Datuk Abd Manaf Hj Ahmad

If you were studying in Cairo in the seventies, then YBhg. Datuk Abd. Manaf Hj Ahmad needs no introduction. At that time we all knew him as ”Che Manaf”, who was the first ever Student Attache of the Malaysian Embassy in Cairo where he served for 15 years from 1965 to 1980. He was in charge of the Malaysian Students Department which has since been rebranded as Education Malaysia Egypt [EME] and has moved out of the embassy to its own building in Abbasiah.

The Malaysian Embassy in Egypt and EME are living in much more challenging times now. They have to deal with many issues such as deportation of students  https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/03/217846/egypt-deports-first-batch-104-malaysian-students-19-home , deregistration of PMRAM http://matkilaupenang.blogspot.com/2011/07/pmram-telah-diharamkan-di-mesirharakah.html and non-accreditation of public universities https://www.academia.edu/6981642/ACCREDITATION_OF_PUBLIC_UNIVERSITIES_IN_EGYPT

Perhaps back then, in the seventies, we lived in simpler times….

Radin Amin from Alex remembers….”Ahlan wa sahlan ya, Datuk  Abd Manaf…….

Our Alex students and Datuk Manaf together with Tun Mahathir

Students from Ain Shams and Al Azhar together with En Manaf. 

Masih teringat jasa Datuk beri bajet untuk buka Club House di Alex,  menghantar berita Malaysia melalui surat khabar dan menyenangkan hati kami dengan perjumpaan dan makan-makan.”

Meanwhile on the subject of marriage in Cairo, Abdul Halim Ramli remembers:  “Datuk Che Manaf pernah bantu saya dapat transfer dari Universti Mansourah kepada Universiti Ain Shams selepas premedical dengan mengeluarkan surat dari kedutaan mengesahkan yang saya telah bertunang dan akan nikah Rosnah yang sedang belajar di Ain Shams. Laku pulak surat itu. Saya hanya nikah dengan Almarhum Rosnah selepas tahun kedua medical. Terima kasih Datuk Che Manaf atas jasa Datuk kepada kami dahulu.”

Between 1970 and 1980, most of us in Egypt were either MARA or JPA students and we were the subject of a Government to Government agreement, so no education fees were paid. Nevertheless, another subject dear to our minds was MONEY, because it meant our survival! We needed that money for food and rent etc…. We were very resourceful students and Nurul Azman recalls how we obtained a better exchange rate for our scholarship money…. “Bukan ke boleh buat exchange black market. Gi Beirut, Nicosia Cyprus. Budak Mara dapat check 4 bulan sekali. Boleh le melaram.”

However, according to Husin Said,”itu dah masuk 4th year (1975) baru dapat check 4 bulan sekali daripada Mara.. 1970 to 1974 semua official rate..sengsara.. itu lah sebab nya budak2 first batch Mara 1970 banyak berterima kasih dengan Dato Manaf kerana selalu bagi kita semua IOU.. Lepas tu dia ajak pulak makan kat rumah dia.. Makan masakan arwah Kak Salmah!”

Jamil Yasin recalls : “Ada chapters….Ada story sikit lah. We reached Cairo in December 1970. However, our academic session started in September. We arrived in December. Alhamdulillah, we were allowed to join in. Thanks to Che Manaf and the embassy.”

I think each one of us has a story to tell of our relationship with Datuk Manaf and we owe a big thank you to YBhg. Datuk Abd. Manaf Hj Ahmad, in his role as the first Malaysian Education Attache in Egypt.

What happened to YBhg. Datuk Abd. Manaf Hj Ahmad after 1980?

As Abdul Halim Ramli asked: “Lima belas tahun juga Che Manaf berkhidmat di Mesir ya? Selepas 1980 Che Manaf berkhidmat di mana pula ya?”

After returning to Malaysia, Dato Abd. Manaf continues to lead a very active life. In answer to the question posed by Abdul Halim Ramli, Dato Abd. Manaf says: “Tun Dr Mahathir mengenal hati budi saya semasa lawatannya ke Mesir dalam bulan Julai 1976. Bila saya balik ke Kuala Lumpur, Tun melantik saya sebagai Setiausaha Khas dan kemudian menempatkan saya sebagai Pengarah Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (1981-1985). Selepas itu dipilih menjadi Ahli Parlimen Sungai Petani (1986-1990), kemudian ADUN Pantai Merdeka (1991-1995) dan CEO Institut Kemahiran Islam (1996).

Saya juga pernah bertugas sebagai Pengerusi Eksekutif Institut Baitumal Wilayah Persekutuan dan Pegawai kewangan Universiti Islam Malaysia.”

Has anyone met Dato Manaf recently?

YBhg. Datuk Abd. Manaf Hj Ahmad was born in 1934. This year (2022) he celebrated his 88^th birthday in April and is still very active and has also written several books, amongst them “Pengalaman di Lembah Nil”.  

Pengalaman di Lembah Nil written by Datuk Manaf

Another book written by Dato Manaf. Picture taken at EME in 2019

Dato Dr Hatta Shaharom bersama Datuk Abd Manaf January 2022

Has anyone met him recently?

Hatta Shaharom met up with Datuk Manaf on 6^th January 2022. According to Hatta, “Alhamdulillah bersyukur saya dapat bertemu Che Manaf tengah hari semalam. Saya dipandu oleh seorang kawan pesara. Sampai di rumah Che Manaf tiada orang di rumah. (Saya menelefon dan WA beliau beberapa minit sebelum sampai; tiada jawapan). Alhamdulillah setelah 2-3 minit saya mundar mandir depan pintu automatik kediaman beliau di Seksyen 2, Shah Alam, Che Manaf pun sampai.  Beliau memandu keretanya sendiri. Malu saya, beliau berusia 88 tahun masih cekap memandu; balik dari kedai foto utk urusan foto2 kita dari Mesir.”

Dato Abd. Manaf Hj Ahmad

Dato Manaf also informed us all that his dear wife Datin Salmah, recently passed away on 3^rd August 2021 at the age of 78. Many of the students who were in Egypt in the seventies knew her as Kak Salmah who used to prepare wonderful meals for hungry students, always willing to talk to and listen to us. As Husin Said said, “Al Fatehah .. Moga Allah mengampuninya dan menempatkan rohnya dikalangan syuhada dan solehin disyurgaNya..Ammiin.. Husin Said echoes most of us as many of us were unaware of her passing. “Maafkan saya Dato Manaf, saya tak tahu tentang kepulangan keRahmatullah Kak Salmah..” Innalillah wainnailaihi rojiun.

In a recent communication to Zalina Ismail, Datuk Manaf says that since his wife passed away, he has been staying at his childrens’ homes. “Kerana isteri tersayang meninggal, saya berulang-ulang tinggal bersama Amal di Shah Alam dan di rumah Kpt Ali Redha di Sepang.”

I think most of us feel the same way as Abdul Halim Ramli when he says “ Terima kasih atas pencerahan Datuk Manaf. Tahniah atas kerjaya yang sangat cemerlang dan dapat banyak membantu rakyat marhaen dalam kapasiti sebagai pemimpin rakyat. جزاك الله خيرا