reverse side of this postcard

Ahmad Fadhli and I also share the privilege of approaching Dato’ Dr Abdul Rahim Ramli, President of the Johor Royal Court Council, to discuss and verify information on Johor culture and heritage.

 

And from Dato’ Rahim’s Facebook post, we learnt that the current location of these two monuments is within the grounds of Istana Gardens, on a site that overlooked the Johor Straits, also known as Tebrau Straits.

 

But where were their original sites?

Were they located side-by-side or at different locations?

 

A vintage photo from the Johore Heng Photo
Studio taken in 1955 to commemorate the
Diamond Jubilee year of the rule of 
Sultan Sir Ibrahim; The Sultan is seen here
with Lady Marcella and Princess Tunku Meriam
 

Thanks to Ahmad Fadhli and his keen interest to discover more, he managed to buy this coloured, vintage picture postcard from Carousell which showed the site of the monument (topped by a crown) located close to the Johor Straits, that commemorated the Diamond Jubilee year of the rule of Sultan Sir Ibrahim.

 

The photo on this postcard depicted a typical scene on a Public Holiday – note the flags and buntings strung across the lamp-posts, fluttering in the wind – where the public thronged the street and patronised a mobile food stall, set up next to the monument.

 

Something of interest to me were the casual outfits of the men, women and children, particularly for the women who dressed modestly in baju kurung with scarves for head-covering while many women sported uncovered heads.

 

The site can be identified by the 
concrete border of the original 
platform for the monument

From looking at this picture postcard, Ahmad Fadhli narrowed down his search for the site to the coast which bordered the Johor Straits, an area which now looked different with the addition of reclaimed land and an elevated coastal highway.

 

A short walk along Jalan Ibrahim took him to the site which can still be identified by the concrete border of the original (I guess!) hexagonal-shaped platform where the monument was first established to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee year of the rule of Sultan Sir Ibrahim in 1955.

 

Ahmad Fadhli was pleased to have obtained a copy of vintage photograph from the Johore Heng Photo Studio, captured at the event that featured Sultan Sir Ibrahim, his consort Lady Marcella and Princess Tunku Meriam.

 

When he stepped onto the grassy site – somewhere opposite the Johor Courthouse – Ahmad Fadhli observed that the only thing which remained here was an old tree.

 

That's Ahmad Fadhli at the site of the
monument along Jalan Ibrahim

As for the Tanjong Puteri Monument which is topped by a star and crescent, Ahmad Fadli was pleased to have obtained another copy of an old photo from the Johore Heng Photo Studio that showed a bird’s-eye view of Jalan Tun Abdul Razak in the direction of downtown Johor Baru, cut across by the flyover to Jalan Bukit Meldrum.

 

Ahmad Fadhli drew in an “arrow” to point out the original site of this monument which once stood at Jalan Sawmill, a small road that borders the Johor Baru Central Police Station.

 

From this photo, we safely concluded that it was where Johore Heng Photo Studio photographer, Liew Wee Peng, captured that precious shot of his two young sons, Ah Lek and Kok Choy, next to this monument at Jalan Sawmill, so many years ago.

 

The arrow points to the original site of the 
Tanjong Puteri Monument at Jalan Sawmill

Jalan Sawmill has been reduced to a short road and Ahmad Fadhli did well to drive around this area to locate the spot – now under the flyover – when this monument once stood.

 

[Incidentally, I was near this very spot with a group on a Heritage Walk under the My Johor Stories in Downtown Johor Baru project in April 2023.]

 

We are grateful for the info shared by Dato’ Rahim in his Facebook post which explained that these Johor monuments were relocated, not once but twice, as Johor Baru city developed with modern infrastructure like roads, highways and flyovers.

 

The Golden Jubilee Monument
now located in the Istana Gardens

In 1995, the two monuments were relocated to an open area in front of the guardhouse at the Grand Palace or Istana Besar. This, however, was a low-lying area and often subject to flooding.

 

As such, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim decreed in 2012 that the two monuments be shifted to a hillock in the front compound of Istana Gardens where they overlooked the Johor Straits.

 

A 100-ft flagpole was erected here to stand as sentinel to Johor, in accordance to the wisdom and vision of Sultan Abu Bakar where those who arrived in Johor will lift their heads to pay respects to the sovereignty of the state of Johor Darul Ta’zim.

 

Istana Gardens, however, is now closed to the public but the two monuments can still be seen from the road.

 

So the next time you pass the Istana Gardens, slow down to take a look at the two majestic monuments that were established to mark important milestones in the history of modern Johor.