Muhammad Yusof bin Ahmad : The Silver Wolf of Malaya

Abstract

This article is to reconstruct the development of the Scout Movement of Malaya since it was established in 1908 by Frank C. Sands, a British explorer who became the first Chief Commissioner of Scout in 1910. The movement first began in Penang as an experimental group whose aim was to bring together boys of all classes, and of diverse creeds and races to participate in activities of ‘backwoodsmen, explorers and frontiersmen’, modeled on men with an adventurous spirit. Those selected were boys who became men of action displaying qualities of pluck, endurance and resourcefulness. By the time Muhammad Yusof bin Ahmad became the first Chief Commissioner of Scout for the Federation of Malaya in 1957, the movement had gained traction in other Malayan states and had been transformed into a “character development factory” that inculcated the values of obedience, loyalty and self-reliance. For services of the most exceptional character in Malaya over a period for 27 years, he received the Silver Wolf Award that had since remained the “unrestricted gift of the Chief Scout of the British Commonwealth”. This article will make use of the Qualitative Method of Analysis to scrutinise data kept in various national archives, libraries, scout associations, and Muhammad Yusof’s private collection. The aim is to examine the development and growth of the Scout Movement in Malaya, discuss the reasons as to why Muhammad Yusof joined the movement in 1926, the role he played since his training days in Singapore and England, and his contribution to the development of boys’ scouts in Malaya until his retirement in 1960. The main finding of this study is the significant role of Muhammad Yusof. Key words: Malaya; Scout Movement; Chief Commissioner of Scout; Silver Wolf; Muhammad Yusof.