A gold bracelet worth around RM15,000 could have been a life-changing find for 28-year-old gardener Tengku Andy Asmawi Tengku Ahamad. But when he spotted the 25g bracelet on the ground at the Maritime Museum in Banda Hilir, he said its value never crossed his mind.
He simply knew it did not belong to him. The bracelet was discovered at around 7am last Sunday, while Andy was carrying out his usual morning routine of sweeping the museum grounds.
After realising it appeared to be gold, he immediately handed it to a museum staff member instead of taking it for himself. “I did not think about whether the item was expensive. What mattered was my responsibility at work,” he said.
“If it belongs to someone else, we have to return it”
For Andy, the decision was straightforward. He said he works to support his wife and children and has no intention of taking something that belongs to another person.
“My wife often reminds me to do my job properly. If we find someone else’s belongings, we have to return them,” he said.
The museum later learned that the bracelet belonged to a visitor from Kuala Lumpur, who had contacted the management after realising the jewellery was missing. The visitor had asked the museum to keep an eye out for it and had also shared information about the missing bracelet in a WhatsApp group. Fortunately, the bracelet was found before the situation went any further.
He moved to Melaka to be closer to his family
Andy, who is originally from Kemaman, Terengganu, previously worked at Wisma Negeri Terengganu before moving to Melaka to take up the gardening job at the museum. The decision was partly driven by his family.
He and his wife had previously been living apart, while their two children are only three years old and three months old. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work in Melaka. At least I can be closer to my family while earning a living here,” he said.
Now, the bracelet has been safely returned to the museum management and Andy has walked away from the discovery with something far more valuable than RM15,000: the knowledge that he did what he believed was right.
Melaka Museum Corporation assistant curator of management Farahwahidah Abd Wahab confirmed that the bracelet was found by a gardener and subsequently handed over to the museum.
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