A 400-METRE road between Scotland Road and Jalan Ayer Itam is now known as Jalan S.A. Abdullah Bukhari.
Penang Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said a proposal was initially made by the Kapitan Keling Mosque qariah committee to rename either part of Chulia Street or Jalan Brani to Jalan Dato’ S.A. Abdullah Bukhari.
“The proposal was tabled at the State Geographic Names Committee (JNNG) meeting.
“However, due to the locations of the roads being within the core and buffer zones of George Town, which are subject to the conditions of the Unesco World Heritage Site in George Town, the proposal could not be approved.
“The area around Jalan Brani has its historical significance related to the early settlements in Penang and is connected to Jalan Tekong, Jalan Bakom, and Jalan Singapura.
“Then, there is a new proposal from the Kapitan Keling Mosque qariah committee to rename a section of Jalan Ayer Itam to Jalan Dato’ S. A. Abdullah Bukhari in George Town, Penang. The proposal was also presented at the same meeting, and based on the comments and feedback received from the department representatives, the committee agreed to approve the renaming of a section of Jalan Ayer Itam to Jalan S. A. Abdullah Bukhari, 10460 George Town, Penang.
“The renaming of a section of Jalan Ayer Itam to Jalan S. A. Abdullah Bukhari is based on the following considerations – to honour and recognise the contributions of Datuk S. A. Abdullah Bukhari in propagating Islamic teachings in Penang; the renaming complies with the guidelines set by the 2019 National Committee on Geographical Names; and the proposed road is an existing 400-meter section between Scotland Road and Jalan Ayer Itam, near Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Al-Mashoor Lelaki (L),” Zairil told reporters at the site today.
The late Datuk Syeikh Maulana Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al Bukhari Al Masyuri, was born on June 29, 1933, in Chulia Street. He stayed in Jalan Brani.
According to the information from the state Mufti Department, he was married, and the couple had six children (three sons and three daughters). He taught at Madrasah Al-Mashoor from 1958 to 1979, besides being an imam of the Kapitan Keling Mosque from 1972 to 2011, besides other achievements. He was known to be able to communicate in Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Tamil and Bahasa Arab.
He passed away at his home in Jalan Brani on Jan 9, 2022.
His sons Ahmad Jamil, 60, and Muhamed Jaafer Sadiq, 55, together with Ahmad Jamil’s wife Kathija Bee Majid, 58, were present to witness the momentous event today.
Kathija Bee said the family was happy and grateful to the state government for honouring S.A. Abdullah Bukhari.
“My late father in-law was a very dedicated religious figure. His contributions to society will continuously be recognised through this recognition,” she said when interviewed.
Also present were Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng, Pulau Tikus assemblyman Joshua Woo, Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng, Penang Malay Association (Pemenang) president Tan Sri Dr Mohd Yussof Latiff, Majlis Dato’ Dato’ Negeri Pulau Pinang president Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rafique Abdul Karim, Kapitan Keling Mosque qariah committee chairman Datuk Faruk V Raja Mohamed, state Education Department director Abdul Said Hussain, and local government division secretary Muhamad Husni Mahmud.
Another announcement was also made at the event, where part of Jalan Tengah, measuring 190 metres in Bayan Lepas, was renamed to Solok Dato’ Ismail Hashim.
Ismail served as the Bayan Lepas assemblyman from 1964 to 1974. He was also the co-founder of Koperasi Tunas Muda which led the fundraising efforts to acquire lands for the development of Sungai Ara, which included building affordable homes for the community.
The renaming of both roads was approved by the Penang executive council on Feb 28 and confirmed on March 6.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud