Heart and Soul: Sher Mohamed, my father, the top cop

A leaf from history: Sir Edward Gent congratulating Sher Mohamed with a firm handshake. Photo: Mohamed Rafique Sher Mohamed

In 2007, when Malaysia celebrated its 50th year of independence, my book, Kismet – Life, Contributions & Sacrifices Of Sher Mohamed Allah Baksh was completed. It was launched by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in May 2008. It was a dream come true for me that a statesman such as he would honour my father’s memory.

During the launch, I informed the audience that I was contemplating to one day produce a movie on my beloved father’s life story. To illustrate this point, I presented the dramatic opening sequence of 20th Century Fox, with its captivating fanfare and iconic spotlights, to capture the attention of the audience. The audience waited eagerly in suspense of what was coming next. Alas, there was no trailer clip of a movie in production. Sighs of disappointment echoed. The guests had to be satisfied at this point of time with a slide presentation and video clips of my father’s career, which had been shown on television in the past. There was a lot of hard work to be done still.

The author Mohamed Rafique Sher Mohamed and his mother passing a copy of his book, Kismet, to Tun Mahathir, at the book launch on May 15, 2008. File photo: The Star/Art Chen