He was a ‘kaunda kaundi’ and rounders champion as a young schoolboy at Pasar Road Primary.
Later in Victoria Institution (VI), Mohamed Hashim Mohd Ali excelled in swimming, water-polo, badminton and hockey.
However, never did he dream he’d become an army general, let alone Malaysia’s chief of defence force (CDF).
“Except for the radio, there were no television, telephone, toys or gadgets at our homes those days around Jalan Peel and Jalan Weld (now Jalan Raja Chulan).
“Thus, I either wrestled with my five brothers on our mother’s bed or played outdoor games with neighbours’ children, a majority of whom were non-Malays like Khoo Teng Bin, with whom I once cycled to Port Dickson.
“We would raid each other’s refrigerators for snacks. Our religious differences did not come between us,” said General (Rtd) Hashim, better known as Freddie Hashim, in conjunction with Warrior’s Day on July 31.
In school as a Scout, his sense of discipline and neatness in uniform earned him the Queen Scout’s award in 1953 from Field Marshal General Sir Gerald Templer.
“That further spurred me to enlist with the Federation Military College (FMC) in Port Dickson, right after school in 1954,” recalled Hashim, who turned 90 on April 10.
“After six months’ cadet training, I was among 12 sent for further training at Eaton Hall in Cheshire, England.
“The ‘mat sallehs’ (Caucasians) had a poor perception of us, thinking we lived on trees in the forests. It gave me the impetus to out-perform them, becoming a cadet sergeant – with three of the ‘whites’ serving inferiorly as my junior under-officers,” he said.
He added that the experience of being trained overseas was priceless as they had better facilities there and “wider exposure to build character and toughen you.”
After four months, Hashim qualified for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in Camberley, near Surrey for 15 months.
“When I checked into Sandhurst, my roommate Donald Pell had difficulty pronouncing my name. “’Your name is too long. I will call you Frederick. Freddie for short’,” Hashim recalled, saying the name stuck.
Once, during an academy boxing bout, Neil Sutherland slammed Hashim’s jaw. However, it was Sutherland who landed in hospital for a dislocated shoulder.
“I visited him the next day and explained to his mother that I did not punch Neil. He lost his balance and fell after hitting me,” Hashim said.
After graduating from RMAS, Hashim was commissioned as a second-lieutenant in the Royal Malay Regiment on Dec 20, 1956.
In later years as a captain, Hashim became the first Malay aide-de-camp (ADC) to the last British CDF General Rodney Moore.
“I became very close, like a son, to him and wife Patricia, who cried when my two-year stint was over.
“It was a standing joke that the ADC usually married the general’s daughter. I did one better by taking over the general’s house (Flagstaff House, later renamed Rumah Perkasa) when on Oct 5, 1987, I became CDF,” said Hashim.
He reminisced about meeting Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, in conjunction with his courtesy call on his counterpart Lieutenant-General Winston Choo in the republic.
“During the meeting, Lee warned of mobilising his troops if Malaysia stopped supplying raw water as Malaysia negotiated to increase the price.
“I responded that it was my job to stop anything untoward from uninvited guests. If he were to enter the country uninvited, I would have to prevent him from doing so,” Hashim told Lee.
At the Warrior’s Day event, Hashim paid tribute to his parents Siti Khatijah Ahmad and Mohd Ali Taib, who served as official assignee of bankruptcy, earning the moniker Pak Ali Bankerap!
After retirement in 1992, Hashim and wife Majmin Yahya, met his sister Siti Hasmah and husband prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad visiting London.
“Mahathir caught me off guard when he asked me to run Sukom ’98 (XVI Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games 1998).
“Before I could respond, he firmly told me ‘Yes, you can’. And that was it. Many assumed that I was given the job owing to my family relationship with Dr Mahathir.
“This time I could not turn him down as I had on two occasions before – when I was offered to become the Malaysian high commissioner to Britain and as Kuala Lumpur mayor,” revealed Hashim.
